Play it safe and avoid basing your decisions on assumptions. Concept Testing

Woman testing an app in the UX research lab.

Get a quick idea of whether your concept stands a chance of success.

You’ve got an idea, a rough direction or a set of sketches for a new feature – or perhaps an entirely new product. Great! But before you invest time, budget and energy into it, you want to know: is there actually a demand for this? Concept testing helps you discover how your idea is received, where it falls short and what’s needed to make it stronger. 

  • Check whether people understand your idea 
    not just what it is, but also why they’d use it. 
  • Avoid costly mistakes later on 
    Tweaking your concept after you’ve built it can easily end up being 10 times more expensive. 
  • Move forward with greater confidence 
    You’ll be making decisions based on genuine feedback from your target audience. 

Need help developing your concept?

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Why it’s important to test your concept early on

  • 32%

    more revenue growth for companies that take design seriously and systematically test it against user needs.

  • 2,5×

    productivity gain over 3 years through pre-launch testing, because fewer development cycles were wasted.

  • 10×

    having to modify your concept after you have built it is easily 10 times more expensive than making changes during the design phase.

Four researchers observing interviews.

We mainly look at what resonates and what doesn't.

We focus primarily on what works and what doesn’t. Where it meets people’s needs, and where it doesn’t. Depending on the stage you’re at, we present a sketch, a clickable prototype or a written pitch to the relevant target audience. Through interviews and tests, we observe how people react, what they expect and where they lose interest. This way, you don’t just get vague opinions, but concrete feedback to help you refine your concept.

  1. Preparation

    We start with a kick-off. We get to know you and your concept. Together, we determine exactly what we will investigate, and with whom. From there, we create a test script. This contains all the questions, scenarios, and tasks that we will present during the interviews.

  2. Recruitment

    Participants can make or break your research. We ensure that we get exactly the right people at the table. We arrange this through the panel of our sister company, Happy Labs. 

  3. Research

    Our researchers presents your concept to the target audience to discover how they interact with it. You follow everything live from the observation room.

  4. Results

    We deliver concrete insights, conclusions, and recommendations – so you can move forward immediately. We identify the pros and cons of your concept. We outline opportunities to refine your idea. We share quotes and visuals to bring the customer to life. 

Proud of our clients

  1. Logo Maxeon
  2. Logo RTL
  3. Logo Artis
  4. Logo Odido
  5. Logo Gaspedaal
  6. Logo Action
  7. Logo Universiteit van Amsterdam
  8. Logo NS

Do you want to test your concept before you start building?

Nils van den Broek — Founder

Nils van den Broek

Here's how we did it

Want to see more?
What does a concept test look like?

We start with a kick-off meeting so that we know exactly what’s already in place and what you want to get out of the research. A concept test is only as good as the people taking part. That’s why we recruit participants based on their profile, behaviour and context. We do this through our sister company, Happy Labs. We present your concept in interviews and observe live how people react: what gets them excited? Where do they lose interest? After the interviews, you’ll receive concrete insights and clear recommendations.

When should you carry out a concept test?

As early as possible, ideally! As soon as you have something that (potential) customers can respond to, we can already gather some very valuable feedback. A rough sketch on paper, or an advert for your product, is often enough.

Can you actually get my potential target audience to the table?

If your target audience is ​‘people who always wear red socks on Tuesday afternoons and earn more than a million a year’, it’s going to be tricky. But in many other cases, our sister company Happy Labs knows exactly how to get the right people round the table.

What is the difference between this and a UX test?

In a concept test, we focus specifically on the concept’s clarity and relevance. In a UX test, we also (and above all) focus on interaction and user-friendliness.

Research goes beyond a Concept Test. Would you like to find out more about your target audience’s context and needs (before you develop concepts)? If so, you should carry out Exploratory Research. Have you already developed some initial sketches? If so, we can also combine your Concept Test with a UX Test.