We all have challenges in coming up with better ideas for our products, and making the right decisions based on those ideas. Concept testing can be a huge help in creative confidence. This talk shows you what's involved in concept testing, how creative anxieties are holding you back, and how concept testing can help.

1. BEN CROTHERS • PRINCIPAL DESIGN STRATEGIST • @BENCROTHERS
Going from Good to Great
with Concept Testing

2. CHALLENGE:
Moving beyond
iteration to innovation

3. CHALLENGE:
Making product
decisions confidently

4. CHALLENGE:
Creative confidence

5. CONCEPT TESTING:
Helping you gain more
creative confidence

6. EXAMPLES IN ACTION
WHAT IS CONCEPT TESTING
WORKING IT INTO YOUR PROCESS
BEING MORE CREATIVE AND CONFIDENT
What I’ll cover

7. What is
concept testing?

8. Open inquiry
Getting customers to use raw low-
fidelity concepts and prototypes.
Facilitated groups
Structured activities and discussions
about how people work, and why.
Raw prototypes
Inviting new ideas, and uncovering
happy accidental insights.
What is
concept
testing?

9. Removing risk
Gathering data about customers’
jobs, tasks, goals and mental models.
Validating early
Busting assumptions, checking if we
solve the right problem, not just how.
Customer context
Failing refining early before spending
serious $$$ on development.
What is
concept
testing
for?

10. Carefully facilitated
Customers, clients or internal
stakeholders.
Carefully recruited
According to the right demographics
for your project.
8-12 people
To avoid groupthink and bias.
What is in a
concept
testing
session?

11. Capturing real goals and
work patterns first…

12. … then gathering feedback
about what works,
not what they like

13. Green dots for useful,
red dots for not useful

14. Everyone’s invited
to observe

15. Results:
Welcome
done wrong

16. Results:
Welcome
done better

17. Results:
Workflow
editing done
wrong

18. Results:
Workflow
editing done
better

19. This or that…?
Testing various interface designs for
specific tasks (usability testing).
Button colours
Testing conversions based on fine-
grain interface differences (A/B T).
Testing screen design
It’s not a bake-off, but about
strengths and weaknesses of options.
What is
concept
testing
not for?

20. Where does concept testing happen?
PRODUCT BACKLOG
PRODUCT STRATEGY AND DESIGN
CONCEPT TESTING

21. How can
concept testing give you
creative confidence?

22. How can
concept testing give you
creative confidence?

23. How do we make
ourselves
less creative?

24. Stifling creativity #1: FEASIBILITY ANXIETY
We’re led to think our ideas need
to meet all 3 areas first time…

25. Lies, Ben!
Lies!

26. Stifling creativity #1: FEASIBILITY ANXIETY
…but Desirability
often lucks out.
We’re led to think our ideas need
to meet all 3 areas first time…

27. Stifling creativity #2: REPUTATION ANXIETY
We’re led to think that we have
to unearth THE BIG ONE…

28. Lies, Ben!
Lies!

29. Stifling creativity #2: REPUTATION ANXIETY
…so we end up under-rating
all the ‘little’ ones.
We’re led to think that we have
to unearth THE BIG ONE…

30. Stifling creativity #3: PERFORMANCE ANXIETY
We’re led to think that
innovation is to WIN… …but the wins feel like a
let-down… like bingo.

31. Ideas
are a fluid collection of
connections, sparks,
meanderings and
questions

32. Innovation is a series of stones across a river
Problem
Solution Solution Solution

33. We want to come up
with ideas to learn
(not to win)

34. When did you last put an idea
in front of a customer, not to
ship, but just to learn?
If that sounds like an empty aphorism,
consider this:

35. Example:
Real-time chat
while looking at a
task board?

36. Customers liked
the idea, but not
the execution of
the idea

37. Concept
testing helps
you cross
your river
It makes conversation
for a greater range of creative
possibilities.
It lets you be open
to new and unexpected insights and
directions.
It frees you up
to involve customers in your creative
problem-solving process

38. I’m in, Ben!
What’s one thing
I can try?

39. Try it internally first

40. Thank you
BEN CROTHERS • PRINCIPAL DESIGN STRATEGIST • @BENCROTHERS

41. • Getty Images
• Pinterest.com
• Huffingtonpost.com
Image credits