Conceptual design as a market research technology

The medical product market could be called one of the most exciting markets for a design. In medicine, design builds trust in equipment. Mediola is one of the leaders in the laser facilities market. To remain among the leaders, the company constantly creates new products. One of these is the “Laser platform for minimally invasive surgery in various fields of surgery.”

Based on this product, we will share with you the process of creating conceptual projects for market research.

The initial requirements for the product were prepared by our customer, Yuri Polumiskov. These requirements were formed in a product brief that reveals the purpose and problem to be solved for the client. To solve surgical problems, a large number of requirements are imposed on laser devices:

• working radiation wavelength;
• radiation power;
• type of radiation;
• combinatorial radiation based on several waves;
• instrument connected to the device;
• as well as the use of additional equipment.

It is difficult to apply all the requirements to one device, and it was proposed to develop a platform on which combinatorial solutions can be implemented.

Starting the project, we noticed that there are the established practices of the work of medical staff, as well as the prevalence of this or that type of equipment and its manufacturer over others in each territorial market.

Thus, the market has different expectations from the product, both in appearance and in the technology of interaction with devices. While researching the market, we studied analogs and established work practices. After this, we began to create a product concept.

First, we identified the roles that interact with the product and formed the corresponding scenarios. Based on the scenarios and roles, we created a value-role matrix of decisions that were implemented in the design.

There are requirements for marketing research, which helps to understand whether a product on market is needed. As well as the basis for the development of full-fledged technical requirements for the product is being created.

The conceptual design should maximize the visualization of the product image and interaction with it. A perfectly prepared concept eliminates the need for an oral presentation of the product for specialists. Thus, the maximum number of potential customers can be involved in the research, reducing the cost of it.

Since the product is a platform, we tried to maximize the possibilities of using it in different combinations.