Deck 5: New Product Ideas: the Problem Find-Solve Approach

Question 1

In speedstorming, participants draw their ideas instead of expressing them in words.

Answer 1

False

Question 2

The final step of the problem-based ideation process involves:

A) a detailed situation analysis.
B) the selection of one or more problem identification techniques.
C) the development of concept statements for further evaluation.
D) a rank-ordered list of potential problems.

Answer 2

C

Question 3

Which of the following is the most common source for the needs and problems of stakeholders?

A) Internal records
B) Problem analysis
C) Scenario analysis
D) Direct inputs from marketing departments

Answer 3

A

Question 4

Problem analysis is solely concerned with building an inventory of user problems.

Question 5

In static leap studies, the focus is on what changes must be made between now and then if the leap scenario is to come about-the interim time period is the meaningful focus.

Question 6

In the context of the sources for the needs and problems of stakeholders, which of the following is an example of an internal record?

A) Competitor's marketing collaterals
B) A government report
C) A warranty file
D) Direct inputs of technical team members

Question 7

A product can be expressed in two words, a verb and an object.

Question 8

Role playing is the best means of generating ideas for new products.

Question 9

Conducting a good scenario analysis requires one to keep it simple as participants will likely have difficulty understanding really complex scenarios.

Question 10

The problem-based ideation process begins with:

A) the selection of one or more problem identification techniques.
B) a study of the situation.
C) the development of concept statements for further evaluation.
D) the creation of a list of potential problems.

Question 11

The longer an online community is in operation, the more difficult it becomes to organize the content and make it easy for participants to find their way around.

Question 12

There is increasing evidence that electronic brainstorming outperforms traditional brainstorming in terms of productivity and output of unique ideas.

Question 13

Groups, in general, are much better than individuals in handling really new ideas and finding radical solutions to problems.

Question 14

The most common source of needs and problems comes from an organization's routine contacts with customers and others in the marketplace.

Question 15

Government reports and investigations by social critics are examples of stakeholder contacts that are used to seek out the voice of the customer.

Question 16

The first step of reverse brainstorming involves identifying a group of "heavy product users" or activity participants within that category.

Question 17

The fourth general source of stakeholder needs, scenario analysis, comes into play when there is a need to anticipate future problems that end users don't know they have at this time.

Question 18

Which of the following internal records serves as a psychological projective technique that may reveal the products or services sought by consumers?

A) A warranty file
B) A sales file
C) A complaint file
D) A sales call report

Question 19

The bothersomeness index method of sorting and ranking problems according to their severity or importance uses the extent of the problem and the frequency of its occurrence.

Question 20

A focus group makes it difficult for a person to talk about his or her problems when others in the group have already admitted they have problems too.

Question 21

Which of the following techniques can suggest new product functions by creating as many verb-object combinations as possible?

A) Reverse brainstorming
B) Omniscient proximity
C) Product function analysis
D) Scenario analysis

Question 22

The phenomenon of _____ is the tendency of respondents to mention minor, but frequently encountered, problems first.

A) reverse brainstorming
B) omniscient proximity
C) observational projection
D) brainsketching

Question 23

Crunchie Cereals Inc., to better anticipate customer needs, sent its product and marketing teams to visit the homes of U.S. families that regularly used its products. Based on the data gathered from analyzing consumer behavior, the product managers concluded that office-going customers would like to have their cereal on the go. Keeping this in mind, Crunchie Cereals came up with a new "Crunch-on-the-go" portable package. Identify the methodology used to gather information regarding customer needs in this scenario.

A) Leap study
B) Ethnographic market research
C) Scenario analysis
D) Screening

Question 24

Helium Corporation is identifying the changes it must be prepared to make to be competitive in the year 2030. For this purpose, it is conducting a study that focuses on the interim time period so that it can solve any problems it faces during that period. In this case, Helium Corporation's study can be best described as a(n):

A) focus group study.
B) dynamic leap study.
C) observational study.
D) static leap study.

Question 25

Role playing:

A) tends to stifle creativity.
B) helps unwilling product users to express their views.
C) is not effective in instances where product users are unable to visualize their reactions.
D) is one of the most successful techniques for generating ideas for new products.

Question 26

Which of the following statements about the ethnographic market research method of gathering information is true?

A) This method does not involve the use of video cameras or photos to record observational data.
B) This method excludes noncustomers from its subject of observation.
C) This method provides data that is objective rather than subjective in nature.
D) This method is rooted in sociological studies.

Question 27

Identify the process in which participants generate a list of key problems with the product currently in use, then group and prioritize these such that product development can focus on addressing the most important problems.

A) Psychological projection
B) Skimming
C) Crowdsourcing
D) Reverse brainstorming

Question 28

With reference to scenario analysis, in _____ studies, the focus is on what changes must be made between now and then if the leap scenario is to come about.

A) dynamic leap
B) exploratory
C) product function
D) static leap

Question 29

One of the dimensions used by the bothersomeness technique for ranking and sorting problems according to their severity or importance is the _____.

A) cost of resolving the problem
B) frequency of the problem
C) time required to resolve the problem
D) complexity of the problem

Question 30

The use of stakeholder contacts as a methodology for gathering information useful for problem analysis involves the use of:

A) quality circles.
B) focus groups.
C) published sources.
D) internal records.

Question 31

Which of the following is true of scenario analysis?

A) It helps in formulating a solution for a future problem.
B) It is primarily used to solve current problems with existing products in the market.
C) It focuses on the problems that competitors are aware of.
D) It primarily involves watching customers using products in their own environments.

Question 32

_____ is a technique that uses the extent of the problem and the frequency of its occurrence for sorting and ranking problems according to their severity.

A) Brainsketching
B) Brainstorming
C) Crowdsourcing
D) Bothersomeness

Question 33

Which of the following is the most common method used to directly contact business or household customers?

A) Observation
B) Role playing
C) Focus group
D) Interviewing

Question 34

Common complaints by end users or consumers taken as requests for new products are a direct result of _____.

A) brainsketching
B) reverse brainstorming
C) omniscient proximity
D) speedstorming

Question 35

One of the real problems with using in-house people to report on customer problems is that:

A) they don't know how to interact with customers and lack experience.
B) each suggestion is usually someone's perception of what the customer problem is.
C) they tend to focus on finding out what new products customers are looking for instead of providing a solution with each suggestion.
D) they generally lack the skills and expertise required for analyzing customer problems.

Question 36

The most productive methodology to use for gathering a list of consumer problems is:

A) to consult experts.
B) to review published sources.
C) to brainstorm with members of consulting firms.
D) to directly contact stakeholders.

Question 37

Which of the following techniques can be used to identify those problems that customers or end users do not know they have at present?

A) The use of focus groups
B) Scenario analysis
C) Role playing
D) Product function analysis

Question 38

Which of the following is true of focus groups?

A) A focus group is often very difficult to set up and is the most expensive method of gathering information.
B) A focus group, unlike the traditional survey, depends on the power of numbers rather than in-depth discussions.
C) A focus group makes it difficult for a person to talk about his or her problems when others in the group have already admitted they have problems too.
D) Although the focus group technique is common, the outcome is not always, or even usually, successful.

Question 39

Which of the following is true of role playing as a research technique?

A) There is substantial evidence of its successful use in generating ideas for new products.
B) This technique tends to undermine creativity.
C) It would be valuable in instances where product users are unable to verbalize their reactions.
D) It would not be suitable in instances where consumers are emotionally unwilling to express their views.

Question 40

Which of the following statements is true of a focus group?

A) A focus group is designed to yield an exploratory and depth-probing type of discussion.
B) A focus group is often very difficult to set up and is the most expensive method of gathering information.
C) A focus group makes it difficult for a person to talk about his or her problems when others in the group have already admitted they have problems too.
D) A focus group, unlike the traditional survey, depends on the power of numbers rather than in-depth discussions.

Question 41

Which of the following is a guideline for conducting a good scenario analysis?

A) Scenarios should not be determined by just one factor.
B) Participants should be provided with detailed and complex scenarios.
C) Groups should consist of more than 8 members.
D) Projections of more than 5 years should be avoided.

Question 42

A group ideation technique put forth by Alex Osborn in which one person presents a thought, another person reacts to it, another person reacts to the reaction, and so on is called _____.

A) crowdsourcing
B) brainstorming
C) scenario analysis
D) role playing

Question 43

Which of the following techniques encourages the use of "art" through drawing to facilitate finding connections between ideas?

A) Brainsketching
B) Speedstorming
C) Role playing
D) Interviewing

Question 44

Explain the problem-analysis procedure of reverse brainstorming.

Question 45

Which of the following is true about electronic brainstorming assisted by group support systems (GSS) software?

A) It ensures that the notes of the proceedings are not erroneously transcribed.
B) It restricts the proceedings to a single location.
C) It restricts follow-up discussions.
D) It ensures that participants are answering questions one by one rather than all at once.

Question 46

Brainstorming and the group creativity techniques it spawned, tend to rely heavily upon:

A) watching customers using products in their own environments.
B) leaping into the future to pick a period that is then described.
C) the presenting or reacting sequence that gives group creativity its meaning.
D) the study of wild cards, which are high-impact and low-probability events.

Question 47

Explain how online communities have revolutionized customer information gathering with relevant examples.

Question 48

Which of the following techniques should be followed to make a brainstorming session more effective?

A) Generate a small number of ideas and avoid numbering them.
B) Stop the brainstorming session when the group hits a plateau.
C) Build models and prototypes of ideas using odds and ends.
D) Judge ideas as soon as they are put forth.

Question 49

Discuss product function analysis as a concept generation method.

Question 50

Describe how focus groups are used to seek the voice of the customer (VOC).

Question 51

After identifying an important user problem, most problem solving should:

A) not be done intuitively without a quantifiable method.
B) be done by the new product group members involved in the concept generation work.
C) exempt marketing people from the process as their primary task is to generate sales.
D) be done on a generic scale instead of focusing on the specifics of each problem.

Question 52

Which of the following is true of the problem-solving technique of brainsketching?

A) In brainsketching, participants express their ideas in words instead of drawings.
B) Brainsketching helps participants draw more connections with earlier ideas when coming up with new ideas.
C) In brainsketching, participants pair off and discuss a topic for a three- to five-minute round.
D) The technique of brainsketching cannot be used to generate new ideas.

Question 53

Which of the following is an advantage that electronic brainstorming has over traditional brainstorming?

A) It allows only one person to talk at a time.
B) It prevents participants from all answering at once.
C) It encourages "social loafing".
D) It allows participants to answer anonymously.

Question 54

List the guidelines to be followed for conducting a good scenario analysis.

Question 55

Discuss the use of internal records in identifying the sources of needs and problems with a suitable example.

Question 56

Which of the following guidelines is recommended for conducting a good scenario analysis?

A) Determine scenarios by just using one factor.
B) Avoid selecting group members with complimentary viewpoints.
C) Summarize progress periodically to avoid contradictions.
D) Avoid reusing groups for scenario analysis.

Question 57

Coinstar Inc.'s primary objective is to seek innovation. In an attempt to ensure that its creativity groups actually work on problems instead of merely discussing them, the company creates an assembly of functional specialists from all relevant fields and charges them with the task of discussing the problem at hand. Which of the following best describes this assemblage of experts?

A) Disciplines panel
B) Focus group
C) Observation team
D) Dynamic study group