Seeing the Unseen
The rise of generative AI has had a significant impact on product development, reducing cycle times from years to just months. This urgency is driven by the need for a first-mover advantage in rapidly evolving markets. However, while speed is crucial, sustainable growth depends on a true and total understanding of the product experience, to prevent consumer dissatisfaction and brand damage.
In this Ipsos Views paper, the third edition in our Humanizing AI series, we explore how integrating Human Intelligence (HI) and Artificial Intelligence (AI) can improve product testing using advanced technologies such as Vision AI and AI agents. These tools transform traditional in-home usage tests (IHUTs), which typically depend on consumer memory, by capturing real-world product experiences with video and providing nuanced analysis.
The transformative potential of video
The use of video ethnography, alongside Vision AI, uncovers product use moments that surveys might overlook, offering a more comprehensive view of the consumer experience. This enhanced, ethnography-based approach enables businesses to observe consumers interacting with products in an unfiltered way, providing deeper, actionable insights that can be used to improve product development.
Seeing product experiences at scale reduces the risk of product failure and empowers brands to meet expectations more effectively, fostering loyalty and delivering sustainable growth. By leveraging this advanced, AI-driven research methodology, businesses can anticipate trends, make informed decisions, and innovate effectively to meet and exceed consumer demands in today's highly competitive market.
In-home videos, combined with Vision AI and expert analysis by AI agents in an observational framework, mark a new frontier in market research.
Key takeaways
- Traditional product testing now has eyes and a brain.
In-home product testing, a cornerstone of market research, is set to undergo a revolutionary transformation with the integration of HI+AI, alongside ethnographic studies leveraging video technology. By analysing video content using AI, we can unlock granular insights on an unprecedented scale, transforming the way businesses understand consumer behavior. - Brands can see lived moments, not just memories.
Vision AI uses pre-trained AI agents and the right observational framework to capture detailed, real-time product usage and context, overcoming the limitations of post-usage surveys based on memory. - Beyond product specs, the total product experience wins.
Deep, human-centred insights can transform mere technical parity into a product that excels in every dimension of the experience – one that is perfectly suited to its context and designed to delight.
