Innovation
Many companies check the benefits of new products and services — and where they could be improved — with real consumers. Research techniques give innovators a dose of inspiration, an understanding of the market and of people’s needs, and the right balance between the risk that comes with innovation and the reward for a good idea that consumers genuinely want. Research is useful and valuable. It tells us things that help public debate, makes us aware of something important, gives innovators the inspiration they need, or draws attention to a dangerous trend.
People will not usually invent a new product for us, but they can explain their needs and wishes. For an innovator who listens carefully that can be the spark, and the idea is born. Innovation research often uses innovative techniques, which respondents enjoy for their creativity, for the chance to contribute their own ideas and to try something new.
Examples from research
1. Communication services for deaf customers
The agency Confess ran this study for a mobile operator in 2014, using a qualitative bulletin-board method — an online discussion group in a protected environment. We found that because writing, alongside sign language, is the main means of communication for this group, they express themselves in great detail and are willing to help adapt services for their needs. The research led, for example, to crisis communication being adapted for patients dealing with a hospital and doctors, with a special line mediating the conversation between doctor and patient.
2. Patients received understandable information about treatment
An international pharmaceutical company was deciding whether to aim its communication about psoriasis treatment options directly at patients as well, or to leave it to doctors. Research by Ipsos showed that patients wanted fuller information in one place, and that doctors would welcome information backed by the company and by a professional society. The company therefore produced a website and printed materials describing every treatment approach in language a lay audience can understand. Both were tested in several phases of research (qualitative and quantitative, run by Ipsos) so that they could be optimised and all sides could be fully confident that patients understand the information as intended. The company’s local branch went on to present the project internationally within the group and received an official award for it.
3. Creating the Café of Luck concept
The concept was created with a team of expert respondents in innovation workshops. The aim was to find an unconventional space in which Sazka could meet its customers. As in every innovation workshop, Confess used a series of techniques that encourage creativity, looking for places and ways that lead to the greatest interaction with customers. During the workshop the idea arose of combining a café with a place where you can try your luck and win. The café offers a “player’s menu” in which every coffee is playful and carries a prize: a customer can order, say, a “rentier” coffee that comes with a ticket and a chance to win an income of CZK 50,000 a month for five years. The Café of Luck concept has established itself on the market, and Sazka now offers its customers a place where they can enjoy a little of the fun of the game over a good coffee.
