Week 5 · learning day 3
Consumer research during NPD
A/B and A/A Testing, MVP and Growth Hacking · 45–60 minutes
Today’s outcomes
- Explain consumer research during npd in the context of a/b and a/a testing, mvp and growth hacking.
- Analyse a product decision using the source outcome rather than intuition alone.
- Produce a reusable section of an experiment and mvp plan.
Source trace
W05-O03Understand how to make decisions about how fast or slow the NPD process should be in any given context.
Core lesson
Make the choice inspectable
Consumer research during NPD matters when it changes a real allocation of attention, money, time, or delivery capacity. Match evidence strength and delivery speed to the cost of being wrong.
Start by naming the decision and the uncertainty around it. Separate evidence from assumptions, compare at least one alternative, and state what would make you revise the choice.
The source outcome for today is: Understand how to make decisions about how fast or slow the NPD process should be in any given context.
What decision will consumer research during npd improve, what evidence is sufficient for that decision, and what is the cost of being wrong?
Worked example
Consumer research during NPD in practice
For a workflow product for small accounting teams, the product manager must analyse a choice about consumer research during npd. The team records the target user and outcome, the evidence currently available, the strongest alternative, and the next reversible test. The recommendation is written as a choice with a reason—not as a list of features.
Do the work · 20 minutes
Turn the idea into a decision
- Choose a product you know and write the specific decision that consumer research during npd should support.
- List two pieces of evidence, two assumptions, and one credible alternative.
- Make a recommendation in three sentences and add one condition that would change it.
Save to your portfolio
An experiment and MVP plan — section: Consumer research during NPD
Knowledge check
Answer before opening
What is the decision at the centre of consumer research during npd?
A good answer names an accountable choice, not merely an activity or output.
How should evidence and assumptions be separated?
Label observed facts, interpretations, and untested beliefs explicitly so the next learning step is visible.
What makes the recommendation revisable?
It includes a trigger, threshold, or new evidence that would justify changing course.
What should the portfolio artefact communicate?
The context, considered alternatives, chosen direction, rationale, evidence, and remaining risk.
Spaced review
Reconnect the learning
Reflection