What are some of the best practices for conducting concept testing with your target audience?

1 Define your objectives

Before you start testing your concepts, you need to have a clear idea of what you want to achieve, what questions you want to answer, and what criteria you want to use to evaluate your concepts. Your objectives should be SMART: specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound. For example, you might want to test how well your concepts communicate your value proposition, how appealing they are to your target market, and how feasible they are to implement within a certain budget and timeline.

2 Choose your methods

Depending on your objectives, you can choose from a variety of methods to test your concepts with your target audience. Some of the most common methods are surveys, interviews, focus groups, usability tests, and prototyping. Each method has its own advantages and disadvantages, so you need to consider factors such as the level of detail, the type of feedback, the cost and time involved, and the sample size and representativeness of your audience. You can also combine different methods to get a more comprehensive and reliable picture of your concepts.

3 Prepare your materials

Once you have decided on your methods, you need to prepare your materials for testing your concepts. This includes creating your concept sketches, mockups, prototypes, or other visual representations, as well as writing your questions, scripts, scenarios, or tasks for your audience. Your materials should be clear, concise, and consistent, and they should focus on the key features and benefits of your concepts. You should also avoid leading or biased questions, and use open-ended or rating questions to elicit more honest and nuanced feedback.

4 Recruit your participants

The next step is to recruit your participants for testing your concepts. Your participants should be representative of your target audience, meaning that they should have the characteristics, needs, preferences, and behaviors that match your ideal customers or users. You can use various channels to recruit your participants, such as social media, email, online platforms, or referrals. You should also offer some incentives or rewards for their participation, such as vouchers, discounts, or freebies.

5 Conduct your testing

The final step is to conduct your testing with your participants. You should follow a structured and consistent process, and adhere to the ethical and professional standards of research. You should also be respectful, friendly, and attentive to your participants, and encourage them to share their honest and constructive feedback. You should record and document your testing sessions, either by taking notes, audio, video, or screenshots. You should also thank your participants for their time and input, and follow up with them if necessary.

6 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?