Online Concept Testing with Ina Saltz

This is turning into Marketing Week where is a “week” is defined as whatever time period I am obsessed with a topic. I came across this great video from the Stanford Publishing Courses for Professionals program. It features Ina Saltz.

Ina Saltz is the principal of Saltz Design and professor of electronic design at The City College of New York. Most recently she redesigned Golf Magazine (1.4 million circulation) while serving as its design director. Ina has served as the art director of TIME Magazine’s international edition as well as Worth, Worldbusiness, High School Sports, Golf for Women, and PC Tech Journal. She writes a bimonthly column for STEP Inside Design and contributes to Graphis, Folio, and others.

She also recently published a book called Body Type: Intimate Messages Etched in Flesh. Think: chest-top publishing. :-)

Granted, most people who read this blog will never test a magazine cover design. However, the principles that she discusses apply to online testing of other things like web sites, blogs, company names, and product names. Also, the fundamental value of online testing that she discusses is insightful: that is, she can go into meetings saying that “customers said...” and cut through the bull shiitake of everyone expressing their opinion about a design.

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Comments

[Annie]

Korralik mööbel:
http://www.moobel.net

[Bernie Aho]

This is inspiring and we plan to let our users test our user interfaces in this matter using our own technology. This is exactly what we had in mind when we created our own product. We gave Guy a brief demo at TechCrunch 7,but this sorta puts this is context.

Good stuff!!

[littlepurplecow]

I agree that usability testing (or in this case, first impression assessment) is critical in gauging the acceptance of a concept/product during early stages of development. The idea of offering a user choice for an online test is a good one, as it simplifies the process for users. It's easier for a user to articulate a preference in a short period of time vs. exlain what and why they like/dislike about a single option.

I'm interested to know how much of the feedback centered around the visuals vs. word choice for the headlines, particularly for a magazine targeted primarily to a male audience.

[Dean]

Guy,

This comment is a bit off-scope from your post. This morning I heard your interview on WSJ-radio on XM. I enjoyed your book Rules for Revolutionaries hence I am glad to find your blog. You do cut through the bull shuttake as you out it so well as always.

I think I will add your blog to my blogroll.

[Innovation Zen]

Companies should aim to fail a lot, but recognizing the failure early in the process, without committing disproportionate resources and most importantly learning from such failures.

[NORTH]

Great video... thanks for sharing Guy.

[jim Forbes]

Those who do, do well in publishing.
Those who look for excuses, go on to teach publishing.
Kinda makes you wonder if "sucess through failure" is valid.
I lived professionally through seven different publishing management structures that didn't get the need either the need for consistency or the concept of management acccountability.
Sadly, at least some of the idiots are still around, although they should have been sold to Armor meat packing years ago.
Testing covers and concepts is an expensive process that's dpendent on finding an "accurate" model to test. Few publishers ever do that successfully and no one has ever done it in the valley.
Academically, I am the product of one of the most intensive publishing programs in the western US, where the emphasis is "learn by doing." The basic demographics of the west coast are still the same. you test:
High end Lifestyle mags in LA, but avoid Westwood.
General consumer lifestyle books in Sacratomato and Portland
Car books in Orange County and eastern LA County.
Gun books in San Bernardino and Sacramento Counties
Business books in Claremont, CA, San Mateo and Santa Clara Counties as well as Santa Monica and Pasadena, CA.
Interesting post, Guy. Thanks!

Best,
Jim Forbes

[Kempton]

Great stuff. I never argue with results. 4-6% increase in newsstand sales sound great.

[Rob Elam]

Interesting. This is the stuff I learned in college 101 marketing courses pre-internet. Basic.
I would never spend the time to respond to a request for input for the magazines I subscribe to- I don't have time.

What percentage of subscribers define the rest- the numbers are compelling- but suspect, based on my experience.

I've found "online testing" entirely worthless in the energy delivery space. When the product itself is not digital, the web quickly looses marketing intelligence value. It's tempting to base a business on 1% of the customers who participate in blogs or discussion boards etc, but the actuals show a different reality in my business.

It will be interesting to see how things develop.

BTW Guy- Hybrid vs alt fuels energy balance and efficiency graphs from NREL see here:
http://www.propelbiofuels.com/site/aboutbiodiesel.html

[Adrian Crook]

And yes, I know the difference between concept testing and usability testing. The clip on concept testing just sparked some thought...

[Adrian Crook]

Great stuff. I'm actually at the beginning of a usability testing service/software startup of my own, so that's a timely clip. I just bought your Art of the Start book on Amazon.ca five minutes ago, along with a couple of the best usability testing books (Handbook of Usability Testing by Jeffrey Rubin, and Usability Engineering by Jakob Nielsen).

Keep up the good work.

[PXLated]

Duh!

[Harry Chong]

I hope this was filmed 6 years ago, 'cause man these people are slow.

[Kimber]

"Granted, most people who read this blog will never test a magazine cover design."

Test?
People still test?

Says someone hired to clean up after a system implementation which very much should have been tested.