I like the assigning a point value for each question. Out of 100 by asking them all standard
yes/ no questions AND rating questions, where they can rate looks, function and other things based on 1-10. Then I can tally them up in the end.
I think it’s easier to get a good answer when asking them to rate. This way they don’t feel so “on the spot” with having to give you " I don’t want to hurt your feelings" answers.

and if they say 1 when you want a 10, you can always ask for input on that…without rolling your eyes, or sighing lol

• you- meaning anyone reading this…not Mark lol

Very good point..the family thing is so emotional

To get an idea of whether or not the problem I was targeting in fact needed solving, I created a survey that I had target consumers take, even though it solved issues for me. Well, half of them anyway. lol. (People-family/lawyer-say I need to make my product for senior citizens and disabled individuals as well, which I will if it fits, but for now I’m targeting toddlers/infants and that is where I started). I had them rate how annoying the certain problems my product eliminated were on a scale of 1-10 (which I might take down to 1-5 next time), asked them what they had tried and how satisfied they were with that product and whether it really worked, etc. Asked whether they would buy a product that really did what it claimed to do, etc. I left only one open-ended question for comments, because you will get all sorts of answers that you can’t group together into categories necessarily that may or may not be useful. In my case, it helped reading the comments, as those who indicated they didn’t find the problem that big of a deal went to elaborate lengths in detail in this answer as to how they avoided the problem (it is a problem that even I just figured was a fact of life for about 8 years). I did not disclose what my idea was however.

I just recently ran a large survey for another purpose using SurveyShare.com. It is amazing how people can contradict themselves from answer to answer. I had to disqualify quite a few participants because I didn’t see that coming and couldn’t in good conscious count their answers just because they went in one direction over another.

I would recommend allowing them to take your survey anonymously if only targeting friends and family to ensure you get pressure-free and honest answers. Keep it simple too. The more elaborate a survey gets, the more difficult it is to glean the information you need out of it. Just my opinion based on my own experiences.

Great Info Chrissy.

I was a little unclear – you did, or didn’t tell them what your actual invention was?

Mark..I’m sorry your invention sucks…that’s ok…I think your a GREAT guy and that is what counts most.

Thanks Ron…that means a lot buddy!

Ahh come on…you gotta admit…got ya…that was funny. I can say that to you because everyone knows it’s not true and your loaded from all your inventions selling in the market!!!! I’m just jealous!

I didn’t actually know you were kidding…it’s just the title of the thread…my family never told me that.

As for being loaded…no…it takes a long time to develop a strong income from products.

Although I have several products on store shelves… I’ve only been inventing full time for 3.5 years….I have a long way to go.

Oh…C’mon…I know your loaded…you got 7 products on the shelf! Rich people never want to say their loaded…I know.

If I call you Uncle Mark would you throw me 100G’s for my invention?

(I’m going wacky cause of the economy…getting silly…better to laugh and joke than to hang myself with my own Handi-Straps)

Sorry to disappoint….Rich with potential maybe…but many people on EN are rich with potential.

Just for the record…Although I do put my company resources (in terms of time and materials) toward our products – I never use my own money to develop them.

Not using your own money to develop your stuff may be more impressive than the invention feat! As long as the payoff still satisfies you.

Tell ya a story. I had two CEOs…they were both CEO’s of 3 companies each that went public. They are NYC sharp guys. They were going to come on with me. Three partners…and develop all my inventions and future ideas.

They said they could get us up to 2 million from investor buddies. They also told me I would not make any money from my first idea, the second I would after I have a reputation.

I said bullshit on this, turned down all the investors that came to me and said to myself, hey, I’m gonna give a manufacturer a BIG LOUD succesful product…let them put in some skin towards the cause…and that is THEIR investment…costs me NOTHING on the deal.

My advisors/CEO…. Wall St clique members said I couldn’t pull it off.

We separated because one’s wife got very sick, the deal busted…but I pulled off what they said I couldn’t. I did it by flashing my marketing knowledge across the manufacturer’s desk. I am responsible for the marketing…they put up the money to build the product.

A deal with all happy…no money down….like you do…a very impressive feat in itself.

I know your not super rich…joking with you again…gotta joke these days…or cry…pick one.

I did not tell them what it was – only asked questions relating to the problems it solved, their levels of frustration regarding each, whether they are still looking for a product that does in fact solve the problems, some price ranges on what they would expect to pay for something that solves those problems, etc. I also asked which products they currently have tried and/or use to solve the problems and asked them to rate them on their effectiveness because my product will hopefully replace ALL of those products. I’d have to locate it here in this mess of an office to get more specific. I could not reveal the actual idea due to nonprotection at the time-still can’t for the same reason unfortunately.

If I were able to reveal my product currently and needed consumer feedback on my actual product, I would ask them to rate their satisfaction with the various aspects, design, ease of use, look, effectiveness, satisfaction level, price, etc. and probably also include one line where they could include comments—this way, you get their grade, which is what you can quantify overall, but also get a grip on what improvements might need to be made to appeal to a wider consumer base if possible, even if all 500 comments differ, which wouldn’t surprise me. lol. Maybe at the end put down your categories under IMPROVEMENTS YOU WOULD LIKE TO SEE: heading, having them circle the area they would like to see improvement and then a line or two to elaborate on those – this might be easier than having comments for every question asked.

You wind up discovering just how different YOU are from everyone else out there – some people are practical, some frugal, some busy and pressed for time, some gadget collectors, etc. You can hear anything from “I’m too cheap to pay extra and I’d rather just continue doing what I’m doing, even if it takes an extra half-hour every day” to “I could sure use saving that extra time” or “I don’t care if it’s pretty, it’s only going to get dirty anyway,” to “I only buy designer.” and everything you can imagine in between. lol.

The advantage I had at that time was being involved in some message boards for pregnancy, age-specific parenting, and various parenting styles. I also did searches online in various other social groups for key phrases to see how many people were griping about the issue I was trying to solve – the lengths to which some people went to solve it were actually comical – I still periodically run these searches. Trust me, if you thought things could get confrontational here…..you ain’t seen nothin’ ’til you talk to a group of mothers today – seems every day brought another 5 arguments. lol.

I prefer to joke :-) I don’t want to see you cry Ron :-))

I knew you were joking because you are always very serious about supporting people.

Having a funny night I see lol

Just show um’. Their first responses will be the most honest, especially from teenagers. Do NOT burden them with a list of questions, that right there would be a turn off no matter how good your product is. Tell them the one or main benefit of your product and LISTEN to their responses without interupting. You should be the one taking mental notes yet. Remember everything they say and improve upon your product. And just remember …it’s not personal.

That’s great advice Suzette – especially the “It’s not personal” part!

Thanks!

“Do NOT burden them with a list of questions, that right there would be a turn off no matter how good your product is”

I agree, especially because this may increase the chance that they just tell you what they think you want to hear to get done with you. Same reason you don’t want to come off as eager or fragile.

In fact, if you can pull it off, I might advise posing your situation as “my friend from work showed me this, and wants me to whatever, but I’m a little skeptical.” That should help them let their guard down.

More generally, just note that sometimes it is more useful to ask questions that can allow you to logically predict peoples’ demand for your product, as opposed to asking them if they have demand. Positive feedback from most “would you buy this” type questions often need to be taken with a grain of salt – because if nothing else to some extent many people love the idea of buying everything until its time for them to pull out their wallet and make the commitment. Of course negative feedback needs to be taken with a grain of salt as well. People like to doubt, people have egos, and sometimes people simply don’t realize that they have a need for a certain product.

Other times negative response might just mean that your invention requires a tweak or two to be successful. You can’t necessarily rely on people to recognize what these tweaks are.

If your family said your invention sucked, then you’re probably very lucky to have such open and honest family members. I realized after a few inventions that a few family members would ALWAYS say “That’s great!” I don’t want praise I want to know how you feel, good or bad. Interestingly, I use the opinion of a particular friend as a barometer. So far, he’s 3 for 3. Every time he says a concept sucks, it turns out to be enormously successful. So I like to get his opinion first. The less he likes it, the more I know I’ve got something good!