The next challenge is to develop new products, services, or technologies to meet the identified needs. The aim is to generate original, tangible, and user-centric ideas.

Possible study approaches:

• Creative workshops: Experts or consumers use special creativity techniques to develop different trains of thought. This method provides insights into unconscious motivations.
• Online community: A particularly creative and involved group of users develops new ideas.

The target group is involved in the creative process, making it easier to develop products, services, or technologies that meet customer needs. A co-creation approach encourages discussion and allows consumers and marketing experts to develop ideas together.

The previous two steps may have inspired the target audience to propose lots of new ideas. This step is all about identifying and building on the most interesting of these.

Possible study approaches:

• Quantitative idea screening: This approach can be used to validate many ideas in a short space of time. A large number of cases ensures reliable results. Images or films can be used to present alternatives during online surveys.
• Qualitative idea screening: Combination of structured surveys using real-time response RTR™ and focus groups or in-depth interviews.

This step identifies the ideas that hold the most promise of success. It also provides advice on how to improve the ideas. The selection decisions are made on the basis of proven criteria, such as the ability to meet user needs, persuasiveness, comprehensibility, originality, and credibility.

Once promising ideas have been identified and evaluated, it is time to optimize them on the basis of customer opinions.

Possible study approaches:

• Qualitative studies: Concepts can be fine-tuned following detailed explorations of and discussions about customer perception.
• Quantitative studies: A large number of cases are used to verify whether the ideas would be accepted by customers.
• Online communities: Consumers evaluate concepts and make suggestions for improvement in line with their usage habits and needs.

These methods identify the concepts with the greatest potential for further product development. The knowledge gained provides insights into how to effectively communicate with the intended target group.

Taking the most promising concept as a basis, this step involves developing a prototype of the product, service, or technology and improving it according to the target group’s requirements.

Simulation approaches:

• Design clinics: Data on perception and acceptance is obtained at home or in centrally located test studios and performance is tested in real-life situations.
• Usability testing: Handling and individual characteristics are tested in several scenarios. Participants complete realistic tasks to uncover any barriers to use and to see if they encounter any difficulties when using the product.
• Test markets: The new product, service, or technology is actually put on sale in certain regions. This allows your customers’ reactions, behavior, and usage to be compared with a reference market. Examples of how this could work include launching a new website in a few selected countries or arranging for a new sales method to be used by just a few representatives.

After developing your detailed product concept, the final step is to ensure that your marketing activities are suitable for the product and target group.

Psyma offers a variety of research approaches to help you to do this, including:

• Brand research for positioning your brand in its competitive environment
• Optimization of your marketing communications to ensure that they reach and influence your target audience
• Price research to determine the optimum price in your competitive environment
• Product line optimization to identify the best product range, taking into account the competitive environment, e.g. number of products, product features, pricing
• Definition of the optimum product bundle and how to price this bundle to maximize reach