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The importance of testing
29th of January 2016 Article by Paul Wonnacott
Paul Wonnacott is managing director and president of Vectair Systems, specialist in washroom hygiene and aircare systems. The company does business around the globe and Wonnacott has gained considerable experience in many of the world's most important markets. In his latest blog for ECJ he emphasises the vital importance of testing products thoroughly before launching them onto the market.
In today's digital world, we are used to getting things when we want them. We can watch full episodes of our favourite TV programmes whenever we choose with ‘on demand'. We can pause live TV to answer a call or have dinner.
With the new, yet arguably quite irritating, self-checkouts (yes we have placed the item in the bagging area!) we no longer have to wait in long queues when we only have a basket at the supermarket. In the UK, we don't even have to enter our PIN for purchases under £30 anymore - we just hold our card up and off we go.
We have come to expect better, faster service in all walks of life. But Rome wasn't built in a day, as they say. Product testing is, perhaps, the single most important research any company ever conducts. However when time is of the essence, companies have to learn to manage customer expectations whilst carrying out the proper procedures - lackadaisical testing will only lead to more problems, and ultimately, an increase in unhappy customers.
Product superiority is the ultimate aim in this cleaning game. It is the surest way to build brand share, boost profitability, and keep customers happy. In an industry where different trends emerge and new technologies evolve over time, we are constantly trying to come up with the newest, greenest, most effective and most cost effective products that users will love.
But in order to do so, we need to put these products through a long series of tests and trials. When we as consumers expect so much, what is the use in bringing to market a product that is ‘nearly' there?
The testing game
Whether we are required by statute, legislation or a standard industry classification, testing a product is a necessity not just a "nice thing to do". Product testing is a strategy to increase consumer protection by checking the claims made during marketing strategies such as advertising, which by their nature are in the interest of the entity distributing the service and not necessarily in the interest of the consumer.
Testing products in the real environment, or Real World Testing (RWT) is always going to be the most accurate and reliable method of gaining results and feedback. In our business, accelerated life testing (ALT) often substitutes RWT where appropriate. When product life cycles are getting longer yet companies are eager not to miss a commercial opportunity, ALT's complement the prototyping and trials of products whilst RWT is running in parallel in the background.
Small businesses can fail for numerous reasons but commercial failure is often one of the most common, as this can be attributed to poor product sales; not so much the product was not right but the entrepreneur failed to appreciate the amount of preparation needed to successfully launch their product or idea... or the simple lack of product testing!
Instead, small business owners can benefit from some forethought about real-life product testing, to ensure that their product is as reliable as first thought and that adequate steps have been taken to gain key customer feedback.
This leads to the important aspect of product testing, notably ‘who, what and where'. Producing a prototype of the target product is an essential ingredient for success. Products should be tested using a standardized system and most certainly not just by the designer of that product!
In a smaller business this is often difficult, but it is essential that The Testing Game is devoid of any emotional attachment to the product. Testing must be independent and ideally the testing standards designed to identify both the strengths as well as the weaknesses of the product itself.
Focus groups are important in all elements of new product development including The Testing Game. Some of the best sources of feedback are existing customers who have a wealth of knowledge. Always listen to those with strong opinions too. Ten people who like the product and five people who strongly don't like it is far better than 30 people who think it's OK! Qualitative as well as quantitative research is recommended also. You can have good feedback, but it is essential to test the size of the opportunity too.
As innovators in our particular space, it is always a challenge for us to qualify and benchmark new techniques that what we include in or products. Often when working from the ground up with something cutting-edge, standardization testing does not exist so we have to be careful to ensure we design testing methodologies that are meaningful: that means we test not only the componentry, geometry and mechanics but also the purpose and it's usefulness to the user. Doing something just for the sake of it is not smart. There has to be a benefit.
Widespread test marketing can have its dangers and pose some threats. These might include divulging trade secrets to your competition (allowing them to accelerate their responses to your actions), escalating costs due to invalid or distorted conclusions, and compromising design innovation by releasing or previewing products that have long RWT times. Making the most of your own customers, their opinions, needs and requirements may often prove to be the unpolished diamond you missed!
Careful understanding of the legislation and compliancy requirements to standards or regulations is important. This can be considered in the concept and design stage even prior to testing. It is no good using parts or components that are not approved say, by United Laboratories (UL), if you are planning to sell an electrical product in the USA. No matter how good your testing regimes are, if you can't get UL approval then the commercial landscape will be bleak!
To summarise, the Testing Game, done correctly, fastidiously and comprehensively you will gain:
• Product superiority over competitive products.
• Better brand recognition.
• Higher prices than non-tested products.
• More profit through less product failures.
• Confidence from your customers.
You will be able to predict consumer acceptance of new products and determine the optimal set of ingredients or features, given a price point or profit goal.
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