How can I use Product Visualization?
Having low-cost visuals is one thing, but knowing how to use them to maximize their value is another. How can you use visuals to get as much value from them as possible?
The False Door
Companies spend much time and money developing products that ultimately do not sell. Sam, a local entrepreneur, noticed this trend and studied customers' behavior. Through this study, Sam learned about an interesting concept called demand testing.
Instead of spending a ton of time and money on producing a product, creating its features, and developing it, Sam seeks the easiest and cheapest way to validate that someone would be willing to pay for a product by seeking validating customer behavior.
Sam spends a few hours putting together a simple landing page that describes a kitchen timer they are trying to sell, makes it believable by including photorealistic visuals, and slaps a 'pre-order' button at the bottom of the page. Sam is creating a False Door Test. The pre-order button is a door to nowhere since the timer doesn't exist yet, hence the name. However, Sam can track how many people click the button and are interested in the product, which is valuable data.
Sam shares the landing page across social media and drives a few hundred potential customers to the landing page. Of the few hundred that visit, 30% pre-order the timer. On average, Sam's past products have only had 5% of people visiting the site interact with the pre-order button.
Sam learned something essential. Customers are willing to take action to signal the demand for this product at a rate much higher than other products. Building this product is likely a good decision.
The decision to pursue the production of this product is now based on data. This fact is extremely valuable and only possible because product visualization enabled Sam to test for demand.
Suddenly the value of the visuals can be seen. They allow entrepreneurs, innovators, and others to validate demand for something before wasting time and money on manufacturing it.