Market research is the phase of product development during which you tap into the market’s expectations by gathering feedback from potential customers.

Also called product validation, market research usually takes place after you’ve created a prototype and formulated a solid vision.

It’s an important process in a product’s lifecycle because it’s your opportunity to find out whether or not people want to buy what you’re selling.

If you’re an independent designer, this might seem intimidating.

You might feel like getting feedback on your product requires resources or skills you don’t have, but once we break it down, you may find that you’re already part of the way there!

Plus, for the first time in history, there are sites like FeedbackJack, which are dedicated to helping people like you do market research for products. 

So, how does the product validation process work? And how do you get feedback on your prototype?

Let’s find out! 

What is a Prototype?

All great products start as prototypes.

A prototype is a model of the product you want to create. Most prototypes begin as rough sketches and are developed through many interactions into digital renderings, 3D models, and finally, functional products.

Your prototype doesn’t have to be perfect. You’re not sending it to the manufacturer just yet, so don’t worry if it doesn’t work properly or is made of whatever materials you have available.

However, your prototype should be an adequate representation of what you are envisioning so that other people can picture the product as well as you can.

During the process of creating your prototype, there are a few things you should have in mind, such as:

• Materials:

         What will the product be made of?

• Design:

          What is the overall look and design of the product?

• Dimensions:

         How big or small should the product be?

• Use:

        How will your product be used? How does each design element enhance its functionality?

As you begin putting your prototype together, you might find that your answers to these questions need to evolve.

That’s why they’re also great questions to ask when doing market research for a prototype!

Why Do You Need Feedback?

Like so many other things in life, designing and selling a successful product is all about perspective.

Every one of your customers has a unique perspective on the problem you are trying to solve, and only they can tell you what they want.

You already know what you are trying to accomplish, but does your audience know this? Does your prototype hold up under scrutiny? Do your marketing materials convey the message you intended?

You may think you have all the insight you need, but the feedback you receive from others can help you look at things from angles you didn’t even know were there.

No prototype is perfect, and gathering feedback can help you figure out how you can improve your product.

It’s the same reason programmers do a lot of beta-testing on new software: they want to figure out where the bugs are so they fix them before they release software that doesn’t work well.

Validating your product is how you determine whether or not your prototype will satisfy the market before you sink all your resources into a failed product.

Gathering as much feedback as possible is the best way to reduce your risk of failure and increase your chance of success.

Who Gives Good Feedback?

Virtually anyone can be a potential source of feedback for your product, but some people are going to be more helpful than others, and who they are depends on the product you are creating.

The best people to validate your product prototype are those who are going to be buying it.

Determine who your target demographic is. Who is most likely to buy the final product?

These are the people you should ask for feedback. They probably have a lot of insight into the problems you are trying to solve and can evaluate how well you are meeting their needs.

For instance, if you are designing a product for pets, pet owners are probably going to have the most relevant opinions, so you should direct your questions toward them.

Some factors to consider when determining your target demographic include:

• Age
• Gender
• Race or ethnicity
• Location
• Occupation
• Hobbies or interests

In addition to members of your target demographic, experts and peers in your fields can also offer great insight into the market. If you can, reach out to successful inventors, entrepreneurs, and other professionals for product validation.

How Do You Reach Participants?

Once you’ve determined who your target demographic is, your next objective is to figure out how to reach them.

Personal connections such as friends, family, and colleagues can be great candidates for product validation, but you might find that you need to expand your circle even wider to get to the heart of what the market wants.

In the past, this was a big challenge,  but the online world has made doing market research for a prototype much easier.

• Focus Groups

Focus groups are a classic way of gathering suggestions, but they do entail some logistical requirements.

A focus group is a group of individuals you bring together to give you live feedback on your product or prototype. They’re traditionally held in person, but it is also possible to do them virtually.

During a focus group, you can present your idea to your participants and let them give your prototype a try. Then you can request feedback through, interviews, surveys, or group discussions.

Focus groups are great settings to observe how people respond to your product, but getting a live group together can require a lot of organization on your part.

• Social Media

Popular social media sites like Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter are great places to begin your search for market research participants.

Why? Because everyone uses them!

If you have a lot of followers and connections who might be able to offer insight, make a few posts on your accounts requesting feedback and inviting people to join your market research campaign.

You can get even closer to your target demographic by posting in Facebook or LinkedIn groups you think they might frequent.

You can also use social media to recruit participants for your focus group.

• Surveys

Surveys are one of the easiest and most effective ways to do market research for a physical product, and that’s because online resources make it possible to access your target demographic.

A survey usually takes the form of a list of questions you want to ask about your product prototype. They guide respondents toward actionable suggestions while still allowing them the freedom to speak their minds.

Creating an online survey is easier than ever thanks to resources like FeedbackJack, and others, which allow product designers to specify what questions they want to ask and who their target demographic is. 

After that, all you have to do is let the site find ideal respondents and gather results for you.

These sites also provide detailed reports of the results, so you won’t be responsible for organizing and interpreting them yourself.

• Online Forums

You’re guaranteed to find at least a few forums set up for your target demographic, so use them to request feedback from other users.

Search for forums in your niche. For example, if you are designing a kitchen appliance, you could search for forums dedicated to discussing cooking or housework.

If you can’t find anything on Google, the popular message board Reddit, which has over 55 million active users, is bound to have some relevant threads.

After you join the forum, make a post in which you lay out your vision, present your prototype, and ask for feedback.

If you decide to make your own survey, you can also link to it on your forum post.

What Questions Should You Ask?

So, once you have your participants, how do you tease out the most helpful feedback possible?

Unfortunately, there’s no one-size-fits-all formula regarding which questions are most important to ask. It all depends on the strengths and weaknesses of your particular product.

However, there are some general guidelines you should keep in mind when figuring out how to present your request for feedback to your participants.

• Determine What You Want to Test

Ask yourself which aspects of your product will have the most impact on its marketability.

Does it really work? Is it easy to use for the average person? Is the design appealing? Are people interested in the problems it solves?

More generally, you should consider what your project needs to do in order to be marketable to as many people. Once you’ve done this, you can start generating questions that evaluate how well the prototype meets these requirements.

• Get Specific

General questions like “What do you think of this product?” or “How could this prototype be improved?” might yield good results from some respondents, but the more specific your questions are, the more actionable your feedback will be.

In addition to open-ended questions that allow for interpretation, multiple-choice questions and having participants rate on a scale can guide them toward helpful input.

For instance, you could ask “Do you feel the prototype is too big, too small, or the right size?” or “On a scale of 1-10, how easy to use is this product?”

Questions like these let participants know what kind of feedback you are looking for so that they can provide it.

• Keep an Open Mind

People won’t give you honest feedback on your prototype if they’re afraid they’ll hurt your feelings or you won’t be receptive to your ideas. That’s why it’s so important to keep an open mind when asking for feedback.

All feedback is good feedback, even if it isn’t what you want to hear. Communicate to your participants that you value their suggestions and appreciate their help and they’ll be more likely to give actionable responses.

Conclusion

If you want to create a product that changes lives, it’s important to remember that market research is an ongoing process.

First drafts are never perfect, and the same can be said for early prototypes.

Every suggestion you receive is an opportunity to adapt your product to meet people’s needs.

You might have to go through several iterations of market research and improvement before you come up with a sellable prototype, but if your goal is to sell a product that people want to buy, it will be worth it.

And of course, we’ll be here to help!