New Product Development Q&A with Catapult Insights and NPD expert Gwen Ishmael

May 20, 2025

New Product Development Q&A with Catapult Insights and NPD expert Gwen Ishmael

New Product Development (NPD) can be some of the most exciting work a researcher can do in their career. It can be thrilling to have a peek behind the curtain at what products are going to launch next– will this particular product be the next big thing? As interesting and fun as NPD work can be, it also comes with its own set of challenges.

Catapult Insights’ Jill Miller recently sat down to talk with NPD experts Justin Sutton and Gwen Ishmael about their NPD experiences and some of the joys they’ve experienced along the way. Read on as they share what they’ve learned from their trials, tribulations, and triumphs.

Jill: Thank you for sitting down to chat with us today, Gwen! You’re a newcomer to the Catapult Insights blog series but you are definitely not a newcomer to the New Product Development (NPD) world. Can you share a bit about your experience?

Gwen: Thanks for inviting me to join you, Jill! I’ve been working in the NPD space a really long time. My first assignment was in the mid-80s for my then-employer, the Southwest Coca-Cola Bottling Company. We recognized not all parents felt comfortable helping their children with homework, particularly math assignments. So I was charged with creating what became known as the Coca-Cola Homework Hotline – a teacher-staffed call center designed for fourth-through-eighth-grade students in our Texas and Oklahoma markets to call when they needed assistance. The hotline was active for more than 25 years, so I’d say it was a success!

Since then I’ve had the pleasure of developing new products, services and experiences for almost any category you can imagine – from candy to cars to computers.

Jill: Justin, I know NPD research is some of your absolute favorite work to do. What do you love about it most?

Justin: I love how wide-ranging it is. There’s so much that goes into NPD, from the research that fuels need identification to the creative process behind developing solutions. Then comes the long road of go-to-market strategy development, because we don’t want to see fantastic ideas die on the vine. Without the right introduction, an idea can miss it’s time, place, or target, and that’s a shame because it can all be avoided with thoughtful planning.

Jill: What was your favorite NPD project you’ve worked on and what made it stand out?

Gwen: I don’t really have a favorite because they’re all amazing, but one that stands out is a project I undertook for a luxury automotive manufacturer. The goal was to understand what defines “luxury” and then create a set of guidelines for the designers and engineers to reference. The work was groundbreaking and strategic, and you literally could see it reflected in the new models the manufacturer went on to develop. It’s still evident in their vehicles today.

Justin: I tend to enjoy being part of the ideation process where ideas are born, but I’d say a recent favorite was one where Catapult Insights was brought in further downstream. We joined Delta Faucet’s VersaCurl™ project to help them determine the extent their idea intersected with real human needs. One thing I loved most was the depth to which we were able to explore the topic of curly hair and build an understanding of the human experiences it involves. There were a lot of stakeholders on the project and we built a large and diverse team to make sure Curlies’ stories, needs, and culture were accurately represented and understood, which was crucial to refining the VersaCurl™ product and introducing it to the world with appropriate fanfare.

Jill: What’s the biggest mistake you see researchers make when working through the NPD process?

Gwen: I see two mistakes. The first is being myopic and not considering innovation context – meaning overlooking the environment in which the new product or service will be used and/or the reason why innovation is needed in the first place. Innovation context allows you much more permission to create and test new options. Of course, the end results must align with the client’s objectives, but on the front end you need as much relevant space to play in as possible. The second mistake is not taking existing behavior into account. You can come up with amazing innovations, but if they require a significant change in behavior, success is going to be a challenge. That’s not to say it’s impossible, but there’s going to be a good deal of effort involved.

Justin: Co-mingling research and innovation in their minds. My POV is that they are distinct, but complementary functions. For example, research is great for identifying need gaps, sizing markets, and testing messages and experiences, but innovation is a mental shift away from understanding & evaluating towards growth & creation. It uses a different part of the brain, requires different skillsets, and often we tap different people to help us with each side of the process.

Jill: What are your best tips and tricks for tackling NPD work?

Justin: Be honest about your organizational boundaries. Many people are aware that the creative process can be smothered by too many restraints, but a little-known secret is that creativity also thrives when given guardrails. If you start the process with too few boundaries your ideas will be all over the map – things the organization would or could never execute on. If you have too many guardrails it chokes down your idea pipeline. It’s paradoxical, so it requires some experience to strike the optimal balance.

Gwen: I’ve really taken a liking to drilling down to fundamental humanistic needs and using them as my starting point. There are all kinds of frameworks ranging from simple to complex. The one I’ve been using recently is Dr. Kenneth Acha’s Seven Fundamental Human Needs. It’s well-structured, straightforward, and I’ve been able to apply it across lots of different categories, such as financial services, pharmaceuticals, and consumer packaged goods.

Jill: Which step of the NPD process is your favorite and why?

Gwen: I’m torn between the step in which you search for new opportunities and spaces in which to create something new, and the step in which you generate potential solutions. When I’m involved in only one of the two I feel a bit unsatisfied, like I didn’t give the client my best. So I’m going to fudge and say those are my two favorite parts of the process.

Justin: Jinx! My favorites are the same. First is the really early stuff when you’re learning about people. There’s always a thrill and sense of satisfaction when I get the chance to meet someone new and deeply learn about their lives, motivations, and needs. Taking that back to find intersections with a client’s expertise is a hopeful moment that makes me feel happy to provide a spark that could grow into something more.

The second is the creative process behind solution development. I’ve designed and facilitated lots of sessions, and one that I like to think about involved a very immersive, experiential component for our clients. We planned a series of missions, tasks, and experiences for them to bridge the gap between consumer insights and ideation, essentially giving them a lived-experience to personally relate to everyday needs of their target customers. Then we staged our ideation session in a hip Austin-area Airbnb, complete with a surprise visit from an ice cream truck in the afternoon. The entire thing was a great success and I still work closely with those clients to this day.

Jill: What NPD work have you done that ended up in the most unexpected place?

Gwen: Justin was my partner on this project! One of the largest wireless companies was considering moving into the device space, and they asked us to create new phones for them to develop. Having worked in the telecom space in the past, we knew this was a pretty significant departure. But the company had great name recognition and a solid brand reputation, so we were excited to help. Ultimately, we created seven or eight truly unique concepts for them to consider, and their team was absolutely thrilled. Then… the company decided to remain focused solely on being a wireless carrier.

Justin: I remember that project well. That was around 2012 and we were coming up with some really forward-looking concepts. After our carrier client decided against entering the device-manufacturing space I believe they shared our work with their partners, which is far more rewarding than watching the ideas collect dust. About half of the ideas from our work have come to market by way of Apple and Samsung at this point, which makes me happy.

Jill: What piece of advice would you give to a first time innovation/NPD client to help make their first project a success?

Justin: Jumping in might be overwhelming, but structure can help in a lot of ways. Give shape to your project and create waypoints to allow for key decisions to be made along the way. It might help to start at the end and work your way back. If you were to launch a new solution, what’s the last puzzle piece you would need? To get to that point, what would you need to know first? And so on. This is also a good time to phone a friend (or Gwen or me) who has been through the process a few times.

Gwen: Agreed! When I was in telecom, I was asked to join my company’s New Products & Ventures Group. I was so excited – it was the part of the organization that focused exclusively on creating new-to-the-world products and services! But several of my peers advised me not to go because, “People who work on unsuccessful products don’t keep their jobs.” Of course, I went anyway and it was one of the most rewarding decisions I’ve ever made. But most people stay away from risks, especially when it comes to their careers. I’ve found that laying the journey or project as a process goes a long way in alleviating that fear. It reassures clients that milestones will be met and checks will be made, all of which helps ensure success. I also like to provide a visual of the process that they can share with others in the organization. It helps create buy-in and promotes support for their work.

Jill: Thanks again for joining me today and sharing so much of your experience! I think it’s fair to say NPD work is as challenging as it is exciting.

Justin: No doubt! When it’s done well NPD work has so much potential to help people. Knowing that our work is connecting real people to real solutions is so rewarding.

Gwen: It’s exhilarating to see a product you’ve helped create on your local store’s shelf, or to watch the supercar you worked on pass you on the highway. It’s hard work and there can be lots of disappointments, but there’s nothing like it – especially when what you’ve created makes someone’s life better or improves the world around you.

Drop us a note at hello@catapultinsights.com if you want to learn more about our approach to NPD research or how we could help you bring your great new idea to market.

Jill Miller

CO-FOUNDER
CATAPULT INSIGHTS

Non-Profit Research to Understand and Elevate the Volunteer Experience

Mar 28, 2025

Non-Profit Research to Understand and Elevate the Volunteer Experience

When you hear or read the phrase, “market research”, what comes to mind? For most it likely elicits mental images of large brands, slow timelines, and thoughts of huge project costs (we’d argue that it’s an investment and not a cost, but I digress). While true, larger research programs span hundreds of thousands of dollars; smaller projects can be as agile and affordable as you need them to be.

Enter Dog Aide, a non-profit organization in the Detroit area that helps dogs and their owners with varying levels of support made possible by their pool of passionate volunteers. Dog Aide cares about whether their volunteers are having a positive experience and about what they can do to make it enjoyable to grow their ranks. We crafted a research program aimed at just these very objectives, and it was a homerun experience for both parties.

This research was incredibly fun for us to carry out because we knew we would be making a big impact at a non-profit – we always aim to deliver recommendations that are attainable and can be transitioned quickly into action. Dog Aide has given us permission to share a few with you all, so here are some results that we found interesting and that could have a wider impact beyond the non-profit space:

Dog Aide’s varying volunteer pool (current volunteers, lapsed volunteers, and those yet to volunteer but signed up with the organization) prefers communications to come across different channels. Some of Dog Aide’s volunteers were finding out about opportunities too late because they simply didn’t check that particular communication platform regularly.

Implication for other categories: Your potential customers most likely won’t be reached with a single media vehicle – to maximize your reach and audience, you need to have multiple outlets of communication.

Dog Aide wanted to know how to reinforce and drive engagement with their volunteers and what we discovered was that regardless of the type of volunteer, everyone wanted to know the outcome or impact of their efforts:

Implication for other categories: Whether it be volunteers for a non-profit or your most stalwart brand champions, when people put extra effort and time into supporting a cause or product, they want to know if their blood, sweat, or tears made an impact. A great way to drive engagement with your brand or products is to show that you care about the time and effort people put in – how that manifests will vary greatly across categories and industries, but it’s still something that should be given some thought.

9 in 10 current and lapsed volunteers rate Dog Aide’s volunteer experience highly. And among people interested in volunteering but had no volunteer experience were asked of their impression of the organization and those were equally as high.

Implications for other categories: None! This is just an overall amazing number to see and if anything, other organizations should copy as much as they can to help drive their own engagement and sentiment.

Research doesn’t need to cumbersome or expensive – it can be far more attainable than you think. In our April Newsletter, we give some ideas and guidance on how to achieve actionable market research when you are part of a smaller organization or when you really need to stretch and make the most of a smaller budget. If a small non-profit organization can run meaningful and sound market research, so can you!

Andre Barroso

DIRECTOR, INSIGHTS & INNOVATION
CATAPULT INSIGHTS

Tales from the Road: Petaluma Reuseable Cup Project

Jan 28, 2025

Tales from the Road: Petaluma Reuseable Cup Project

The team at Catapult Insights has been hard at work understanding how people think about sustainability. Most recently, we went to Petaluma, California to explore an exciting program many of the town’s cafés and QSRs were participating in: a reusable cup program which aims to reduce waste and promote a more eco-friendly existence.

The basic premise is that various establishments around town collectively joined forces to use special, new cups that were designed to be returned, washed, and reused in place of single-use, disposable cups. Collection bins were placed in various high-traffic locations in addition to in and around the stores that opted into the program.

Not only is the program itself a refreshing attempt at waste-reduction, but it’s also a fascinating opportunity to examine the human elements that would determine program success. The Catapult Insights team spent time on the ground observing patrons and engaging directly in discussions about the program. We focused on perceptions, understanding, and behavioral elements that each played a role in if, when, and how individuals would participate.

Understanding people works best by listening and watching, because what they say doesn’t always match what they do! Like so many instances, having a research team present allowed us to parse through noise to understand the signal, which gave us the insights needed to explain the program’s participation rates and develop strategies to engrain within consumers’ routines.

In the end, our time in Petaluma was filled with insight and fun, and while the pilot program has concluded we anticipate we haven’t seen the last of this concept.

JUSTIN SUTTON

CO-FOUNDER
CATAPULT INSIGHTS

The Importance of Flexibility in Research

Jan 21, 2025

The Importance of Flexibility in Research

The research industry is filled with people who combine discipline with curiosity. Discipline drives us to practice responsibly and maintain high standards and rigors, while curiosity pushes us to constantly learn, adapt, and evolve. It’s an interesting tension between rigidity and flexibility, and I find fellow researchers have no shortage of stories about striking a balance between the two.

My background in both research and innovation has me leaning into the curious, flexible side, but long before my career as a researcher began, I thought I would be an engineer. Sitting down with an academic advisor, a 4-year plan was laid out for me to earn an engineering degree, but I was surprised how few options I had. “I was expecting a little more room to individualize and be creative,” I told the advisor. The response was something along the lines of “This is the one path,” so on to business school I went. Afterall, I’m wired to be as structured as I am innovative.

Fast forward 25 years and I’ve amassed a number of researcher stories of my own throughout my consulting career. And I think the reason I’m successful, and further, actually enjoy the unexpected, is because of how I am wired.

I recently worked on a qual-quant study which aimed to explore how people think and talk about a new technology embedded in a home product. This particular product is one that almost everyone in the U.S. uses daily, but some clever engineers found a way to deliver a highly scientific, yet elegant, set of new benefits. It became evident during the qualitative interviews that people were a long way from comprehending the tech integration of the product and the messaging we were testing. In other words, the messaging was not ready to move to quant testing as we had originally planned.

The pivot came midway through the qualitative interviews, as we adjusted the messages and the discussion guide to follow the emerging insights. The further we explored, the more consumer confusion we unearthed that pointed to a need to expand the marketing communications. It was like we kept shining light in new directions and continually found more critical needs to be addressed.

A second pivot in the project came as Catapult Insights and our client jointly decided a second round of qual would be more valuable than the quant we initially planned. The amazing part is that we pivoted to a new plan without losing any momentum in the project, all before the end of the initial qual phase. I won’t pull back the curtain entirely, but I will say there are many researchers I’ve worked with in the past that would have struggled (and grumbled) behind the scenes to make this adjustment. Instead, it was a smooth and easy transition for us because we worked so closely with our clients along the way.

Another project that comes to mind was a pricing study for a personal care product. The first tricky part of this work was the novelty of the product itself, which introduced an anchoring bias in our initial Gabor-Granger results. The second tricky part about this work was that our client was entering a new-to-them space with the product, so the pricing work needed to be precise to be successful.

Luckily, we have the very best statistician who was able to identify the anchoring bias, and we consulted our client on next steps. That’s when we devised a plan to triangulate pricing through a second pricing study using a monadic testing design. The results not only were precise and impactful, but they also gave our client the confidence they needed to move forward.

And one of the first projects Jill and I did as Catapult Insights was an innovation project with an automotive client. As is the case with many projects involving ideation, we started by defining the areas of opportunity as a group, using research data to help guide our decisions. This is an all-too-often overlooked phase of ideation that sets the guiderails for solution development. Would you be shocked to hear that 7 out of 10 times the opportunities we define are NOT the same as we thought they would be? It’s true, and this project (like many others) featured a highly valuable adjustment to the problem statements we spent time ideating against.

Unexpected twists and turns are part of the research journey, and as Tyson says, “everyone has a plan until they get punched in the face.” My advice is to surround yourself with a team who can embrace reality and roll with the punches. Those who are truly great in this field are the ones who can master the art of flexibility with the science of research.

JUSTIN SUTTON

CO-FOUNDER
CATAPULT INSIGHTS

Pricing Research Q&A with Catapult Insights’ Statistical Expert, Tom Rosholt

Sep 10, 2024

Pricing Research Q&A with Catapult Insights’ Statistical Expert, Tom Rosholt

Pricing research has always been a valuable tool in the market research toolkit, but it has become even more relevant and useful in the last couple of years with the changes to the US economy, inflation, and many brands bringing new, innovative products to market. While there are a set of tried and true techniques for pricing research and analysis, it can be challenging to figure out which one to use, how to use it, and when you need to think outside the box a bit. This is why Catapult Insights brings our stellar statistician, Tom Rosholt, into the early stages of all pricing research to expertly guide the process. Tom Rosholt and I recently sat down to chat about pricing research and how to ensure the results impactful and relevant.

Jill: Tom! It’s great to be chatting with you about pricing research. I know it is one of your favorite topics because it presents so many unique challenges to work through, and you always love a challenge.

Tom: I do love a challenge! It keeps things interesting and I enjoy trying new techniques to help pull meaningful insights out of the data that our clients can actually use in the real world.

Jill: Why do you think pricing research is so important for brands?

Tom: There is a price at which anything of value will sell, from a matchbox to a mansion. Brands need to know as early as possible if the price people are willing to pay for an offering is within the pricing sweet spot, i.e., the range at which the maker of the product will realize sufficient profit, to reduce the risk of devoting time and resources to a non-viable proposition. Getting the price right is more important now than ever because competition is fierce and fast-paced, product development can be enormously expensive, and pricing information in the marketplace has been fully democratized. In addition, the era of making big (and even modest) business decisions without data is waning, making it nearly impossible to get an offering to market without research data, and that includes pricing.

Jill: Do you have a favorite pricing research methodology?

Tom: I actually don’t. I favor the technique that works best for the context. Here are things I think about when choosing a method:

1) How well-developed is the offering when consumers will be exposed to it?

2) Which is the greater risk, overstating or understating price sensitivity (i.e., the degree to which purchase willingness changes as price changes)?

3) The nature of the survey that includes the pricing inquiry.

4) The category, market maturity, market penetration, and realistic price range of the offering.

Jill: What was your favorite pricing research project and why?

Tom: We worked on the project together, Jill. This particular team collectively possesses an attribute that I believe is incredibly valuable in the research realm – curiosity. Their offering was tricky in that it is “familiar yet different,” so it was difficult to get a sense as to what people would pay for it. Research to the rescue! The client was willing to go at the pricing problem using two different research methods with differing biases. The results of the two methods told complementary stories, so the client got clear direction.

Jill: Have you had any opportunities to see the results from a pricing research program you worked be implemented in the real world? If so, how did that go?

Tom: We will soon find out when the product I just talked about hits wide distribution!

Jill: Are there any potential landmines you see researchers or clients risk stepping into with pricing research?

Tom: It is crucial to see pricing research for what it is – guidance rather than some sort of final answer. The dynamics of having a product in the market are usually very complex, so it’s impossible to determine if the price is just right until the offering is on-shelf and consumers are required to part with their money. However, pricing research done right can get you close and let you know whether or not your offering is viable.

While pricing research can feel like an overwhelming endeavor, having an expert like Tom as your guide ensures you’re following the right path, with the right methodologies to help you to make data-driven decisions. Drop us a line if you want to learn more about how we approach pricing research and how we can help you navigate the challenging world of pricing your offerings right to drive purchase behavior and create loyalty.

Jill Miller

CO-FOUNDER
CATAPULT INSIGHTS

The Checkout Revolution is Here

Jul 18, 2024

The Checkout Revolution is Here

Checkout has long been the bane of in-store shopping experiences, marked by long lines and cumbersome processes that slow the shopper down. Many shoppers have learned to love aspects of the online shopping experience, particularly the purchase moment. Although complicated in its own right, the end of online purchases is often far faster and less rife with frustrations than in-store checkouts. But the vast majority of retail purchases in the US are made in-store, despite a fairly steady rise in eCommerce spending. This is why many retailers are reimagining the in-store experience and focusing on the checkout pain point.

Just Walk Out (JWO) is an Amazon technology which allows shoppers to authenticate through their Amazon account at store entry, thereafter automatically tracking and charging the account only for what each shopper carries out of the store. A system of cameras in the ceiling paired with strategically placed weigh sensors works extremely well – after 80 purchases in Go stores I have never had an incorrect charge. This technology has been licensed to other shops, like Hudson News at many airports, and seems like a natural fit for small-to-medium shopping trips like on-the-go meals and topping up on household staples.

Pop over to Amazon Fresh and the experience is focused on the Dash Cart, chosen because shoppers on grocery stock-up missions want to track purchases as they go. The cart automatically senses items that it’s carrying and uses the shopper’s Amazon account for secure payment. This technology brings the same speed and convenience benefits as JWO and is a more conducive fit considering the store format.

Sam’s Club has been using Scan & Go for some time, which allows shoppers to use the Sam’s app to scan barcodes as they shop, then produces a QR code for an attendant to scan on your way out. While this solution allowed shoppers to skip the checkout line, it still required active scanning by the shopper. However, the retailer just started rolling out an AI-powered solution that should eliminate receipt-checking when exiting the store.

This technology is still in its early days, and when I tried it for myself I was still stopped by an employee to scan my receipt. But the trajectory appears obvious that the retailer aims to one day eliminate that human touchpoint, which would bring their checkout and store-exit experience at parity with other retailers. Taken a step further, this technology could one day eliminate the need to scan product barcodes in the first place. This could mean a shopper would load their shopping cart and walk out of the store without scanning a single thing – much like customers are able to do today at Amazon stores.

Several of Catapult Insights’ clients are working on yet-to-be-announced technologies to make shopping and purchase experiences better for customers. We see a potential challenge in disparate experiences existing across retailers, making previously mundane tasks no longer feel like second nature to shoppers. This is why we’re working closely with our clients to devise optimal education and rollout strategies that balance new benefits with acceptable learning curves.

JUSTIN SUTTON

CO-FOUNDER
CATAPULT INSIGHTS

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