Product Innovation Toolbox
Description
Discover how to implement consumer-centric innovation to help create new product development in this latest edition
In recent years, behavioral approaches, social media listening, and other new techniques and technologies--digital techniques, augmented intelligence, machine learning, and advanced biometrics, among others--have been foregrounded in innovation research. A focus on the evolving fields of data science and neuroscience is a driving force for both researchers and the people they study. These digital and mobile technologies have enabled researchers to augment listening, observing and categorizing methods, and to adapt new techniques in attempting to better understand consumers. On the other hand, digitized mobile societies, spurred by faster and cheaper internet access, emphasize an interconnectedness that drastically alters human behaviors and creates borderless influences. Even so, the tenets and approaches to insightful deep learning for consumers and other actors, from discovery through to the launch of successful products, remains an intrinsic part of assessing the market.
Product Innovation Toolbox brings together key thought leaders and seasoned consumer researchers from corporate R&D, academia, and marketing research companies to share their experiences, advanced consumer research tools and practical tips for successful and sustainable product innovation. By offering these leading-edge tools and insights, the book ensures consumer-centric innovation by linking strategy and a designed approach.
The new edition focuses on the integration and connection of all data--both structured and unstructured???for deep learning and activation, rather than a differentiated qualitative--quantitative approach, reflecting the shifting relationships involved in the latest developments in the field.
The second edition of Product Innovation Toolbox also includes:
* Revised material for more than 70% of the manual, with 11 new and extensively updated chapters
* New tools sections on digital technologies to create novel ways to stimulate and elicit insights from participants, such as Virtual Reality (VR) and Digital Augmentation
* Upgraded versions of tools in each updated section, with fresh examples
* New case studies created using the tools from the previous edition, including cases regarding cross-continental marketplaces and cross-cultural societies
* An emphasis on tools with global applications
Product Innovation Toolbox is an essential resource for product developers, marketers, and technologists.
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Persons
Kannapon Lopetcharat is the Executive Director at Nouveau Centric Co. Ltd. in Bangkok, Thailand. He holds a PhD in sensory science and psychophysics, with a minor in statistics from Oregon State University. He has worked for Unilever and Avon as a consumer science manager, and has extensive experience in applying consumer product and sensory research in product development and innovation.
Dulce Paredes is an experienced 'consumer navigator' who works with organizations using consumer insights to develop products and innovation programs. She is the global leader of consumer insights and market research flavor division for Takasago International Corporation (USA). She previously led R&D consumer sciences groups at Avon Products and Kraft Foods. She was a product developer for PepsiCo Inc. after completing her PhD in food science from Cornell University.
Jacqueline H. Beckley is the founder of The Understanding & Insight Group, LLC, in Denville, New Jersey, USA. She is considered one of the early adaptors of face-to-face qualitative understanding. Prior to this, Beckley held positions within industry and consulting, including director of consumer perception at Nabisco, Inc., Vice President at Peryam & Kroll Marketing and Sensory Research, group manager of sensory research and R&D for the Quaker Oats Company, and research scientist for Amoco Chemical Company.
Content
Contributors xiv
Acknowledgements xvi
Introduction: The View from Pixel to Picture xvii
Kannapon Lopetcharat, Dulce Paredes, and Jacqueline H. Beckley
Part I Prepare For Your Journey 1
1 Setting the Direction: First, Know Where You Are 4
Howard Moskowitz and Jacqueline H. Beckley
1.1 Roles in the corporation - the dance of the knowledge worker 4
1.2 Insights leader - learning on the job vs. learning in school 6
1.3 Being the authentic you 8
1.4 What should you read? 9
1.5 What else do you need to do to prepare to be an insight leader? 9
1.6 Dealing with management and your clients/customers 10
1.7 Guidelines to success 11
1.8 Reporting results 12
1.9 Do not "winstonize" 13
1.10 Making it public - helpful hints to grow from student to professional 15
1.11 The two types of professionals in the world of evaluating products (and studying consumers/people) 16
1.12 Knowing your limits and inviting others in 17
1.13 The bottom line - what's it all about? 18
Discussion questions 19
References 19
2 The Consumer Explorer: Key to Delivering the Innovation Strategy 22
Dulce Paredes and Kannapon Lopetcharat
2.1 The rise of the Consumer Explorer 22
2.2 The roles of the Consumer Explorer 23
2.3 Taking the lead 27
2.4 Practical advice from seasoned explorers 32
Discussion questions 33
References 33
3 Invention and Innovation 36
Daniel M. Ennis
3.1 Dual aptitudes needed for innovation 36
3.2 Benefits 38
3.3 The invention-innovation paradigm in science 39
3.4 The time scale of innovations 41
3.5 Final remarks 41
Discussion questions 42
References 42
Note 42
4 Designing the Research Model 44
Kannapon Lopetcharat, Dulce Paredes, and Jacqueline H. Beckley
4.1 Factors influencing product innovation 44
4.2 Setting up a successful product innovation program 46
4.3 Current approach to NPD 47
4.4 Experimentation in practice 48
4.5 Iterative Experimentation Qualitative-Quantitative Research model 54
Discussion questions 57
References 57
5 What You Must Look For - Signs of High Potential Insights 60
Kannapon Lopetcharat, Dulce Paredes, and Jacqueline H. Beckley
5.1 What is insight? 60
5.2 Good insights have the following characteristics: 61
5.3 What is an "ownable" insight? 62
5.4 How to develop high potential insights 63
5.5 Making insights ownable 65
5.6 Summary 72
Discussion questions 73
References 73
Part II Gear Up For Your Journey 75
6 Tools for Upfront Research on Consumer Triggers and Barriers: Qualitative Tools 78
6.1 Understanding Consumer Language 78
Kannapon Lopetcharat and Jacqueline H. Beckley
6.1.1 Consumers do not understand technical product language, so what should we say about our new products? 78
6.1.2 How to select a method? 79
6.1.3 Free Elicitation and Zaltman metaphor elicitation technique (ZMET) 81
6.1.4 Laddering interview 83
6.1.5 Kelly's Repertory Grid and Flash Profiling 92
6.1.6 Summary and future 100
Discussion questions 101
Note 101
References 101
6.2 Qualitative Multivariate Analysis 103
Kannapon Lopetcharat and Jacqueline H. Beckley
6.2.1 Consumers do not know what they want, really. Really? 103
6.2.2 Introduction 104
6.2.3 Qualitative multivariate analysis in practice 105
6.2.4 Qualitative Multivariate Analysis in practice: deeper understanding of cottage cheese consumption 118
6.2.5 Consumer perceived values 121
6.2.6 Summary and future of Qualitative Multivariate Analysis 123
Discussion questions 123
References 123
6.3 The Gameboard "Model Building" 125
Jennifer Vahalik, Melissa Jeltema, Jacqueline H. Beckley, and Jeff Garza
6.3.1 The problem - how to talk to consumers about new products that do not exist? 125
6.3.2 A new method: Gameboard strategy "Model Building" 126
6.3.3 Construction: creative process model 126
6.3.4 Interview guide for model construction methodology 130
6.3.5 Ensuring reliability of the outcomes 132
6.3.6 Analysis of the outcomes from Gameboard "Model Building" 132
6.3.7 Analysis overview 133
6.3.8 Consumer-centered products and Gameboard "Model Building" 134
6.3.9 Limitations 135
6.3.10 Quantitative Gameboard 136
6.3.11 Theoretical background of model construction methodology 137
6.3.12 Summary and future 138
Discussion questions 139
References 139
7 Tools for Upfront Research on Consumer Triggers and Barriers: Qualitative-Quantitative Tools 142
7.1 Creative Blogging 142
Kannapon Lopetcharat and Dulce Paredes
7.1.1 Introduction 143
7.1.2 The rise of blogging platforms enables new mode of data collection 145
7.1.3 Creative Blogging 148
7.1.4 Creative Blogging in practice: a case example in Thailand 157
7.1.5 Choosing the platform: Close-or Open-platform 158
7.1.6 Read between the lines: dialogue with consumers 158
7.1.7 Future of Creative Blogging 162
Discussion questions 162
7.2 CATA as a Decision-Making Tool 163
Kannapon Lopetcharat and Dulce Paredes
7.2.1 Introduction 163
7.2.2 Check All That Apply (CATA) task in practice 165
7.2.3 Selecting benefit propositions for a new product: a case study of a cleansing product using CATA 169
7.2.4 Summary and future of CATA in product research 176
Discussion questions 176
Notes 176
References 176
8 Tools for Up-Front Research on Understanding Consumer Values 180
8.1 KANO Consumer Product Satisfaction Model 180
Alina Stelick, Kannapon Lopetcharat, and Dulce Paredes
8.1.1 What consumer satisfaction can do to your business 180
8.1.2 Philosophy behind KANO's consumer satisfaction model 182
8.1.3 KANO survey step by step 184
8.1.4 Case Study: Lipstick KANO survey 191
8.1.5 Comparison with degree of importance surveys 192
8.1.6 Future of KANO satisfaction survey 195
Discussion Questions 196
References 196
8.2 Systematics of Communication: Conjoint Measurement, Emotions, Cognitive Economics, and Consumer Mind-sets 198
Howard Moskowitz and David Moskowitz
8.2.1 The issue 198
8.2.2 Consumer research: experimentation vs. testing 199
8.2.3 Conjoint analysis (aka conjoint measurement) 200
8.2.4 Doing the basic conjoint analysis experiment 201
8.2.5 The raw material of CA 207
8.2.6 Experimental design 209
8.2.7 Building models 209
8.2.8 Presenting the result - numbers, text, data, talk, move to steps 211
8.2.9 Using the results - what do the numbers tell us? 214
8.2.10 Beyond individual groups to segments - finding mind-sets using conjoint analysis 215
8.2.11 Scenario analysis - discovering synergisms and suppressions (interactions) among elements in a conjoint analysis study 217
8.2.12 Dealing with prices 219
8.2.13 Linking elements to emotions 227
8.2.14 Measuring response time 227
8.2.15 Discovering the "new" through conjoint analysis - creating an innovation machine 228
8.2.16 Mind Genomics(TM): a new "science of the mind" based upon conjoint analysis 229
8.2.17 The personal viewpoint identifier (PVI) 237
8.2.18 Four considerations dictating the future use of conjoint analysis 241
8.2.19 Conclusion 243
Discussion Questions 243
References 243
9 New Tools Beyond Conventional Qualitative and Quantitative Meanings 246
9.1 Emotions, Moods, and Emotives 246
Kannapon Lopetcharat and Dulce Paredes
9.1.1 Introduction 246
9.1.2 Understanding differences between affect, attitude, mood, emotion and emotive 248
9.1.3 Review of emotion theories 248
9.1.4 Popular methodologies for the measurement of emotions 259
9.1.5 Impact of social media on emotion research 261
9.1.6 Conclusion and recommendations 266
Discussion Questions 267
References 267
9.2 Applied Consumer Neuroscience and Behavioral Approaches for Innovation, Product Development, and Communications 271
Michelle Niedziela and Kathryn Ambroze
9.2.1 A behavioral approach: behavioral and consumer neuroscience science 272
9.2.2 Applying novel methods to innovation: choosing the right tool 285
9.2.3 Case studies using behavioral science and applied consumer neuroscience 286
9.2.4 Conclusions: conceptual framework for behavior-led Innovation 299
9.2.5 Future of neuroscience 301
Discussion Questions 301
References 302
9.3 Review of Applications of VR Tools, New Opportunities, and Limitations 305
Alina Stelick
9.3.1. Importance of context in consumer product research 305
9.3.2. Means of creating context 307
9.3.3. How to create a study using VR/AR tools 313
9.3.4. Looking ahead: what are the current technology limitations and what might be coming up next 317
9.3.5. Summary 320
Discussion Questions 321
References 321
Post Scriptum 326
10 Tools to Refine and Screen Product Ideas in New Product Development 328
10.1 Contemporary Product Research Tools 328
Michele Foley
10.1.1 Introduction 328
10.1.2 What is a concept? 329
10.1.3 Elements of a concept 329
10.1.4 What is a concept test? 330
10.1.5 Common measures 333
10.1.6 Sampling: who do you test with? 333
10.1.7 Biometrics applications 334
10.1.8 New developments in concept testing 334
10.1.9 Conclusion: from winning idea to successful product 334
Discussion questions 335
References 335
10.2 Insight Teams: An Adaptive, Self-directed Group to Discovery 336
Kannapon Lopetcharat, Dulce Paredes, and Jacqueline H. Beckley
10.2.1 Insight Teams for discovery 336
10.2.2 Definition of an Insight Team 337
10.2.3 When to apply the skills of an Insight Team 338
10.2.4 Implementing Insight Teams for development 339
10.2.5 How to use the Insight Team 350
10.2.6 Case study of using the Insight Team 350
10.2.7 The future of Insight Teams 351
Discussion questions 351
References 352
10.3 Rapid Approaches in Defining the Product Space and Product Optimization 353
Jennifer Vahalik, Ratapol Teratanavat, Jennifer Lewis, Mary Sonnen, Melissa Jeltema, and Jacqueline H. Beckley
10.3.1 Doing more with less 353
10.3.2 Listening to understand 354
10.3.3 Defining rapid product navigation (RPN) and rapid product optimization (RPO) 355
10.3.4 Recommended tools and "how to" implement RPO 355
10.3.5 Three Case Studies that illustrate the uses of RPN/RPO 363
10.3.6 Theoretical background of the tools 378
10.3.7 Summary and future of the tools 379
Discussion questions 379
Note 380
References 380
10.4 Free-Choice in Context Preference Ranking: A New Approach for Portfolio Assessment 381
Ratapol Teratanavat, James Mwai, Melissa Jeltema, and Jennifer Vahalik
10.4.1 Want to offer more. . .but how many is too many? 381
10.4.2 Current approaches on product line extension 382
10.4.3 Free-choice in context preference ranking 385
10.4.4 Practical considerations 391
10.4.5 Theoretical backgrounds of free-choice in context preference ranking 394
10.4.6 Summary and future 394
Discussion questions 395
10.4.A Appendix 395
References 396
10.5 Extended Use Product Research for Predicting Market Success 397
Ratapol Teratanavat, Melissa Jeltema, Stephanie Plunkett, and Jennifer Vahalik
10.5.1 Challenges in validating and predicting the success of new product launch 397
10.5.2 Limitations of traditional approaches 399
10.5.3 An alternative: extended use product research 400
10.5.4 Steps in conducting extended use product research (EUPR) 401
10.5.5 Understanding consumer segments 402
10.5.6 Assessment of sensory performance 402
10.5.7 Understanding how consumers make choice decisions 404
10.5.8 Using behavioral measures to help assess product viability 405
10.5.9 Among users, there were also segments of situational users and regular users 406
10.5.10 Additional insights on consumer choice selection - learning from extended use product research 408
10.5.11 Philosophy behind extended use product research 410
10.5.12 Summary and future 411
Discussion questions 411
References 411
Part III Word of the Wise: Wisdom From Experienced Explorers 413
11 Putting It All Together: Driving Consumer-Centric Innovation in an Organization 416
Stacey Cox and Anthony Jackel
11.1 For successful innovation, the consumer story must be front and center 416
11.2 What does the path to successful innovation look like? 420
Harnessing the power of the past and using tools to set up for success 422
11.3 Learning from the past before jumping to collect new information 422
11.4 Creating the critical internal contract of the research plan 423
11.5 Gathering the data to help influence the direction of innovation and conversation 424
Synthesize and simplify: designing and utilizing analytical structures and constructs 426
11.6 Connecting the dots of multiple pieces of data and research 426
11.7 Creative listening frameworks to help navigate the consumer conversation 428
11.8 Operationalizing your learnings with visual product models 430
11.9 Crafting the influential strategic conversation to make sense of it all for action 433
Evolving from a research runner to an insights influencer 436
11.10 Moving from a transactional relationship to an integral strategic partner 436
11.11 What does the future hold for the world of insights? 438
Discussion questions 439
Note 440
References 440
12 Above Averages: Use of Statistics and Design of Experiments in Product Innovation Applications 442
Kannapon Lopetcharat, Dulce Paredes, and Jacqueline H. Beckley
12.1 Experimentation vs. testing 443
12.2 Statistical experimental design 444
12.3 Brief history of experimental design 448
12.4 The age of big data and data science 449
12.5 Managing experimentation 451
12.6 Summary and future 453
Discussion questions 454
References 454
13 How to Work with Industry Experts and Influencers for Innovation 456
Veronica Symon
13.1 Introduction 456
13.2 Meet the influencers 457
13.3 Could we go a step further, leverage social media influencers for innovation? 460
13.4 Practical tips 462
13.5 Conclusion 463
Note 463
References 463
14 Words of the Wise - Virtual Staff 466
Carter Green, Ratapol Teratanavat, and Dulce Paredes
14.1 Why a virtual staff? 466
14.2 What is virtual staff and what is required to be one? 467
14.3 How do you go about building and utilizing a virtual staff? 468
14.4 How would you rate the performance of a virtual staff? 470
14.5 How does virtual staff work based on success case studies? 472
14.6 Conclusion 473
Discussion questions 474
Note 475
References 475
15 Found in Translation: The Adventure of Conducting Multicultural Consumer Research 478
Vanessa Zuccoli and Paulina Morquecho-Campos
15.1 Setting the scene: plan ahead 478
15.2 Infrastructure, logistics and company: everything you take for granted, DON'T! 481
15.3 Multicultural background in just one site 484
15.4 Conclusions: found in translation 485
Discussion questions 486
References 486
16 Sturdy Bridges to Future Trends 490
Katherine C. S. Rhodes, Dulce Paredes, and Jacqueline H. Beckley
16.1 Introduction 490
16.2 Redefining data 491
16.3 Legacy tools 500
16.4 Emerging topic: democratization of data 501
16.5 Comparison to 2010-2019 consumer and sensory dive analysis 504
16.6 Conclusion 506
Discussion questions 507
Note 507
References 507
17 Future Trends and Direction 509
Kannapon Lopetcharat, Dulce Paredes, and Jacqueline H. Beckley
17.1 Pandemic influenced acceleration of technology 510
17.2 The hybrid model of consumer understanding evolves 511
17.3 The rise of the individual, the human. Moving from consumption as an end goal to understanding the whole person 514
17.4 Nature influenced adoption 516
17.5 Social forces for change 517
17.6 Conclusion 517
References 518
Index 521
Introduction: The View from Pixel to Picture
Kannapon Lopetcharat, Dulce Paredes, and Jacqueline H. Beckley
The editors want to thank you for deciding to read this book. Whether you read a chapter or mark up the whole book, we are thankful and delighted. And if you are buying this for a second time because you really enjoyed the first edition, thank you even more. While some of the chapters have stayed the same, we have refreshed this edition with a lot of new materials, and we hope you find the wisdom good.
Let us explain our goals:
- Think of this book as a mentor: Someone who wants to give you some help, so you don't have to struggle with some of the issues they went through before you.
- Think of this book as a cookbook: If you like to dabble or work on your own Innovation pathway. We have asked a range of successful "Consumer Explorers" to help us craft chapters that give you tools you can put to work immediately or feel strong enough to modify as if you were adding your own herbs to an interesting recipe.
- Think of this book as a coach, one you have paid a lot of money to: So that you may have your thinking challenged because some of the authors present ideas or approaches you have not considered.
- We hope through every chapter that we have done one thing well: If we embraced ideas from another person, scientist, or other professional, we have acknowledged their contribution and made sure they are receiving the credit that belongs to them. Appreciating someone else's work is great - yet recognizing how you have built upon their thinking is extremely important.
Why point #4? We have found in this field of innovation, consumer design, and product development, some people feel it is okay to not acknowledge another person's work. We strongly disagree. Just because you did not take the time to realize that your "new & cool" idea built on something someone else did, spoke about, presented, in our world of writing and journalism, there is By - before you (credited to Bill Maher, a social commentator and sometime comedian, on his HBO show in May 2021). Pay attention and give recognition - whether you improve upon the researcher's ideas, steal, and use completely, or somewhere in-between. It is the right and important thing to do.
Since we are dealing with a field guide for understanding consumers (and people), processes to enable that understanding and the research you might want to consider, we are presenting material in a way that allows you to go to your outcomes quickly.
The three editors and 22 authors are all passionate about grounding innovation from the viewpoint of humans. To do that, we are bringing together a group of authors who have a range of thinking, some more radical or boundary testing to those who are much more classic or traditionally based. People, humans, "consumers" are having a moment. Researchers who believed that classic survey and product research would help solve most questions have come to embrace a more complicated and complex world. To get great outcomes, more and more researchers are realizing they need a much deeper understanding of how people are looking at products, why they are considering the products that they select, and also that there may be a growing or a large group, of individuals in this world, who appear to have ideas about products that behave much more differently than the norms and assumptions we have long held. We hope that the chapters we have provided for your consideration give you strategies that will go beyond the norm and enable realistic outcomes for you.
The book is laid out as a field guide that equips the reader, the consumer researcher, to become a "Consumer Explorer" (CE), an insight leader and strategic innovator who can infuse and apply deep consumer understanding throughout the product innovation process.
A CE differs from ordinary consumer researchers because, in addition to understanding consumers deeply, the CE can guide project teams to connect the dots and comprehend the big picture faster in a systematic manner. We advocate following an "Iterative Experimentation Qual-Quant process" (IEQQR) that will enable companies to understand their product environment comprehensively through knowledge mapping exercises, hypothesis testing, consumer deep dives, clear action standards and key performance criteria, and action-oriented results. The approaches described in the field guide will enable the CE to select and deploy appropriate and efficient consumer understanding and research tools for their current situation. They could also help guide the project team to successful innovation and new product introductions that have the opportunity of taking insight to income.
We use two visual principles to ground you on how to navigate the journey of the Consumer Explorer:
- The View (What to Why)
Above and below the surface
- Pixel to Picture (How you are looking at it and Who sees it first)
From pixel to picture, winners are the ones who connect the dots faster
We used the image of an agricultural field with an aquifer to show that what can be seen above the surface is often nourished by what lies hidden underneath. Capturing both gives you the What and the Why. An aquifer is any underground layer of water-bearing rock or porous geological formation from which water can move freely providing groundwater for springs and wells. When you relate the aquifer concept to research, what you see when you first scope out the innovation landscape may not always be what it seems. And to get a deeper perspective on what it all means from what is readily visible to what lies below the surface requires different tools.
Think of the Consumer Explorer taking a digital picture of the consumer and/or category landscape to identify breakthrough insights. A digital image is composed of many pixels (pixel is short for picture element; a pixel is a single point in a graphic image) that are close together so that the pixels appear connected. The number of pixels can define the quality of the image resolution, where the more pixels, the more exact the image. But also, a whole image is the sum of its parts, so the individual pixels in a picture make up what we see as the whole image. To gain a competitive edge, the CE must scope the landscape, capture the Aha! moment quicker and connect the dots faster to reveal the breakthrough insight faster than everyone else. Being well-versed in both the pixel and the picture can make all the difference in the strategic direction of a project. Our imagery throughout is to move from pixels, or pieces of the picture, to the whole cross section of the picture to show what is underneath supporting what is readily seen and why it matters. Many legacy and conventional tools can be used to capture the overt space while you need specialized tools to probe for deeper understanding for what lies below the surface, the unknown unknowns and unspoken truths. Another skill for the CE to master is staying vigilant and flexible throughout the learning process, constantly sifting, and becoming aware of deep fakes and misinformation.
This field guide contains 17 major chapters divided in three parts that will transform a consumer researcher into a Consumer Explorer by providing a step-by-step guide that shows how to design an innovative consumer research program from start to finish (pixel to picture).
Part I
Preparing for your journey (Chapters 1-5) defines the foundations and definitions to anyone who is responsible to set up, practice, and direct a sustainable consumer research program.
Part II
Gearing up for your consumer journey (Chapters 6-10) contains time-proven and cutting-edge tools from upfront consumer research where providing direction is key when you get closer in to product launch where finetuning and precision are valued.
Mastering the topics in parts one and two arms Consumer Explorers to set the direction, prepare, and be ready for any product innovation project.
Part III
Words of the wise (Chapters 11-17) covers practical tips and steps to bring the learnings from the earlier sections to life. Seasoned Consumer Explorers share their experiences in working with cross-functional teams and where they see future directions in building consumer-centric business decisions.
In each chapter, we begin with a summary of what the chapter is about and wrap up with suggested discussion questions for you to think through what you just read and what it means to you, your team, and your business.
From the first edition, we predicted that emerging research trends such as blurring the lines between qualitative-quantitative research tools, increasing use of digital technology and the rise of hybrid data will dominate the consumer research world. Ten years later, all of these are now mainstream practices. The future to understanding humans, people, and consumers is happening now as we continue to capture their shifting behaviors, mindsets, and attitudes toward products, done in context and enabled by technology. There are numerous ways to capture consumer data. The challenges for the Consumer Explorer are threefold: understand the why and not just the what;...
