Product Innovation

We specialize in product innovation that connects deeply with your target audience. By harnessing advanced research techniques such as ethnographic studies, diary research, and co-creation workshops, we provide a rich understanding of consumer behaviors, needs, and pain points. Whether through field observations, where we immerse ourselves in customers’ natural environments, or through long-term diary studies, our methods offer an authentic view of how your products are used in real life. This insight drives powerful, consumer-centric innovations that resonate in the marketplace.

Our tailored workshops bring your target group directly into the creative process, helping generate product propositions and campaign messages that hit the mark. We also offer comprehensive market potential analysis, ensuring that your innovations are backed by robust, data-driven insights. From concept to launch, we support you at every stage, turning consumer insights into breakthrough products that lead the market.

Ethno studies (AKA contextual inquiry, field observation, home visits or naturalistic interviews) reveal customer habits, attitudes and pain points that normal interviews often can’t. We visit people in their typical contexts (e.g., at home, at work, out and about). In addition, the impressions and experiences of the participants are discussed in on-site interviews. Cultural probes like videos or photos are often part of the observation. This helps empathize with the target groups and generate new ideas for new products and messages that resonate with them.

TYPICAL QUESTIONS

What is the usage context of products?
How do customers behave in their familiar environment?
What problems or pain points do people encounter in their world?
In which social environments do people live and work?
Who are we designing for after all?

HOW DOES IT HELP?

Provide deep insight and a feeling for the target group
Inspire ideas for solutions, propositions, messages
Help understand user journeys
Help build first proto-personas (i.e., typical persons from the target group)

LIMITATIONS

As this is an open-focus qualitative tool, it does not provide prioritized, representative results. It rather produces a long list of ideas and starting points.

WHEN TO USE?

At the very beginning of strategy development

COMBINE WITH

A representative survey, a segmentation survey

VARIANTS AND OPTIONS

Ethnographic studies can be more observational or more directive, e.g., with interviews. They can also be combined with a discussion of already existing ideas, e.g., value propositions, product ideas, campaign ideas.

Sounds interesing? Contact us!

Be there when things happen. With diaries we immerse into the lives of the target group over a longer time.

Some things are hard to be remembered when asked for, e.g., minor annoyances and pain points. With a diary, participants write them down when they occur. Representatives of the target group document their daily experiences about specific topics in an online diary, using text, photos, videos and voice messages. We accompany them in this process (lasting one or more weeks) and get feedback on their experiences.

TYPICAL QUESTIONS

What are the habits of the target group?
What are the usage scenarios for a product?
Which problems are encountered in everyday technology use?
Which devices are used for which occasion?
What changes can be observed over a longer period?

HOW DOES IT HELP?

Understand customer behaviour in a real context and over a longer period
Get insight into product resonance and acceptance for new products whose value is hard to explain or understand in a short time frame

LIMITATIONS

Given the qualitative nature of the method, results are rather a collection of topics and not representative.

Sounds interesing? Contact us!

Involve the target group in the creative process

In a special screening procedure, we find persons from the target group who are particularly introspective, creative and eloquent. Those persons add the customer point of view to the workshop, which aims at ideating product propositions, functionality or campaign messages. The workshops are prepared by the participants, e.g., through self-observation, cultural probes, etc. Co-creation workshops are also called super groups or participatory design.

TYPICAL QUESTIONS

How can needs and pain points of the target group be addressed by products and product features?
Which advertising messages meet the target groups sweet spots?

HOW DOES IT HELP?

It involves the customers’ view directly into the creative process

LIMITATIONS

Due to the special screening of participants, they are not representative of the target audience as a whole.
The results should therefore be validated with a representative method afterwards.

WHEN TO USE?

When there is enough information on the target group and the campaign or product design objectives

COMBINE WITH

A representative evaluation of the ideation results

VARIANTS AND OPTIONS

Live prototyping, visual note-taking and other creative techniques

Sounds interesing? Contact us!

A (market-) potential analysis helps understand who would be inclined to buy a product and how these target groups can be addressed.

A quantitative survey among the widest possible potential customer range determines, with which groups of persons product propositions resonate and how these persons are characterized. Potential analyses can also provide insight regarding ideal price points, and the perceived utility of product features. The resulting data allows business case modelling, and customer-centric product design.

TYPICAL QUESTIONS

Is the market potential big enough for my business case?
Through which media channels can I reach the target group
Who are the main competitors?
Which is the best price point?
Which features should the product / MVP contain in order to maximize market success?

HOW DOES IT HELP?

Exploration and characterization of potential customer groups

Analysis of ideal prices (e.g. Van Westendorp price sensitivity meter)

Feature analysis (e.g. Kano analysis)

LIMITATIONS

Ideas for product / value propositions must be available and must be described or illustrated for the participants. If not, a need segmentation study is a good alternative

WHEN TO USE?

When first value propositions are available and can be described or illustrated (e.g. with mock-ups, drafts)

COMBINE WITH

Costs for product features etc. for business case modelling

VARIANTS AND OPTIONS

Depending on the product design needs, various special methods can be used (e.g. experiments, pricing methods like van Westendorp’s price sensitivity meter, conjoint analysis, Kano analysis)

Sounds interesing? Contact us!

Find out more about our other Insight Services

Case: BayWa

Ethnographic requirement analysis for an online shop

BayWa is a global trading and service provider group operating in the core segments of agriculture, construction and energy. The BayWa Group is the No. 2 in the building materials trade in Germany and among the leading providers in Austria. Our task was to analyse the e-commerce potential in the business customer environment of the building materials trade, which is characterised by personal relationships. What role does the internet play today in the purchasing process at the target groups of “professionals” (construction companies, craftsmen) and “professionals for a limited time” (e.g. private builders or do-it-yourself adepts)? What can be a solid online strategy for BayWa? And: How can branches and key account managers be involved in a sensible way?

To find answers to these questions, Facit Digital conducted a comprehensive analysis of the purchasing behaviour and the needs of the target groups in moderated focus groups and phone interviews. In the process, it was illuminated how the purchase decision and procurement processes take place today, how pricing is done, what role the internet and customer managers play in this process, what potentials are attributed to individual online tools or information portals.

The challenge was to look behind the curtain and explore the actual opportunities for various online services. In an environment in which most customers are highly satisfied with the existing possibilities for customer care, acceptance of online processing is naturally very low. Through the discussion of the procurement processes in their individual aspects, we were successful nonetheless in developing approaches that are viable from the customer’s perspective for using the internet channel.

“The requirements analysis by Facit Digital has not only given us a sound insight into the purchasing and procurement processes of our target groups but also delivered a helpful analysis of the opportunities offered us by the internet as a medium for information, communication and sales. This laid the cornerstone for a reliable basis for working out our online strategy.”

Carsten Rybka, Manager Process Consulting/Construction Division, BayWa

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Michael Wörmann

Managing Partner

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