Concept testing template and interview questions
Understand how people interpret, value and respond to a new product, service or feature concept, before you invest in building it.
The short version
- A concept test shows whether people understand a new idea, care about the problem it solves, and would change what they do today to use it.
- Ask about the problem first (Q1 to Q3), then show the concept and ask Q4 to Q14.
- Read each interview as a sequence, from the existing problem to the conditions for trying the concept, rather than as liked or disliked.
- Run it as 15 to 20 minute voice interviews with people who really have the problem.
About this research
A concept can sound compelling to the team building it but land very differently with the people it's meant for.
Concept testing helps you understand whether people understand the idea, see a real need for it, recognize its value, have concerns about it, and can imagine using it in their real lives. You learn all of this before investing heavily in building or launching it.
Rather than simply asking whether people "like" an idea, this study explores why the concept does or doesn't resonate, and what is driving that response.
Study at a glance
| Study type | Qualitative concept testing |
|---|---|
| Method | Moderated or AI-moderated voice interview |
| Average interview time | 15 to 20 minutes |
| Core questions | 14 |
| Best suited for | Product, Research, Design, Innovation, Marketing and Strategy teams |
When to run this study
Run this research when you have a new product, feature, service, experience or proposition that you want to evaluate before committing significant resources to building or launching it. It also works when you're choosing between early directions, or when an existing concept needs refinement before further development.
Who to interview
Recruit people who genuinely belong to the intended audience for the concept. Where relevant, include participants with different levels of experience with the problem the concept aims to solve.
What you’ll learn
- Whether people understand the concept as intended
- Whether the underlying problem feels relevant
- What value people see in the idea
- Which parts of the concept resonate most
- What creates hesitation or concern
- How the concept compares with current behavior or alternatives
- When people could imagine using it
- What could prevent adoption
- What needs clarification or refinement
Ready-to-use interview guide
14 questions, in the order to ask them. The numbers are the ones the table below refers to.
Start with the current world, before showing the concept
Before I show you the idea, tell me how you currently deal with [problem or situation the concept addresses].
What works well about the way you handle it today, and what, if anything, is difficult?
How important is it for you to solve or improve this today?
Probe if needed: What makes it important, or not particularly important, to you?
Show the concept and capture the first reaction
Having seen this, what's your first reaction?
In your own words, what do you think this idea is offering?
Probe if needed: What do you think it would help someone do?
Was anything unclear or difficult to understand?
Explore relevance and perceived value
Thinking about your own life or work, where, if anywhere, could something like this be useful to you?
Probe if needed: Can you think of a specific situation where you might use it?
What, if anything, feels most valuable about this idea to you?
Probe if needed: Why does that part matter to you?
Is there anything included in the concept that feels less useful or relevant to you?
Explore current alternatives and differentiation
How would you handle this need today without this concept?
Probe if needed: What would this idea need to do better or differently for you to consider changing what you currently do?
Explore concerns and adoption barriers
Is there anything about this idea that would make you hesitate to try or use it?
Probe if needed: What would you want to know or experience before feeling comfortable trying it?
Can you imagine any situations where this concept wouldn't work well for you?
Understand adoption potential
If this were available to you today, what would determine whether you actually tried it?
If you could change or clarify one thing about this concept before it was launched, what would it be, and why?
Copy all 14 questions as plain text.
What this study can derive
| Research output | What it can tell you | Questions |
|---|---|---|
| Problem–concept fit | Whether the concept addresses a problem that genuinely exists and matters to the intended audience | Q1–Q3, Q7 |
| Concept comprehension | Whether people understand what the concept is and what it does, and where confusion exists | Q4–Q6 |
| Perceived value | Which parts of the concept feel useful or meaningful, and why | Q7–Q9 |
| Current alternative and differentiation | What people do today, and whether the concept offers enough extra value to change existing behavior | Q1–Q2, Q10 |
| Adoption barriers | Concerns, uncertainties, situations or trade-offs that could stop people from trying or using the concept | Q9, Q11–Q12 |
| Usage and adoption conditions | Where people imagine using the concept, and what would need to be true for them to actually try it | Q7, Q11–Q13 |
| Concept refinement opportunities | Parts that need clarification, adjustment, stronger value communication or further exploration | Q6, Q9, Q11–Q12, Q14 |
How to analyze the interviews
Don't reduce concept testing to a simple "liked it or didn't like it" split. Read each response as a sequence instead:
- Existing problem
- Current solution
- Concept understanding
- Relevance
- Perceived value
- Differentiation
- Concerns
- Usage context
- Adoption conditions
Someone can like a concept but have no real reason to use it. Someone else may criticize parts of a concept while still having a strong need for what it offers. That distinction is more useful than general positive or negative sentiment.
Also keep these three questions apart, because they are not the same thing:
- Do they understand it?
- Do they see value in it?
- Would it change their behavior?
What a good outcome looks like
A weak outcome ends on a line like this:
Users liked the concept.
A strong outcome sounds more like this:
We know who experiences the underlying problem, when it occurs, whether they understand our proposed solution, what value they see in it, what they're doing today instead, what could prevent adoption, and which parts of the concept need refinement before we invest further.
Researcher’s notes
- Avoid: Don't explain the concept when someone misunderstands it. Their interpretation is research evidence. First understand what they thought it meant and what caused the confusion.
- Avoid: Don't overvalue positive reactions. Lines such as "That's cool," "I'd definitely use this" or "I like it" are weak evidence on their own. Look for a real use case, an existing problem and a credible reason to change current behavior.
- Avoid: Don't ask participants to design the solution for you. When someone suggests a feature or change, look into the need behind that suggestion rather than treating it as a product requirement.
- Do: Explore the problem before revealing the concept. Showing the idea too early can change how people describe their existing problem, so ask Q1 to Q3 before anyone sees the concept.
- Do: Separate concept problems from communication problems. Someone may reject an idea because the concept lacks value, or because the way it was presented made the value hard to see. Those lead to very different decisions.
- Do: Keep concept exposure consistent. If you compare answers across participants, everyone should see the same description, level of detail, visuals and claims. Otherwise the differences may come from the stimulus rather than the concept.
If you're testing more than one concept
If the study compares Concept A with Concept B, adjust the design rather than repeating all 14 questions twice. Test each concept on its own first, then finish with comparative questions such as these:
- Which idea feels more relevant to you, if either? What makes you say that?
- In what situation would you choose one over the other?
- What does one concept give you that the other doesn't?
Related
Questions people ask about concept testing
What is a concept test?
A concept test is a study that shows people a new product, service or feature idea before it's built. It then asks how they understand it, what value they see in it and what would stop them using it. The answers tell a team whether the idea solves a real problem, and what to fix before investing further.
How many questions should a concept test have?
This template uses 14 core questions in a 15 to 20 minute interview. Three ask about the current problem before the concept is shown. The other eleven cover understanding, value, current alternatives, concerns and what would make someone try it.
Should you ask about the problem before showing the concept?
Yes. Once people have seen the idea, it can change how they describe the problem they have today. Asking about the current situation first gives you an honest picture to judge the concept against.
How do you test two concepts in one study?
Test each concept on its own first, then ask a few comparative questions at the end, such as which feels more relevant and when you'd choose one over the other. Rotate which concept people see first, so the order doesn't bias the answers.