Innovation Research for the Development of Products, Services and Processes

The purpose of innovation research is to define the what, why and how of human behavior, and harness this insight for innovation. Results are directional in nature, and feed into your organization’s product development and/or strategic planning initiatives.

Innovation Research applies to all phases of development, from the “fuzzy front end” all the way through to after product launch. The focus of this research process is always on gaining a contextual understanding of user behavior to improve or develop new products, services or processes.

At Sylver Consulting, we have extensive experience in conducting Innovation Research within both business-to-consumer and business-to-business segments. Past projects have involved the design or redesign of physical products, software applications, websites, marketing materials, displays, business processes and service designs.

Our Innovation Research is best for organizations that want to:

• Explore expansion into new product categories/verticals
• Discover who to target with new products and services
• Define which features to include in new products and services
• Improve an existing product or service to stay competitive
• Evaluate the barriers associated with adoption of your product in the marketplace

Regardless of the research techniques used, we always employ rigorous data collection, analysis and synthesis processes. Specific research methods chosen to engage customers are dependent on a project's objectives, but can include techniques such as ethnographic research, in-depth interviews, focus groups, camera studies, usability studies or online qualitative research.

Case Study

Client:      Marriott

Assignment
Identify the types of event planners that Marriott’s new reservation tool, Small Groups Online (SGO), should target, as well as provide direction on the feature and function development of the system.

Approach
Sylver conducted listening labs/usability studies with occasional, semi-professional and professional planners. The purpose of these sessions was to understand the participants' current process for booking multiple hotel rooms at one time and to uncover potential behavioral barriers to SGO’s adoption in the marketplace.

Utilizing a reservation system prototype, participants simulated the process of booking multiple rooms online, which provided insight into points of customer confusion, as well as identified functionalities of the system that needed to be evolved. Additionally, a competitive comparison review assisted the design team in understanding the preferred visual conventions for displaying information related to online reservations.

Outcomes
Research indicated that the occasional planner should be the target for the first version of SGO. Functions and features required of the system to fully support this user segment were identified. Additionally, a roadmap for development was crafted, prioritizing which additional features and functions needed to be added to support the planning behaviors of the semi-professional and professional planners in subsequent iterations of the tool.

"Sylver Consulting is a great pleasure to work with, always providing on-time and on-budget deliverables. They've helped us to expand our capabilities as a department, collaborating intimately with our project teams and offering guidance to our development efforts. With the research expertise they bring to the table, we've been able to speed up our development cycles and deliver more targeted products. We'd recommend them as an A-list vendor to work with at any time."

- M.C., Senior Director, User Experience, Marriott International