5.6.4 Developing the product design specifications from the product concept

An adaptation of the profile test - the optimum location profile - can be used by the consumers to identify firstly the important product attributes, and then define their ideal point for the product on each attribute. The consumer panel needs to be representative of the diversity among potential customers in the targeted segment. If there is more than one segment, then panels are organised for each segment. Of course the consumer cannot score some imaginary product but can only compare their ideal with some real products. So they have to be presented with either the company's present product, competitors' products, a home recipe or early samples of the new product. There is a need to choose samples with differences in the magnitudes of the attributes, so that the consumers can identify their ideals (Booth, 1990). The product designer can try variations of the new product, altering ingredients to give variations in some attributes, so that the consumer is relating the changes to their preference at the same time that the designer is starting the creation of the new product. This is a valuable interaction, and cuts down a great deal of time later in the development. The consumer response is directly linked to the stimulus (McBride, 1990).

The optimum product profile identifies the 'strength' of each attribute in the product concept. The consumers score the product concepts usually with competing products, on each attribute using scales, for example, for viscosity:




It is difficult for the consumers to do this in the abstract and prototype or commercial products are tested. The mean scores of the consumers are used to derive an attribute profile, as shown in Fig. 5.12 for three baked beans products, a standard, one with increased tomato and one with increased beans .

Fig. 5.12 Profiles of three baked bean products.
(- click to enlarge)

Other attributes for the bean products could be availability (difficult/easy), convenience of use (difficult/easy) or product image (everyday food/special food). The consumers rank the attributes from most important to least important, and note any attributes that are missing. There is constant checking throughout the build-up to the product design specifications. The consumers can also score their overall acceptance for each product to find the effects of the product changes on acceptance. Product profiles are normally identified by product type, but it is important to realise that the brand and the packaging can have an effect on the rating of products. The next step is to ask the consumers to score their ideal product on the same scales. This gives an ideal product profile for the product design specifications.

The consumers' definitions of the attributes and their magnitude can be related to an expert panel's sensory analysis of the product (Moskowitz, 1997) or to measurable physical properties such as viscosity and colour, microbiological standards, nutritional value and chemical composition. It is this correlation of the consumers' attribute scaling with either analytical sensory testing or standard product testing (Munöz, 1997) that has changed the product design and process development method.

In developing the product design specifications, there are difficulties in measuring sensory properties on an objective basis and correlating these with consumer panel data. The complicated interaction of sensory properties, both within the same sensory property, flavour with flavour, or between different sensory properties, flavour with texture, has made the setting of design specifications difficult. Sometimes, it is not possible to identify objective measurements for the consumers' ideals and it can be necessary to have the consumers test the experimental products. As consumers may have problems remembering their ideals, they can score on how near the new product prototypes are to their ideal; this consumer testing during design can also identify any unknown factors that may be affecting their acceptance of the product.

The product qualities are directed mainly by the consumer but of course they must conform with any legal regulations and with defined company policy. The product design specifications also include marketing, production, distribution and environmental factors (Earle and Earle, 2000); these are mainly technical but there are also consumer needs and wants on raw materials and processing methods which are incorporated.

Think Break Develop an optimum product profile for your new product ideas in the following product categories:     · extruded, shaped, snackfood,     · canned sardines,     · refreshing drink. 1. Write a description of the new product. 2. Identify the product attributes for the new product. 3. Develop scales for each attribute. 4. Score two competing products on the scales. 5. Score your ideal product on the scales. 6. Compare your optimum product profiles for the three products.

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