Carol Soriano García1, Raquel Marzo Roselló1, Laura Martínez Gómez1, Mercedes Sanchis Almenara1, Ana Mercader Ricos2
1Instituto de Biomecánica (IBV) Universitat Politècnica de València (Edificio 9C) Camino de Vera s/n (E-46022) Valencia (Spain)
2Maxcolchon S.L.
Knowing the most important aspects that generate a satisfactory user experience among the potential users of a product, and the decision-making process involved in a purchase is key to guaranteeing success. In order to understand these aspects and how they are perceived by the specific demographic profiles to which the product is aimed, it is essential to listen to the voices of the consumers themselves. People-Oriented Innovation provides a validated methodology to include people in all phases of the development process, turning the target consumer of the product into an active resource that generates value for companies.
In this regard, MAXCOLCHON has developed, alongside the Instituto de Biomecánica (IBV), a project to identify the key aspects that consumers take into account when evaluating a ONE mattress and when deciding whether or not to purchase it. This information can be used to work on the development or improvement of a product to identify the best way to channel a marketing campaign.
INTRODUCTION
Listening to the voice of users and knowing their need and preferences is key to guaranteeing a satisfactory user experience, and therefore to being accepted in the market. MAXCOLCHON, aware of how important People-Oriented Innovation is, has developed a project alongside the Instituto de Biomecánica (IBV) whose purpose is to understand the perception of quality and comfort provided by ONE mattresses, in order to discover what criteria its target audience takes into account when choosing whether or not to buy one.
This information is key to identifying how ONE mattresses are perceived, as well as possible lines of improvement or innovation for this type of product, in order to obtain a satisfactory user experience and to help to channel possible marketing campaigns.
DEVELOPMENT AND METHODOLOGY
Firstly, a netnographic study was carried out, with the purpose of understanding the most important aspects of experience of using a mattress. Netnography is an interpretative research method that adapts traditional techniques of anthropologic observation of people to the study of the interactions and experiences that are manifested through digital communications (Kozinets, Robert V, 1998). This method makes it possible to identify the most important aspects (the most repeated ones -frequency of occurrence-) that are taken into account by users when choosing a mattress, based on online comments posted about different mattresses, and the language used in these assessments. The identified aspects have been used in later stages to assess the ONE mattress that is the object of the study.
Following this netnographic study, a test of the product was carried out in the laboratory. In order to test a product with consumers, it is essential to carry out an appropriate selection of the demographic profile to which the product is targeted. On this occasion, we worked with the company to identify this group, taking into consideration such aspects as age or gender, among others. Once the profile had been defined, the IBV had a database of more than 3,000 people that could be filtered by around 30 parameters (ranging from age and gender to anthropometric data, education level, average yearly income, or pathologies such as back pain).
Once the specific demographic group has been selected, in order to carry out the assessment of the product by the potential buyers, a usage protocol was drawn up based on the key aspects identified in the previous phase and on the technical criteria identified by the IBV in previous product assessment studies in general, and of mattresses in particular. Once the protocol was defined, a number of tests were performed using the technique of observation and Think Aloud [1] in order to register the behavior resulting from the interaction (expressions, etc.) while the consumers tried the product, as well as interviews and questionnaires to delve further into the participants’ perception and assessment of the mattress.
The tests started with the consumer freely interacting with the mattress, simulating that they were in a room choosing a mattress , the purpose being to observe which are the most important aspects consumers take into account when testing a mattress in a spontaneous way (FMOT[2]) (Figure 1).
Figure 1. Left: product test in the co-creation laboratory (Cocrea-Lab);
Right: image of the Cocrea-Lab laboratory at the IBV.
Afterwards, the consumers participated in a guided exploration led by IBV research staff, during which they were told how they should lie down on the mattress and what they should focus on.
The purpose of this guided exploration is to have complete information on the interactions of all the participants with the product in order to obtain a reliable and robust assessment of the technical aspects and criteria that have the greatest influence on the perception of quality and comfort of the ONE mattress.
RESULTS
Netnographic study
The semantic analysis of the online comments of consumers has made it possible to understand which aspects are more important and which aspects are well valued by consumers, and which are not. A significant finding is that 72% of the comments about the analyzed mattresses are positive.
Consumer profile and preferences
The profile of the participant in the product test study corresponds to the end consumer of the element under study, in this case, men and women aged between 30 and 60. Among other aspects, the study identified how much money this demographic group spends on average when buying a mattress, whether or not they know the brand of the resting system they are purchasing, the average time they keep the same mattress, as well as whether they identify as being more sensitive to cold or to heat.
The mattress brands on which the subjects of the sample normally rest are varied and, in general, they value in a very positive way the mattress they have at home (8.1 out of 10). Figure 2 shows some of the verbatim accounts of the participants regarding the assessment of their mattress, as well as the associated word cloud, obtained through natural language processing. The positive assessments that the consumers gave about their mattresses (in this case, competitors’ products) indicate that the resting systems sector is a mature one, in which companies must seek to differentiate themselves and to incorporate new innovative attributes as added value.
Figure 2. Word cloud and verbatims associated with the participants’ assessment of the mattress
Product test with users
Both the free and the guided explorations (Figure 3), have made it possible to assess the ONE mattress in depth, achieving a detailed level of perception of the aspects identified in previous phases, and recording aspects that need to be improved that would be difficult to identify had they not been pointed out by consumers during the product test.
It was identified during the tests that the first impression when trying out the mattress is key, given the short amount of time available to make the purchase decision and the wide range of products that can be tried out in a mattress shop.
Aspects such as the firmness of the mattress, the absence of discomfort, adaptability or the thermal comfort perceived when lying down have been identified as key elements when making the final decision. Around 70% of consumers would buy a ONE mattress if they needed to buy a new mattress. Also, most users (83%) would recommend the mattress to their friends and family. Comfort stands out as a very appreciated aspect of the mattress, with scores of 4.4 and 4.6 out of 5, after the assessments made when lying face up and when lying in the position they normally sleep in, respectively.
Figure 3. Moment and assessments of the free and guided explorations.
On the other hand, the study has made it possible to learn which are the most important aspects for consumers when assessing a mattress, and to know to what extent the product satisfies the demands of the consumer. Also, a complete assessment of the mattress was obtained during the different moments of the exploration, as well as an overall final assessment. This has made it easier for the company to obtain a perception map of its product, representing the aspects in quadrants, according to the relationship between the assessment and its importance (Figure 4). Most of the assessed aspects are in an Area of Excellence, where the aspects are important and are correctly resolved by the mattress under study, with the perception of comfort and firmness standing out.
Figure 4. Product perception map
Finally,, the participants in the study were asked what they thought the mattress of the future or their ideal mattress would be like, which can serve as a guideline for the company’s future developments and lines of innovation insofar as sustainability and technology are concerned.
CONCLUSIONS
Given the results of the study, it is safe to conclude that the rest sector is a mature sector with a high percentage of people who are satisfied with the current products in the market, which is why companies in the sector must seek to differentiate themselves and to incorporate new innovative attributes that add value.
Applying the People-Oriented Innovation methodology has allowed MAXCOLCHON to understand what aspects are most important for users when assessing a mattress model and making a purchase decision and, at the same time, to know to what extent their ONE mattress model satisfies consumers’ demands, identifying the aspects of the product that can be highlighted, such as firmness, adaptability and comfort. The mattress obtained a final positive score of 8.4 out of 10, exceeding the score that the users have given to their current mattress.
[1] The Think Aloud protocol is a popular technique used during usability tests. During the course of the test, when a participant is performing a task as part of a user scenario, they are asked to express their thoughts, sensations and opinions out loud, while they are interacting with the product.
[2] FMOT (First Moment of Truth) is the moment we choose a product in a shop or supermarket. Procter & Gamble (2005)
