Product Testing: Introduction and Purpose

05/06/2020 0 By indiafreenotes

Product testing, also called consumer testing or comparative testing, is a process of measuring the properties or performance of products.

The theory is that since the advent of mass production manufacturers produce branded products which they assert and advertise to be identical within some technical standard.

Product testing seeks to ensure that consumers can understand what products will do for them and which products are the best value. Product testing is a strategy to increase consumer protection by checking the claims made during marketing strategies such as advertising, which by their nature are in the interest of the entity distributing the service and not necessarily in the interest of the consumer. The advent of product testing was the beginning of the modern consumer movement.

Product testing might be accomplished by a manufacturer, an independent laboratory, a government agency, etc. Often an existing formal test method is used as a basis for testing. Other times engineers develop methods of test which are suited to the specific purpose. Comparative testing subjects several replicate samples of similar products to identical test conditions.

Purpose of Product Testing

Product testing might have a variety of purposes, such as:

  • Determine if, or verify that, the requirements of a specification, regulation, or contract are met
  • Decide if a new product development program is on track: Demonstrate proof of concept
  • Provide standard data for other scientific, engineering, and quality assurance functions
  • Validate suitability for end-use
  • Provide a basis for technical communication
  • Provide a technical means of comparison of several options
  • Provide evidence in legal proceedings: product liability, patents, product claims, etc.
  • Help solve problems with current product
  • Help identify potential cost savings in products

Product tests can be used for:

  • Subjecting products to stresses and dynamics expected in use
  • Reproducing the types of damage to products found from consumer usage
  • Controlling the uniformity of production of products or components

The Major Techniques

The monadic, sequential monadic, paired-comparison, and protomonadic research designs are the most widely used research designs for product testing.

  1. Monadic Testing

Monadic Testing typically is the best method. Testing a product on its own offers many advantages. Interaction between products (which occurs in paired-comparison tests) is eliminated. The monadic test simulates real life (that’s the way we usually use products—one at a time). By focusing the respondent’s attention upon one product, the monadic test provides the most accurate and actionable diagnostic information. Additionally, the monadic design permits the use of normative data and the development of norms and action standards. Virtually all products can be tested monadically, whereas many cannot be accurately tested in paired-comparison designs. For example, a product with a very strong flavor (hot peppers, alcohol, etc.) may deaden or inhibit the taste buds so that the respondent cannot really taste the second product.

  1. Sequential Monadic Designs

Sequential Monadic Designs are often used to reduce costs. In this design, each respondent evaluates two products (he or she uses one product and evaluates it, then uses the second product and evaluates it). The sequential monadic design works reasonably well in most instances, and offers some of the same advantages as pure monadic testing. One must be aware of what we call the “suppression effect” in sequential monadic testing, however. All the test scores will be lower in a sequential monadic design, compared to a pure monadic test. Therefore, the results from sequential monadic tests cannot be compared to results from monadic tests. Also, as in paired-comparison testing, an “interaction effect” is at work in sequential monadic designs. If one of the two products is exceptionally good, then the other product’s test scores are disproportionately lower, and vice versa.

  1. Paired-Comparison Designs

Paired-Comparison Designs (in which the consumer is asked to use two products and determine which product is better) appeal to our common sense. It’s a wonderful design if presenting evidence to a jury, because of its “face value” or “face validity.” The paired comparison can be a very sensitive testing technique (i.e., it can measure very small differences) between two products. Also the paired-comparison test is often less expensive than other methods, because sample sizes can be smaller in some instances.

Paired-comparison testing, however, is limited in value for a serious, ongoing product-testing program. The paired-comparison test does not tell us when both products are bad. The paired-comparison test does not lend itself to the use of normative data. The paired-comparison test is heavily influenced by the “interaction effect” (i.e., any variations in the control product will create corresponding variance in the test product’s scores).

  1. The Protomonadic Design

The Protomonadic Design (and the definition of this term varies from researcher to researcher) begins as a monadic test, followed by a paired comparison. Often sequential monadic tests are also followed by a paired-comparison test. The protomonadic design yields good diagnostic data, and the paired comparison at the end can be thought of as a safety net as added insurance that the results are correct. The protomonadic design is typically used in centrallocation taste testing, not in-home testing (because of the complexity of execution in the home).