There are really good ways to find out the answers to the Essential Questions of New Product Development and some not so good ways.
Great Ways
- Engage Observational Research Experts (Ethnography Experts) to go out into the real world and observe real people, conducting Depth Interviews whenever possible
- Use the insights gained from expertly conducted real world observation (ethnography) to iteratively design and evaluate (for usefulness, usability and desirability) potential products to address peoples' real needs and desires.
- Confirm all of the above with appropriate quantitative research and analysis...often this will involve questionnaires, card-sorting, formal usability testing where quantitative measurements are taken.
Pretty Good Ways
- Engage Observational Research Experts (Ethnography Experts) who have performed prior studies related to your business to provide advice and brainstorm with you.
- Use the insights gained from consulting advice and brainstorming to iteratively design and evaluate (for usefulness, usability and desirability) potential products to address peoples' real needs and desires.
- Confirm all of the above with appropriate quantitative research and analysis.
Moderately Ineffective
- Hand the problem off to your Usability, Design or User Experience group (unless one or more of these groups has formal training in Ethnography at least 1,000 collective hours of DOING Ethnography or similar Observational Field Research)
Extremely Ineffective Ways
- Hand the problem off to Product Management
- Ask your spouse, relatives, friends what they think
- Ask the Senior Management team what they think
- Read seemingly relevant articles
The Most Risky Way Possible
- Go with you "gut".
