Date: 09 December 2021

PROJECT REFLECTION: Learning Launch

1.  Challenge: Describe your challenge, including all relevant information.

I work as an innovation manager in a cosmetic colour manufacturing company. I work  closely with our global sales team and Research and Development (R&D) to bring  innovative cosmetic colours to market. I also closely work with market intelligence  consulting agency to gather feedback on the cosmetic market trends and opportunities  so that our company can launch innovative colourants for cosmetic markets. The  challenge that we face is that the new products (colours) that we launch in the market  are not always successful and the ones which are successful, we don’t know the exact  reason for success. Mostly, products are launched based on our internal knowledge,  expertise, and sometimes assumptions that these customers (and consumers) may like  particular product.

As we do business to business (B to B) sale, final consumers buy product from our  customers. (Example-Colorant manufactures sells colorant to FMCG company (Ex. P&G)  and then P&G sells their products to end consumers).

(Illustration- we make blue colour product and give it to our customer (Ex. P&G), customer  prepares blue coloured shower gel using this blue colour and finally sells it to final  consumers (general public)).

2.  Selection: In your own words, briefly describe the tool you selected (e.g., what it

is and why you selected it for your challenge -- including any appropriate video lecture  references).

I will apply the learning launch tool for new product development. Learning launch tool  involves quick prototyping & refinement of the selected ideas followed by involvement  of customers for their feedback to see if prototype meets their and end consumer’s needs  (co-creation). We will do “soft/mini launch” of our product to select few customers,  customers will make the cosmetic product and do launch (of their cosmetic product) in  niche market for consumer feedback. Feedback can be taken over 6-12 months before  deciding on the final launch of our product.

3.  Application: Describe how you applied the tool you selected to your challenge

(e.g., what you did and how the tool was applied effectively or ineffectively). Learning  launch will involve initial close engagement with select few customers to test quick  prototypes (colours made in the lab or pilot), post that we will incorporate the  learnings/feedback from customers in a new prototype. Customers (Ex. P&G) will check  feedback from their consumers, at the same time we can also involve small panellist  (potential end consumers) to evaluate our own products. We can incorporate feedback  from all the customers/consumers in fine-tuning the product (based on the feedback). We  can optionally engage customers again with the improved prototypes. Finally, we will  manufacture this product to do a mini launch to our customers (Ex P&G).  This mini launch  will be only for select few customers to check their products in intended markets. We will  see customer and consumers response over the period of 6-12 months and depending

on the outcome proceed with full launch of product globally to all the customers with  clearly defined benefits. This is a pretty effective way of developing and testing a product  as all stakeholders are involved development/prototyping/testing/improvements/launch.  Products where timelines are short (few months), this method would not be very effective  as it involves feedback from multiple customers and consumers before proceeding for  main product launch.

4.  Insight: Describe the insight you gained from applying the tool you selected to

your challenge (e.g., how an insight affected your thinking about the challenge and  about design thinking more broadly).

If only R&D or innovation or sales dept works alone to develop prototypes and tests  them individually in silos, we would not really know what customers want and what end  consumers want. Even if we have all this information, product could still fail, so its critical  to voice of customers with mini launch and then proceed with final product launch. Quick  prototyping, learning launches, voice of customers, co-creations are key to any product  development company.

5.  Approach: Describe what you might do differently next time -- applying the same

tool you selected or a different one -- and the reason(s) why.

Products which need long development times, lengthy testing times and have short shelf- life (life-cycles) would probably not fit the learning launch approach. In such cases, it  would be absolutely essential to know consumer preferences, white spaces, customer  pain areas so that those can be incorporated into product development. Additionally, one  could engage internal panellist to test new product prototypes and give quick feedbacks.   Product development teams also needs to know the exact product parts/functions which  needs fine tuning to align with new customer preferences for faster execution.

