Prepared by: The Insight Advantage 1

NorCal BMA Product Management Roundtable

June 17, 2014

Practical Ways to Integrate Customer

Perspective into Your Product Strategies

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Why do research?

What gets in the way?

Easy as 1 – 2 – 3

Choosing the right tool

Summary

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Today’s Agenda

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Why Do Research?

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Generate new product ideas

Develop messaging

Establish pricing

Set product revision priorities/product roadmap

Establish sales tools/marketing materials

Learn about competition

Product Planning Applications

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What Gets in the Way?

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Time

Budget

Resistance from Engineering and/or management

Difficult to get contact info

Don’t know how

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Top Obstacles to Doing Research

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Overcoming the Obstacles

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Easy as….

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1 – 2 – 3 Identify key

questionsPlan:tools/

resources/ logistics

Do the research/

share results

= Insights

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Choosing the right tools

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Overview of primary research tools

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Qualitative

Deep knowledge about fewer people

Insights from below the surface

Discovery of previously unknown needs

Implicit info

Early stages of product process

Quantitative

Shallow knowledge about lots of people

Tip of the "cultural iceberg"

Info about known needs

Explicit info

Later stages of product process

Ethno-graphic Studies

Customer Panels

Usability Testing

In-Person Interviews

Focus Groups

Telephone Interviews/ Surveys

Print Surveys

Web Surveys

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• Observation/interviewing focused on understanding values, beliefs, motivations

• Early concept development; lots of unknowns

Ethnographic Studies

• Always done in person; usually one-on-one

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• Ongoing dialogue with static group of key customers

• To understand business issues; early visibility to upcoming issues/opportu-nities

• Input could be fed into the ideation stage

• Can be virtual and/or in person

Customer Panels

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• Users are observed using the product

• Provides data on ease of use and drive features and documentation

• Helpful in development and testing/validation phases

• Not necessarily in person; can be self-administered

Usability Testing

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• One-on-one discussion to collect information

• Provides primarily qualitative input from small numbers of people

• Helpful when defining product positioning or features; throughout the product process

• Always conducted in person

In-Person Interviews (IDI’s)

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• Facilitated small group discussion

• To brainstorm names, problems, solutions, features

Focus Groups

• Usually used when in full production and market launch stages

• Usually in person; can be conducted online also

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• One-on-one phone discussion to collect information

• Can combine qualitative and quantitative input

• Helpful when defining product positioning or features; throughout the product process

• Always conducted via phone

Telephone Interviews (IDI’s)/Surveys

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• Printed survey, completed by hand

• To gather primarily quantita-tive data to support or reject hypotheses/beliefs

Print Surveys

• Usually used in full production phase after products/market are well-defined

• Handed out or mailed to respondents

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• Online, interactive survey

• To gather primarily quantitative data to support or reject hypotheses/beliefs

• Usually used in full production phase after products/market is well-defined

• Can be widely promoted via email, pop-ups, social media, etc.

Web Surveys

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• Objective To gather input from engineers (users):

• Value of various features/services

• Satisfaction levels

• Reactions to various price points

• Methodology Web-based survey; 50 respondents

• Results Learned most valued support elements: email support, quick responses

Targeted improvement areas: data quality/thoroughness

Got clearer on pricing strategy: per user pricing

Mapping Technology

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• Objective To gather input from potential decision-makers

and users on:

• Usage patterns

• Satisfaction levels

• What they value most

• Methodology Web-based survey; 3,500 respondents

• Results Defined user profile: creative types

Validated the key perceived value of the service: large files

Learned about perceived key differentiator: ease of use

Online File Storage Service

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Consumer ‘Smart’ Printer

• Objective To gather input from potential decision-makers

and users that would:

• Drive positioning/marketing messaging

• Help prioritize features/enhancements for v2 of the product

• Methodology 30 one-on-one interviews in 2 days

• Results Validated need and perceived benefits: ease of use/no PC

required

Fine-tuned marketing messages: “stay in touch easily”

Prioritized product features: customized calendars, offer template

options

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• Customer input can help you make decisions about your products, services, organization

• The steps involved in conducting research are quite simple

• Focus on stage of the product and research objectives to choose the right research tool

• Customer insights product success

Conclusions

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Q & A

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For more information:

Phone: 408-358-0700

Email: JBerkley@TheInsightAdvantage.com

Blog: www.TheInsightAdvantage.com/blog

Twitter: jenberkley

Contact us for:

1) e-version of Research Tools Matrix

2) recommended resources for various research tools…