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Case Studies
Focus Groups
Nova Skin Care Systems
Research Problem: While there are hundreds of home skin care and cleansing systems on the market, most are applied to the skin directly by hand or cloth. Estheticians and other skin care professionals may use very expensive cleansing machines to achieve deeper, more effective cleansing, but these are not typically available to the consumer.
Research Wrinkle: In the retail market there are only a few cleansing appliances available for home use, but almost all of them provide cleansing by the action of spinning brush heads. Sometimes these can irritate or damage sensitive skin. Valcent, the maker of the Nova Skin Care System wanted to know if upscale consumers would be interested in a new style of hand-held cleansing appliance that cleans and moisturizes by a supersonic pulsing action rather than a circular brushing motion and if consumers perceive this as a significant advantage for the product.
Research Process: Focus groups with affluent women who purchase a variety of skin cleansing and skin care products were conducted to assess interest in the product and obtain reactions to proposed packaging.
Key Research Finding: The prototype and the packaging options garnered a highly favorable response from respondents and supported the perception the product would be likely to fill the gap between regular salon facials and current home cleansing options.
Business Decision: To expand product production and marketing plans for distribution in upscale department stores.
Mock Jury
Beech Aircraft
Research Problem: Beech Aircraft has been making small aircraft for private pilots for decades. They have a high safety record and their products are well liked. From time to time, however, they are the subject of lawsuits over issues related to assignment of responsibility when airplane design is deemed to be a factor in a crash.
Research Wrinkle: For an upcoming lawsuit case in Federal court, which strategy should Beech take as the defendant side of the case?
Research Process: A series of "mock juries" with citizens very much like the ones that will be jurors in the actual case. Mock Jury #1 hears strategy #1 and the "deliberations" are viewed by the lawyers through a one-way mirror to determine what evidentiary elements created the verdict reached. Mock Jury #2 hears strategy #2 and the process is repeated. The lawyers can then decide which approach will create a significant chance for winning the case.
Key Research Finding: One of the strategies worked better than another to reach the verdict desired by the lawyers. That is the route they chose to present in Federal court and Beech won the case, avoiding a payout of millions of dollars in settlements.
Note: The case hinged around whether the pilot ignored six warnings by Beech to retrofit specific safety materials. The actual jury indicated that it was not the responsibility of a company to call each of its 56,000 customers to see if they complied, the responsibility was to insure that the warnings had been received.
Business Decision: Based on the success of the "Mock Jury" process, Beech has determined that they are an important research tool when the outcome of a case cannot be predicted on the face of the evidence.
IDI's, Dyads, Triads, and Focus Groups
McNeil Pharmaceuticals
Research Problem: In the United States, over 70,000 people of African American and Middle East descent are living with Sickle Cell Disease, an inherited disorder of the red blood cells that makes them shaped differently and function not as well as typical red blood cells. The name comes from the characteristic shape of the dehydrated red blood cell as they collapse into crescent shapes and clog up the blood flow to different parts of the body. When these backups of cells occur, there is often intense pain and weakness in the patient called ?pain crises? and hospitalization is required along with potent pain killers. There is no known cure for the disease so far and the average life span is in the mid forties.
Research Wrinkle: Frequency of pain crises can be as seldom as once or twice a year. However, others may suffer the pain crises as often as once or twice a month. Hospitals often mislabel these patients as ?drug seekers? and may refuse to offer the proper pain medication without a lengthy delay. There is very little medication available that can improve the body?s ability to manufacture healthy red blood cells and alleviate the pain crises. McNeil wanted to know more about the daily life of sickle cell sufferers and obtain feedback to a new medication being developed.
Research Process: Qualitative research in the form of individual (IDI), dyad and triad interviews, along with focus groups were conducted with individuals with sickle cell disease to create a better understanding of issues in daily life and obtain reaction to the product concept.
Key Research Finding: McNeil Pharmaceuticals developed a greater understanding of the effects of pain crises on the day-to-day lives of respondents and a unanimously favorable reaction to the concept of the new medication.
Business Decision: Continue with clinical trials to prepare this product for the market.
Focus Groups
Kimberly Clark Corporation
Research Problem: Kimberly Clark had created a new "disposable fabric" from the by-products of producing consumer paper products. The "fabric" was discovered by accident [much the same way Post-its were discovered by accident when the incorrect glue was used as an adhesive]. Now that KCC had this "fabric," they needed a use for it. Engineers and market researchers inside of the company could not agree on the best way to use the material, so it was decided to test it with consumers.
Research Wrinkle: Past research had indicated that the need for "disposable clothes" was currently limited to the health care industry and that there wasn't much "need" for disposable clothing items among general consumers, so the problem was finding a target market that could use the "fabric."
Research Process: Six focus groups with homeless men and women to see if they could find a use for the "fabric".
Key Research Finding: Yes, the homeless "community" could find a practical use for the "fabric" and, in fact, determined six different ways the product would be useful to them and to the organizations that serve the homeless.
Business Decision: KCC manufactured items from the "fabric" and made donations of the materials created to a number of social service agencies
Nova Skin Care Systems
Research Problem: While there are hundreds of home skin care and cleansing systems on the market, most are applied to the skin directly by hand or cloth. Estheticians and other skin care professionals may use very expensive cleansing machines to achieve deeper, more effective cleansing, but these are not typically available to the consumer.
Research Wrinkle: In the retail market there are only a few cleansing appliances available for home use, but almost all of them provide cleansing by the action of spinning brush heads. Sometimes these can irritate or damage sensitive skin. Valcent, the maker of the Nova Skin Care System wanted to know if upscale consumers would be interested in a new style of hand-held cleansing appliance that cleans and moisturizes by a supersonic pulsing action rather than a circular brushing motion and if consumers perceive this as a significant advantage for the product.
Research Process: Focus groups with affluent women who purchase a variety of skin cleansing and skin care products were conducted to assess interest in the product and obtain reactions to proposed packaging.
Key Research Finding: The prototype and the packaging options garnered a highly favorable response from respondents and supported the perception the product would be likely to fill the gap between regular salon facials and current home cleansing options.
Business Decision: To expand product production and marketing plans for distribution in upscale department stores.
Mock Jury
Beech Aircraft
Research Problem: Beech Aircraft has been making small aircraft for private pilots for decades. They have a high safety record and their products are well liked. From time to time, however, they are the subject of lawsuits over issues related to assignment of responsibility when airplane design is deemed to be a factor in a crash.
Research Wrinkle: For an upcoming lawsuit case in Federal court, which strategy should Beech take as the defendant side of the case?
Research Process: A series of "mock juries" with citizens very much like the ones that will be jurors in the actual case. Mock Jury #1 hears strategy #1 and the "deliberations" are viewed by the lawyers through a one-way mirror to determine what evidentiary elements created the verdict reached. Mock Jury #2 hears strategy #2 and the process is repeated. The lawyers can then decide which approach will create a significant chance for winning the case.
Key Research Finding: One of the strategies worked better than another to reach the verdict desired by the lawyers. That is the route they chose to present in Federal court and Beech won the case, avoiding a payout of millions of dollars in settlements.
Note: The case hinged around whether the pilot ignored six warnings by Beech to retrofit specific safety materials. The actual jury indicated that it was not the responsibility of a company to call each of its 56,000 customers to see if they complied, the responsibility was to insure that the warnings had been received.
Business Decision: Based on the success of the "Mock Jury" process, Beech has determined that they are an important research tool when the outcome of a case cannot be predicted on the face of the evidence.
IDI's, Dyads, Triads, and Focus Groups
McNeil Pharmaceuticals
Research Problem: In the United States, over 70,000 people of African American and Middle East descent are living with Sickle Cell Disease, an inherited disorder of the red blood cells that makes them shaped differently and function not as well as typical red blood cells. The name comes from the characteristic shape of the dehydrated red blood cell as they collapse into crescent shapes and clog up the blood flow to different parts of the body. When these backups of cells occur, there is often intense pain and weakness in the patient called ?pain crises? and hospitalization is required along with potent pain killers. There is no known cure for the disease so far and the average life span is in the mid forties.
Research Wrinkle: Frequency of pain crises can be as seldom as once or twice a year. However, others may suffer the pain crises as often as once or twice a month. Hospitals often mislabel these patients as ?drug seekers? and may refuse to offer the proper pain medication without a lengthy delay. There is very little medication available that can improve the body?s ability to manufacture healthy red blood cells and alleviate the pain crises. McNeil wanted to know more about the daily life of sickle cell sufferers and obtain feedback to a new medication being developed.
Research Process: Qualitative research in the form of individual (IDI), dyad and triad interviews, along with focus groups were conducted with individuals with sickle cell disease to create a better understanding of issues in daily life and obtain reaction to the product concept.
Key Research Finding: McNeil Pharmaceuticals developed a greater understanding of the effects of pain crises on the day-to-day lives of respondents and a unanimously favorable reaction to the concept of the new medication.
Business Decision: Continue with clinical trials to prepare this product for the market.
Focus Groups
Kimberly Clark Corporation
Research Problem: Kimberly Clark had created a new "disposable fabric" from the by-products of producing consumer paper products. The "fabric" was discovered by accident [much the same way Post-its were discovered by accident when the incorrect glue was used as an adhesive]. Now that KCC had this "fabric," they needed a use for it. Engineers and market researchers inside of the company could not agree on the best way to use the material, so it was decided to test it with consumers.
Research Wrinkle: Past research had indicated that the need for "disposable clothes" was currently limited to the health care industry and that there wasn't much "need" for disposable clothing items among general consumers, so the problem was finding a target market that could use the "fabric."
Research Process: Six focus groups with homeless men and women to see if they could find a use for the "fabric".
Key Research Finding: Yes, the homeless "community" could find a practical use for the "fabric" and, in fact, determined six different ways the product would be useful to them and to the organizations that serve the homeless.
Business Decision: KCC manufactured items from the "fabric" and made donations of the materials created to a number of social service agencies