When it comes to business, success is more than simply throwing ideas against the wall, expecting all of them will stick. Mistakes like this can be costly for companies regardless of size — they may even ruin a company’s brand and reputation. To avoid situations like this, you need to test and evaluate how your target consumers or audience will feel about your new product or service. This is where concept testing comes in.
In this article, we take a look at the importance of concept testing in research, plus five (5) things to keep in mind when conducting concept testing in research.
What is concept testing?
Successful businesses know that before they even attempt to release a product or service to the public, it needs to undergo several tests and screenings to determine if consumer response will be positive or negative. This process of screening and testing is what experts call “Concept Testing.”
When is concept testing used?
If you want to know the consumer trends and preferences in your particular market, then conducting concept testing is a great way to get the goal done. This process can be used in a variety of applications, from products and services to campaigns and other plans/items that you plan to release to the public.
Concept testing can be applied during any stage of the production process, whether it’s during the ideation phase or after the product has been fully developed. This can give you an insider’s perspective on how your customers will react to your product and help you create a strategy that can help ensure your project’s success.
Things to keep in mind about concept testing
What companies and business owners need to know is that concept testing is more than simply putting a list of questions on a piece of paper and recording your subject’s answers. For concept testing to be efficient and useful, there are a few things to consider at particular points of the process.
Here are five (5) things to keep in mind when conducting concept testing in research.
1. Know your goals
The first and possibly most important thing that you need during concept testing for research is to know your goals. Having a clear list of goals and expectations can help you come up with the most appropriate and beneficial questions for your study. Without something to guide you through the process, you’ll end up forgetting questions and concerns that are vital for your research. This can render your whole concept testing useless, plus you’ve just wasted your time, your customer’s time, and your employee’s time as well.
2. Choose a concept methodology
There are several methods to conduct concept testing in research. Depending on your goals and requirements for your research, some methods may be better suited for your purpose than others. When choosing a concept methodology, think about your goals and how much information you need to reach them. This will help you determine the best route to take once you start formulating your concept testing process.
3. Vary your testing questions
Testing questions will depend on the type of information you want to gather as well as your overarching goal for your concept testing. However, regardless of your needs, it’s best to include a number of question types to get the most out of your survey.
The most common questions you can find on concept testing surveys are open-ended questions, closed-ended questions, and likelihood to purchase questions. Play around with these question types for best results.
4. Gather a list of target respondents
Once you have your goals and methodology down, it’s time to send invitations to your target respondents. We say “target” because you don’t just want random people answering your surveys. You want people who are actually interested in your brand and product to give you their insights, so you can best adjust your services and designs to better fit their needs.
5. Present your ideas
Get all your respondents into one room and start pitching your ideas. But don’t forget to plan how the whole process is going to play out. For example, is there a particular way you want to present your concept testing methodology? If there is, thinking of this ahead of time can ensure that your concept testing goes smoothly.
Other questions that you may want to ask yourself are: Should I use images and videos? Will descriptions be enough to get the results I need? Should the test be computerized or printed? Consider every angle of your concept testing process and see how you can make the whole thing more efficient.
Elevate your results
Get the most out of your concept testing efforts by implementing the steps that we’ve mentioned above. Don’t be afraid to audit and edit your surveys several times before putting them to work. Ensure that the questions and methodologies you use are appropriate for the study. Furthermore, make sure to get respondents from targeted segments to make sure you get useful results at the end of the study.