When developing a new product, one of the biggest mistakes businesses make is jumping straight into development without validating their idea with potential customers. Market research—especially at an early stage—is crucial for checking whether your product concept actually solves real problems and fulfills customers’ needs.
Steve Blank has written extensively about ‘customer development‘ and, if you are not familiar with that concept, you might want to read about it.
In our latest video, we walk through the process we used to conduct qualitative research for a new iPhone accessory—a thin power bank combined with wireless earbuds. Below, we summarize the key takeaways from this experience and share actionable tips for businesses starting new product development.
First, hit play on this video to see the results we got from doing this research for real!
Why qualitative market research should be your first step
Before moving to large-scale surveys or paid advertising (or, indeed, further through the product development process), qualitative market research allows you to:
- Understand real user needs beyond your initial assumptions
- Identify patterns in customer behaviour
- Refine product concepts before diving deeper into expensive and time-consuming development
Our goal was to determine whether our product concept had a strong enough market fit and if our assumptions about users were correct.
How to find the right participants?
We needed feedback from iPhone users who rely on power banks and earbuds, so we surveyed people in Los Angeles (other major metro areas would also be fine as long as the target is urban people, but LA is usually considered a good place to market-test new tech products). Here’s how we did it:
- Posted a call for participants on Craigslist with a $35 gift card (Apple or Starbucks) incentive
- Pre-qualified respondents by checking their iPhone model and usage habits
- Scheduled 25–30 minute Zoom interviews using a simple calendar booking link
We found that there’s no need for a huge budget to recruit participants. Using platforms like Craigslist and Facebook groups could work well, and costs are free or minimal. (I talk through how to set up market research using this method in this video).
Getting useful insights from the interviews
To ensure we gathered helpful insights and feedback, we structured our interviews around two key components of our product:
1. Understanding Current User Behaviour
We asked these questions:
- What earbuds do you currently use, and why?
- Do you ever forget or misplace them?
- How often do you use a power bank?
- What do you like/dislike about your current solution?
The answers uncovered pain points like:
- Many people found large power banks too bulky to carry daily
- Small, cheap power banks were often forgotten and left uncharged
- Some users disliked in-ear silicone tips in earbuds
And distinct clusters of people with different needs and challenges started to appear clearly.
2. Testing Reactions to OUR Product Concept
Next, we presented our product concept based on our industrial designers’ renderings:
A thin, MagSafe-compatible power bank with built-in wireless earbuds.
And also a second alternative: a smaller, more colourful version with a shorter battery life.
We asked:
- Is this product useful to you?
- What do you like/dislike about it?
- Would you choose Concept A or B? Why?
We quickly discovered that some users feared the MagSafe (magnetic) connection might be too weak, which was valuable feedback to address early in development.
Identifying trends and target markets
After conducting 15–20 interviews, we found these patterns (you may choose to conduct even more for deeper results):
- Young professionals in big cities found the thin design appealing
- Frequent travellers wanted longer battery life over portability
- Women tended to prefer the colourful, fun design of the second concept
Once you identify user trends, you can segment your target market and refine your messaging.
Moving on to validation
The insights we gained from these market research sessions helped refine our concept, and next, we planned the following to validate the concept:
- Run targeted online ads to test demand
- Create a landing page for pre-orders
- Survey a larger audience on price expectations
Using a tool like Prelaunch.com can help a lot, once you are at this stage.
Going from early exploration to validation further reduces risks and gives you peace of mind that there is market demand before you go into production.
Conclusion
If you’re developing a new product, doing this quantitative market research is an important early activity. Speaking directly to potential users can reveal insights you’d never get from a spreadsheet or simply by relying on your gut. The valuable feedback will allow you to refine your concept, avoid costly mistakes, and build the product your customers truly want.
