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How can researchers apply implicit testing in a way that provides the right insights to help speed innovation?
As researchers, most of us have heard of or used implicit testing to find insights about human behavior, and in turn, use those insights to attempt to become more successful in the marketplace. By utilizing specific implicit and explicit testing techniques in a variety of applications, you can create deeper insights that uncover more truthful, even subconscious, “whys” behind consumer behavior and preferences.
To uncover the whys into behavior, InsightsNow developed a neuroscience technique we call The Implicit/Explicit Test™. This patent-pending technique gets around the biases and errors in judgment that come from asking participants directly why they do things. Instead, we test their reactions to cues to ascertain positive or negative reactions and whether that reaction is implicit (fast and irrational) or explicit (slow and rational). To determine whether a reaction is implicit, we first establish a calibration for the cutoff time for what is an implicit reaction for each person. When you take this test a step further – and use it as a calibration made at the beginning of each respondent engagement – you will gain a new level of data for decision-making. It allows a percentage identification of fast implicit reactions versus slow explicit reactions. This is quite valuable because it provides a measure of how large of a percentage of the population will react a certain way.
The power of this technique is in its application to research projects. We often will prime participants through homework that places them in a moment or context that makes relevant memories accessible for implicit or explicit thinking. The results of this technique have been amazing in application. Combined with relevant priming, The Implicit/Explicit Test generates insights that help, for example, product developers know how to design products that consumers will intuitively recognize as delivering the brand promise. And marketers are able to create more impactful messaging or create effective brand architectures.
So what are the ways the broad methodology of The Implicit/Explicit Test can help you go beyond just measuring response time? Some applications to consider include:
- Incorporate this implicit testing approach in analyses to deepen insights.
- Use the test to drive survey logic, branching to specific questions to drill into the whys of implicit or explicit responses.
- Create automation in the design of metrics for custom syndicated solutions.
- Provide a new class of behavioral key performance indicators for more accurate business decisions.
- Create new industry standards for supply-chain alignment against consumer perceptions and behavioral reactions.
- The Implicit/Explicit Test deepens and broadens insights into the reactions of people to products and messages. It helps marketers, product developers and innovators make faster, better decisions. It helps researchers identify what will nudge current behaviors and habits as well as what will disrupt behavior.
For more information, visit lphs.insightsnow.com/implicit-ebook.
David Lundahl, Ph.D.