This document discusses how to build consumer-centric teams for agile innovation. It advocates for empowering small teams to rapidly prototype and test solutions through tight consumer feedback loops. This approach allows organizations to cut timelines in half or more while focusing on understanding consumer "whys." Case studies show how companies have benefited from agile qualitative research methods through significant cost savings, improved study timelines, and an ability to complete more studies within the same budget. The document provides tips for building agile consumer insight teams and transitioning to more agile research methods and tools.

1. How to Build Consumer-Centric
Teams for Agile Innovation

2. Your Host
Results in as Little as 24 Hours:
ü Live Video Sprints
ü CX and UX Sprints
ü Product Optimization Sprints
ü And more…
Smarter, Faster Qualitative Research

3. 3
Your Speaker
Monika Wingate
CEO and Co-Founder of Digsite

4. Interviews
with
Consumer
Insights
Leaders

5. Disruption Is All Around Us

6. of CEOs are satisfied
with their companies’
innovation performance
6%
Source: https://www.mckinsey.com/business-functions/marketing-
and-sales/our-insights/agile-in-the-consumer-goods-industry-the-
transformation-of-the-brand-manager

7. Faster Consumer Centric
Organizational Needs
More Efficient
Cut timelines by
50% or more
Focus on
“Whys”
Same team;
Same $

8. What do we mean by “Agile?”
• Empower small teams
• Break complex problems into sprints
• Rapidly prototype and test solutions
• Have tight consumer-driven feedback loops
• Integrate learning into a coherent whole

9. How to
Build a
Test and
Adapt
Approach
Source: https://www.mckinsey.com/business-functions/marketing-and-sales/our-insights/agile-in-the-consumer-goods-industry-the-transformation-of-the-brand-manager

10. Applications
Innovation
Marketing
Customer Experience
Product Testing

11. Sprints Vary by Team and Objective
Source: https://www.uxmatters.com/mt/archives/2016/11/agile-development-is-no-excuse-for-shoddy-ux-research.php
Types of Sprints
Sprint Process
2. Build
3. Launch
4. Learn
1. Idea
Innovation
Sprint
Design
Sprint
UX
Sprint
Strategic
Tactical
Validation
SPRINT SPRINT SPRINT SPRINTSPRINT

12. Where American Family
Insurance Started
“Teams were already finding
ways to work around the
team – we were seen as
expensive bottlenecks.”
- Giustina Parisi
Consumer & Portfolio
Insights Manager

13. Significant
Improvements
• A fraction of the cost
per interviewee
• Able to complete more
research studies for the
same budget
• Improved study time
from 3-6 weeks to 3-6
days

14. How to Build a
Consumer-Centric Team
• Find an agile champion in your organization
who’s excited to have agile insights
• Build the right team/resources to
delivers on the promise of agile
• Start with a small but impactful study to show
your organization the value of agile qualitative
• Iterate on your research approach
• Spread the word on your insights & success

15. - Mark Hetrick,
Consumer and Market
Insights Manager
“Everybody recognized
that the pace of business
is only getting faster and
we needed to respond
accordingly or we were
going to be left behind.”

16. Expansion
Through the
Organization
Pella has thus far used online communities for:
• Concept tests
• Ad testing
• Product naming
• Path to purchase insights

17. “As Insight
Leaders, We
Need to Say
Yes, and…”
Engaged
Agile as a research capability, not a project
Flexible
Research is no longer go/no go – it’s Build + Test + Learn
Iterative
More nimble and iterative approach to consumer insights
In Depth
Qualitative depth is as critical as quantitative rigor
Frequent
Informed by consumers throughout development
- Alan Stoffer,
Product Marketing

18. Benefits of Agile
Research Methods
• Time/cost savings
• Flexible studies - DIY or white glove
• Increased customer/consumer
feedback leads to better ideas, better
concepts, better products and
marketing
• Decreased risk and increased success

19. Tips for Agile Research
• Expect your team to stop building solutions while you conduct research
• Rely on in-person research to meet all of your needs
• Throw the kitchen sink into your research studies
• Focus on research “reports” weeks after research is conducted
Don’t
• Plan more frequent, targeted sample qual. throughout development
• Prioritize most critical next question
• Leverage online tools for both speed and quality
• Involve your team in learning and iterating with consumers
Do’s

20. “Agile is
becoming THE
way we do
research. It’s
exciting and
liberating.”
Cory Lommel,
Director of Consumer
Insights
Agile
Research
Tools
Creativity
Risk to
Rigor

21. Skills Needed by Agile Consumer Insights Professionals
ü Doers– excited to talk directly to
consumers
ü Creative – ready to brainstorm scrappy
approaches
ü Experienced – understand how
research is conducted
ü Immersed – internalize consumer
insights and implications with team
Cory Lommel,
Director of Consumer Insights
“You learn more and
internalize it better if
you do it yourself.”

22. Quality
Engagement
Quantity of
Responses
Experiment/
Experiences
Asking Attitudes
and Beliefs
Focus on
“Why’s”
Measuring the
What
Learning &
Iteration
Static Testing
Flexible
Collaboration
Go-No Go
Decisions
LESS
MORE
Translating Agile to Market Research

23. Questions?
Monika Wingate
monika@digsite.com
+1 844-344-7483 x700