What Is Concept Testing?

Concept testing is a process used to evaluate a new idea or concept with the target audience to understand how well it resonates with them. The primary goal of concept testing is to validate the concept or idea and to identify any potential issues or areas for improvement before investing significant time and resources in further development.

Here are some best practices when designing a concept test:

1. Clearly define your concept: The concept should be well defined and articulated in a way that is easy for the target audience to understand.
2. Identify your target audience: The target audience should represent the people you want to market your product or service to eventually.
3. Use a quantitative survey: A quantitative survey is the most effective way to get reliable data on how well the concept resonates with the target audience.
4. Test multiple concepts: Test multiple concepts simultaneously to determine which resonates the most with your target audience.
5. Use a control group: Use a control group to determine if any changes in the target audience’s perception of the concept are due to the concept itself and not other external factors.
6. Use open-ended questions: In addition to close-ended questions, use open-ended questions to get more in-depth feedback from the target audience.
7. Consider the test’s timing and location: The test’s timing and location can significantly impact the results, so carefully consider these factors when designing your concept test.

Examples of concept tests include focus groups, online surveys, and mock-up product testing. For example, a company might present several different packaging designs for a new product to a group of consumers and ask them to provide feedback on which design they prefer and why. This can help the company determine which design is most likely to be successful when the product is launched.

Using Online Surveys For Concept Testing?

Online surveys can be an effective and efficient way to conduct concept testing. Here are some steps to follow when using online surveys for concept testing:

1. Define the concept: Clearly define the concept or idea that you want to test. This should include a description of the product, service, or idea, as well as any key features, benefits, or unique selling points.
2. Create a survey: Use a survey tool to create a questionnaire that includes questions related to the concept you want to test. This should include both closed-ended questions (e.g., multiple choice, rating scales) and open-ended questions (e.g., free text response).
3. Target the right audience: Identify and target the right audience for your concept test. This could be existing customers, potential customers, or a representative sample of the general population.
4. Pre-test the survey: Before launching the survey, pre-test it with a small group of people to identify any issues or problems with the survey questions or design.
5. Launch the survey: Launch the survey and promote it to your target audience through various channels, such as social media, email, or online advertising.
6. Analyze the results: Analyze the results of the survey to determine how well the concept resonates with your target audience. This should include a review of the closed-ended questions (e.g., percentage of respondents who liked the concept, ratings of specific features) and a review of the open-ended responses (e.g., feedback on what respondents liked or disliked about the concept).
7. Use the results to refine the concept: Use the results of the concept test to refine the concept, addressing any issues or improvement areas identified during the survey.

By using online surveys for concept testing, you can quickly and efficiently gather feedback from a large and diverse audience. This can help you identify potential issues with your concept early on and make informed decisions about how to refine and improve it before investing significant time and resources in further development.

How To Know If Your Survey Results Are Statistically Valid

To determine if the results of a concept test are statistically valid, you need to assess the sample size and the margin of error associated with the results.

The sample size is the number of participants in the concept test. Generally, the larger the sample size, the more statistically valid the results will be. However, the required sample size can vary depending on factors such as the level of precision desired, the size of the population being sampled, and the expected variation in responses.

The margin of error is the amount of uncertainty associated with the results due to sampling variability. It is expressed as a percentage and indicates the range of values that the true population value is likely to fall within. The margin of error decreases as the sample size increases.

To determine the statistical validity of the results of a concept test, you can calculate the margin of error using a statistical formula.

Calculate Your Sample Size

Once you have calculated the margin of error, you can compare it to the actual results of the concept test to determine if the results are statistically valid. If the margin of error is smaller than the observed differences between the concepts being tested, then the results are likely to be statistically significant.

It is also important to consider other factors that can affect the validity of the results, such as the representativeness of the sample, the wording of the survey questions, and the potential for response bias. A well-designed concept test should take these factors into account and use appropriate statistical methods to ensure the validity and reliability of the results.