New Product Development

Our approach to new product testing is guided by our overall philosophy to research – every business is different, every product is different! 

While we adapt the principles of the recognised ‘stage-gate’ approach to our methods, we also realise that this process is not the same for all products. It depends on objectives, the product type, the required data, external environment, and time horizons.

Therefore we offer flexible, customised research and build the approach based on the business needs.  The approach is built up by an researcher experienced in new product research (both qualitative and quantitative); we don’t believe in ‘black boxes’ and don’t have a prescriptive approach that ‘locks you in’.

Products representing ‘discontinuous innovation’ are best suited to a ‘probe-and-learn’ approach - a staged approach where qualitative research is conducted first, learnings are taken on board and the product is then re-tested.  

In other cases, the new product may not be ‘new to the world’, hence the risk is lower, so just quantitative research needs to be conducted.

It all depends on how developed the concept is, the information you require and what decisions you need to make with that information..

The following case study snapshot illustrates this…

	Case 1	Case 2	Case 3
Situation:	A car manufacturer had a prototype car which had been through a number of concept tests.  They were almost ready to launch.	A professional healthcare services organisation had a nascent new service idea.	A government department had developed a new service and had done focus groups to determine potential ways to offer the service and a range of prices.
Business action to be taken:	Only very minor product changes could be made at this stage.  The objective was to predict uptake by segment and to work out how to position the vehicle.	The organisation needed to decide whether it had any appeal, and if so, whether current and potential clients felt that that the new service could ‘stretch’ the brand without losing its core essence.	A decision needed to be made regarding how the service was to be offered, at what price points and payment options.
Our approach:	Research clinic, involving quantitative self-completion questionnaire to identify uptake and positioning perceptions, and some focus groups to understand and interpret quantitative responses.	Indepth qualitative interviews were conducted with current and potential clients, identifying potential motivators and barriers.	instinct and reason conducted a Choice Model using intercept interviews to predict likely uptake of of the new service based on various offerings.

We don’t view the NPD process in isolation to the rest of the organisation … we look beyond the brief and look at it in terms of the strategic objectives of the business.

We understand the importance of NPD, that it can make or break organisations, departments, careers … we care too … you will see this in our actions.  However we will always provide independent, sound advice … because this is what is best for you. 

We are always looking for new processes, approaches, ideas and techniques.

Don’t treat projects as a one-off but continue to draw from experience gained in previous projects – have a debrief session at the end of each research project to augment organisational learning.

The suite of instinct and reason methodologies include:

Qualitative

• Focus groups
• Indepth interviews
• World cafes
• Observational research

Hybrid Qual & Quant

• Research clinics

Quantitative

• Online surveys
• Phone interviews
• Intercept Interviews
• Mail outs
• Interactive phone surveys

Our expertise ranges many industries, both business to business, consumer and public sector government organisations.

Some of the organisations instinct and reason have helped in Australia, Asia-Pacific and Europe develop new products and services include the following:

Please contact us for more information on how we can help you with NPD.