Our youngest daughter using the iPhone when she was under two years old. The application is Peekaboo Barn, where animals appear from behind a barn when the barn doors are tapped on. She quickly understood that the screen was for tapping but had no idea when was the right time to tap. She just constantly tapped on the screen regardless of the barn doors being open, closed or somewhere in between. The end result is using way too many taps to get the job done.
What kind of insight could be gathered from customers that are not part of the target group? Customers that are either too far up or down the adoption curve or otherwise out of their league. I’m calling it an unfocus group.
Interesting point of view.
Despite the fact that I´m all for focusing on the “conventional” target group, i.e. the prime fixation should be to analyze and identify contextual needs and behavior patterns – and thus, how to meet these needs which benefits both parties – I do have to admit that sometimes the _true discovery_ lies outside the target group… However, I´d like to throw the ball back to Passi & Ripatti by raising the following questions:
1. Based on what criteria, or circumstances, would the “unfocus” group be most potential for analysis?
2. How far from the original target group does one need to go, in order to be labeled as the “unfocused” group?
3. Are the analysis methods equally the same in between these two groups?
Respect, and all that Jazz!
_T
Thanks Tero for the good questions. Some thoughts:
I think the most value from an unfocus group is to identify things that are so familiar to the service designers and providers that we don’t actually even notice them anymore. A sort of extreme reality check comes to mind.
In the mentioned case, I think the unfocus group should contain people that have previously not had any contact (or even knowledge) of said service. I know that is easier said than done.
Method wise, I think both cases should focus on figuring out where the perceived value of a service lies. By logical conclusion, the unfocus group should bring out the value aspects that are buried under a layer of trends and conventions. In other words the unfocus group could highlight the elements that everyone else takes for granted.
I think I will explore this topic a bit more. Fortunately I have three willing and able test subjects available that are willing to work for ice cream ;)