Market Research
Design Features
The importance of thorough testing and market research is well understood by any large appliance manufacturer. The results however, can sometimes be misleading.
​
A large electronics firm developed a new range of electric kettles and wanted to test the public response to the product. Booths were set up in a number of shopping centers to display the new kettles and interested members of the public were asked to examine the kettles then fill in a simple questionnaire.
​
One of the questions on the questionnaire asked “which color jug do you like most?” The majority of respondents ticked the box next to one of the various colored jugs. Once the questionnaire was completed, the company representative thanked the respondent for their assistance, then as a token of appreciation, offered them one of the jugs to take home. Ninety percent of the respondents chose to take home a silver jug.
​
Sometimes it’s not the questions asked that get the right answers.
​
​
Author – John Lovett