What innovative product concept testing techniques can you use?

Virtual reality testing offers immersive experiences to gather feedback on product concepts. Utilizing VR technology, companies can simulate real-life scenarios for users to interact with and provide insights on product usability and preferences. Tools like InContext Solutions or Oculus Rift enable businesses to conduct virtual product testing in controlled environments, enhancing the accuracy of feedback.

VR Testing: Go beyond mockups! Immerse users in a virtual environment to test usability, desirability, and emotion in real-time. Identify pain points and refine your concept before physical prototypes.

I am not an advocate of this sort of detached experience. Unless the product is spatial like a home, community center, building , and it is not feasible to create a physical product sample, do not use this option. Most products require a viseral experience - few people realize how everything matters, the way you open the package, how easy it is to read the package, the texture of the materials.. just because tech is made does not mean you have to use it. Also there will be people who are more impacted by the VR experience and that will distract their focus

A/B Testing with Prototypes: Develop multiple variations of the product concept and test them with different user groups in controlled experiments. This allows for a direct comparison of different features or designs to determine which resonates best with the target audience.

From my experience, Design Thinking with Rapid Prototyping is the way forward. The combination of involving stakeholders from the very beginning and the fact that the initial prototypes are of low-resolution materials (card-board, wire frames or even Lego) inspires conversation and uncovers underlying user needs for product iterations that normal testing modalities would not. The key mindset shift is moving away from the attitude of knowing all the answers as the designer to becoming deeply curious about the other person's latent needs. It's about holding space for discovery. The vital distinction is to treat them less as a user and to actually see them for the complex person they are.

Crowdsource the Future: Unleash the power of the crowd! Share concepts on open platforms for diverse feedback, identify hidden needs, and tap into unexpected innovation potential.

Escape Room: Solve puzzles using your product in a themed escape room. AR Feedback Booth: Interact with your virtual prototype in real-world surroundings. Product RPGs: Play as users & competitors to debate your concept. Co-Create with Users: Build prototypes & give them a voice in your product.

👉 Broad community testing is good for diverse, first-time user feedback, especially when product activation friction is low. 👉 For specific audience feedback or detailed feature insights, opt for more targeted testing approaches. 👉 Evaluate owned vs external communities. Owned = more relevant feedback but watch for bias.

I prefer crowdsourcing testing for its adaptive methodology and iterative process to generate value, for the insights diversity, concept variations testing and accelerated speed to market of MVPs.

Dica rápida de produto : retirem seus produtos da prateleira. Consumidor nenhum engaja , aprende, aprova/ reprova aquilo que ele ainda não experimentou. Esperar o momento perfeito para lançamento é um erro tão comum. Talvez esse momento nunca chegue, talvez o que você estrategicamente pense que é a melhor hora não seja. Faça testes, experimente e lance nem que seja um pequeno pedaço. Faça isso, ouça seus clientes e repriorize se necessário. Afinal de contas o cliente é o seu principal stakeholder. A flexibilidade no processo de lançamento pode proporcionar valiosos insights.

Gamification testing integrates game elements into the product concept evaluation process to increase engagement and motivation among participants. By turning testing activities into interactive challenges or competitions, companies can encourage users to provide more detailed feedback and insights. Tools like PlaybookUX or UserZoom offer gamified testing solutions that make the evaluation process more enjoyable and insightful for participants

Gamified Testing: Make testing fun and insightful! Design mini-games that mimic product interactions, gather valuable usage data while users play, and keep them engaged.

In my experience, gamified testing is effective if a long-term strategy. Key points to address: 👉 Audience: Identify your target—non-users for diversity (watch for bias), existing users broadly, or power users & brand ambassadors for detailed feedback. 👉 Rewards: Tailor rewards to audience needs. External non-users? Monetary might attract. Existing users or brand ambassadors? Opt for brand-specific perks like early access, event invites, unique swag, or executive meet-ups. 👉 Rules: Define gamification rules clearly and simply.

La gamificación es el proceso de incorporar elementos de juego, como la competencia, la colaboración, los premios y los desafíos, en contextos no relacionados con los juegos para motivar y comprometer a las personas. Se utiliza en campos como la educación, el marketing, el entrenamiento empresarial y la salud para mejorar el compromiso, la productividad y el aprendizaje. La gamificación aprovecha la naturaleza lúdica y motivadora de los juegos para influir en el comportamiento humano y alcanzar objetivos específicos.

I have been on both sides of Gamification, as a tester and user, and it is definitely a technique that is effective in certain sectors than others, not a small scope for your product, and worth A/B testing by itself to see how gamification can move the needle for your product. Gamification is heavily focused on user engagement, and to know the biggest value you get out of it, it has to be measured for relatively a long amount of time to gauge the change in behavior and engagement.

A narrativa de inovação é um recurso potente para comunicar o processo, os problemas e as soluções da inovação de uma forma que repercuta emocionalmente no seu público-alvo. Em si, cada narrativa de inovação é única, pois conta como as inovações futuras impactarão nossas vidas a partir de múltiplas perspectivas e olhares. Começando por partes, fazendo recortes de prioridade com base no seu público-alvo, elas configuram recursos eficazes para transmitir a sua ideia. Storytelling impacta na inspiração e na motivação dos usuários finais para acreditar e defender a sua proposta inovadora.

Storytelling for Insights: Craft a compelling narrative around your concept. Go beyond surveys to uncover deeper motivations, emotional connections, and hidden desires.

Human brains have evolved around the fire in a cave, and since digital was not an option, people had to talk and make up stories. This means we are far more attuned to stories than, say, facts, both in terms of relating to stories and remembering them. As a result, they are the most natural format for testing innovative ideas. This form of testing is also cheap and can be applied inside and outside of an organisation - on potential customers and staff. A powerful customer story can motivate staff and communicate nuance and humanness, resulting in innovation that is distinctive and desired by the customer.

Story telling provide proven paramount examples for the audience. So, it may creates trust and confidence among the audience to adopt and adapt the stories being told.

La narración de historias es una forma de comunicación que implica contar una secuencia de eventos o experiencias de manera coherente y atractiva. Se utiliza en una variedad de contextos, como la literatura, el cine, la publicidad, el marketing y la educación, para transmitir mensajes, emociones, valores o información. Una buena narración de historias involucra elementos como personajes interesantes, tramas convincentes, conflictos, puntos de inflexión y resolución. Puede ser una herramienta poderosa para captar la atención del público, transmitir mensajes efectivos y crear conexiones emocionales.

A/B Test for Continuous Improvement: Data is your friend! Test key features and design variations with real users to see what resonates most. Continuously iterate and optimize based on their preferences.

A/B testing is good if you also allow for C an option that is not on the table . . . yet. In comparison you can miss out on the fact that neither re optimal - get people also focused on what is optimal not just what is presented..

Building internal processes for continuous A/B testing is a must for any high performing team. It is the simplest and cheaper way to build excellence and not settle for the status quo in a way that also doesn’t cause a lot of stress and disruption. Make it part of you team’s mindset!

One thing i would add, as there is a lot of resources about A/B testing in general; the statistical significance between the versions you are A/B testing. you want to remove uncertainty as much as possible, so: - The sample size is important, a bigger sample size makes the results more reliable, it will drive confidence in your test. - Making sure that the allocation of users to both version A or B is as equally diverse and random as possible, it ensures that any significant difference between A and B are likely due to changes made, not external factors.

A/B is the most critical kind of testing and the data generated through this kind of testing will help you to decide what you should do next. This should be followed in all the scenarios as possible.

Consider factors such as target audience demographics, industry-specific trends, and budget constraints when selecting product concept testing techniques. Tailor your approach based on the unique characteristics of your target market and the goals of your product innovation efforts. Additionally, explore emerging technologies and methodologies in product testing to stay ahead of competitors and ensure the success of your product development initiatives.

I work for an innovation testing company called System1. We have a unique trading game concept that asks the audience to trade shares in different ideas. By asking this question rather than the traditional “how likely are you to buy” we actually force a preference that is much more predictive of the real world.

In my experience, When testing ideas or evaluating options, context becomes crucial. Instead of seeking general opinions, create a realistic scenario. For instance, provide participants with “fake currency” and ask them to allocate it toward features they need. This approach compels them to think from their own context, leading to more practical insights. Another effective way to set context is by asking participants to: Take the product home: This prompts them to consider real-world usage. Pay to use it for a week: Such context encourages deeper thinking, resulting in responses closer to real-life situations. Remember, context matters—it shapes our decisions!

Discrete choice and conjoint modeling have been around forever, well studied with well known strengths and limitations. IMO these are pretty useful for first cut at refining initial pricing, bundling and value prop prior to new product or service launch. Post launch "real" in-market experiments are better.

Well it depends on what design stage we are in. If it's still in the prototyping stage, It also depends on what the allocated budgets are for testing. Every testing methods differs on what are we intend to do with it.