Product/Service Development
Launching a new product or service, moving into new geographic markets, or positioning a new product offering is risky.
Our creative research solutions help you minimize risk by providing an objective basis for making "go/no-go" decisions. Our expertise includes research on service (or product) features/benefits, brand names, positioning, pricing, and promotional issues.
"Typical" assignments involve exploratory research (usually through focus groups or one-on-one interviews) followed by validation through a broader quantitative study. For longer product development cycles, we can develop a custom panel of customers to provide insights over weeks or months.
Case Studies
| Client: |
Major Hospital |
| Issue: |
Hospital executives wanted to know the level of support for introducing and building a cardiac program |
| Methodology: |
Telephone interviews with the general population |
| ROI: |
The research revealed a strong level of support for the cardiac program. The success of their research-driven cardiac program eventually led to the introduction of robotic surgery and other advanced techniques. Subsequent tracking research has shown major increases in consumer awareness and preferences for this hospital. The hospital has gone from a non-player in the marketplace to one of the three strongest in the market. |
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| Client: |
Big Three Health Plan |
| Issue: |
Determine what types of quality and cost information presented online would be of greatest value to consumers when making healthcare decisions. Test various ways of formatting and navigating through this type of information to learn which ways are seen as clear and helpful to consumers. |
| Methodology: |
Forty in-person interviews with health plan members, all of whom had high deductible health plans coupled with a Health Savings Account (HSA). In one hour guided sessions held in different cities, consumers worked on a laptop and reacted to information presented via a series of mocked-up web pages. |
| ROI: |
Research identified criteria consumers use to judge hospitals and physician quality. It also revealed consumer's strong desire for cost information, specifically in terms of what a procedure might cost them, after any applicable discounts. The health plan gained critical insight into consumer thinking and decision-making as a basis for making recommendations to inform plans across the country regarding transparency. |
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| Client: |
Venture-backed Start-up Company |
| Issue: |
How to design on-campus retail stores to more effectively appeal to today's hospital employees and visitors while generating greater revenue for the hospital system |
| Methodology: |
Four focus groups - two with hospital employees and two with family members of patients |
| ROI: |
The research revealed what people want and would pay for from on-campus retail offerings including expanded pharmacy, bookstore/cafe and day-spa/wellness center. Differences were determined regarding purchasing preferences and willingness to pay between employees and visitors. Possible communications messages and delivery mechanisms (posters, tent cards, hospital TV network, etc.) were determined. The overall results provided the necessary insights for the launch of the on-campus retail concept, which has now achieved success in two different locations. |
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