What are the best practices and examples of product innovation through experimentation?

Product experimentation isn't merely about mitigating risks—it's a mindset shift. By embracing change and testing, organizations cultivate a culture of continual learning and innovation. The process of testing and iterating refines not only the product but shapes a proactive organizational culture. Think about the immense innovative potential if every team member adopted this approach. It's not just about navigating challenges; it's about propelling innovation forward.

?Cómo puedes convertir tu idea de producto en algo real y medible sin tener que esperar a completar el desarrollo final e invertir una gran cantidad de dinero? Al parecer podemos responder desde diferentes experiencias. Lo que se refiere a experimentación nos brinda un panorama sobre cómo validar una idea de producto. El concepto detrás de la experimentación nos abre las puertas a explorar las distintas posibilidades existentes al momento de validar la idea. Nos da un marco de referencia sobre el cual trabajar y en los elementos clave en los cuales es necesario hacer énfasis.

Acredito que o grande desafio da experimenta??o é justo nāo pensar que o risco de n?o trazer resultados efetivos é um fracasso. Experimentar pela própria natureza do ato é ter a probabilidade de acertar ou n?o, mas quando n?o acertamos o movimento da experimenta??o efetiva requer do ato da resilencia e aprendizagem continua; ou seja na medida que n?o chegamos ao objetivo a partir de uma inova??o, n?o devemos desistir de testar a ideia; provavelmente o caminho que elegemos n?o era o que nós levaria, mas a tese tem que continuar vigente e ela se faz mais forte ainda ao ter o erro como base da constru??o de um novo caminho para a próxima experimenta??o.

Great leaders are always exploring and experimenting. It’s not just about maintaining the status quo in your product or business; it’s about pushing boundaries to foster innovation and transformation. In a world constantly shaped by evolving markets and technology, adaptability isn’t a choice but a necessity.

Product Experimentation is one of the key aspects of innovation. It is essential to be able to put your ideas out there and test it amongst a wide range of audience, to receive feedback. Testing your ideas helps one understand different perspectives and iterate ideas accordingly. However, product experimentation will not make sense, untill the innovator is open to creative feedback.

In my experience product experimentation is critical and even more for products (or services or experiences) that require a change in behavior as testing the idea itself (like in a concept test) is likely to provide results that are meaningless since the users are not able to imagine how this can be integrated in their live.

I would challenge the assumption here that we always need to measure key metrics and have a quantitative approach . I think the early stages of product experimentation require a qualitative approach where you trying to answer the questions of "why?" and "how?" , not "how much?". In my experience a few respondents can give you enough of the sense of some issues to start iterating to respond, rather than waiting for 100 or 200 respondents as usually required in quantitative research. For example if 5 consumers are unclear how to turn on the power on your product, you do not need another 95 before starting to find ways to make powering your product more easily.

In my extensive experience with product development, a pivotal insight stands out: human behavior and psychology are as vital as technicalities in experimentation. When introducing a new feature, dig beyond metrics. Ask why users might lean towards one option. Does it simplify their experience or elicit positive emotions? By blending psychology into your process, you unlock profound insights to elevate usability. Embrace interdisciplinary wisdom, be it from behavioral science or design. At your product's core is a human user, and understanding their emotions and preferences can be transformative. Let's innovate with empathy, not just experiment.

Es importante considerar dentro del proceso de desarrollo de productos y servicios una partida de presupuesto por proyecto que cubra la etapa de experimentación. Lo que en la práctica denominamos prueba de concepto debe estar inmerso en dicho presupuesto. Salir con tu prueba de concepto y prototipo de alta fidelidad para medir la reacción del segmento objetivo y recuperar feedback por parte de las personas que hacen las pruebas iniciales, es sumamente vital como complemento a la experimentación.

Unos de los ejemplos actuales que podemos mencionar es el uso de la inteligencia artificial al momento de realizar una búsqueda desde google y bind de Microsoft. Al realizar la búsqueda se te muestra la opción de ver los resultados arrojados por sus respectivas inteligencias artificiales. En el caso de bind se ha incorporado el uso de ChatGPT. Esto sin duda a mejorado mucho la calidad de respuestas devueltas por el buscador al momento de ser utilizado, por lo que representa un gran avance y suma puntos a su favor. Estas interacciones están siendo medidas y alimentan por decirlo así los resultados de la experimentación realizada, lo que permite encontrar los puntos de mejora necesarios para marcar una diferencia competitiva.

Algo que puede apoyar mucho es hacer dos grupos de experimentación: uno que utilice el producto o servicio, y otro que regularmente no lo utilice. Así podemos tener dos vertientes de información importante acerca de que podemos mejorar para fortalecer la lealtad o para atraer más usuarios

that said, we also should be cautious of being over-reliant on experimentation in decision-making. In many cases, the product team will encounter situations that lack sufficient data points to make a call. As a product manager, one has to balance out when to use logic/intuition and when to use data to progress and learn fast.