How one kitchen appliance brand achieved 100% success in coffee machine prototype testing

Launching a new kitchen appliance into a competitive market is like brewing the perfect cup of coffee – one wrong move and you're left with a bitter taste. For a leading kitchen appliance brand ready to introduce their advanced coffee machine, the stakes couldn't have been higher. They had invested significant resources in development, but they still didn’t have a confident answer to their key question: 

Will real consumers actually use this product in their daily routines?

The challenge was clear but complex. The team needed to understand not just whether people could use their new coffee machine, but whether they would use it and its advanced functions and features. More importantly, they needed to identify potential pain points before committing to full-scale production and launch.

This is where many product teams stumble. Traditional focus groups and lab testing can only reveal so much about real-world usage. What happens when your target customer is rushing to make coffee before work? How do they interact with advanced features when they're half-asleep at 6 AM? These questions demanded a different approach.

The IHUT solution: Real homes, real usage, real insights

The brand partnered with Highlight to implement an In-Home Usage Testing (IHUT) strategy that would provide unprecedented insight into their coffee machine's performance. Rather than simulating real-world conditions, they decided to test in actual real-world conditions.

Highlight's research team recruited 40 target consumers who represented key demographics across the coffee machine's intended market. These weren't random volunteers – they were carefully selected category users who matched the brand's ideal customer profile. Each participant received a prototype coffee machine to use in their own home for one full month.

The testing protocol was comprehensive yet user-friendly. Participants were asked to utilize different features of the coffee machine throughout their daily routines, record videos of their product interactions, and complete three detailed surveys at different points during the testing period. This multi-touchpoint approach ensured that feedback captured both initial impressions and evolving usage patterns over time.

The power of video documentation

One of the most revealing aspects of this IHUT study was the video component. Participants recorded themselves using various features of the coffee machine, providing unfiltered documentation of their actual interactions with the product. These videos became invaluable for understanding not just what participants thought about the product, but how they actually behaved with it.

The research design focused on nine key product usage occasions, ensuring comprehensive coverage of the coffee machine's functionality. From basic brewing to advanced features, every aspect of the user experience was documented and analyzed.

Remarkable results that validated the approach

The results exceeded all expectations. The study achieved a 100% completion rate – every single participant who started the month-long testing period finished it and provided complete feedback. In an era where consumer attention spans are shrinking and research participation rates are declining, this level of engagement speaks volumes about both the product's appeal and the research design's effectiveness.

The video responses provided first-hand validation of the user experience. Seeing actual consumers navigate the coffee machine's features in their own kitchens gave the development team confidence that their design decisions were sound. The product performed well across all nine key usage occasions, demonstrating consistency and reliability that would be crucial for market success.

Beyond testing: Uncovering hidden barriers

While the high completion rate was encouraging, the real value came from barrier identification. The testing revealed specific concerns that participants encountered while using the product – issues that might not have surfaced in traditional lab testing but became apparent during extended real-world use.

These weren't deal-breaking problems, but they were the kind of friction points that could impact customer satisfaction and word-of-mouth recommendations after launch. The brand now had a clear roadmap of product issues to resolve before bringing the coffee machine to market.

The follow-through advantage

Perhaps most impressively, Highlight's dedicated testers continued providing feedback even beyond the official testing period. This extended engagement allowed the brand to deep-dive into specific areas of concern and gather additional insights that proved valuable for final product refinements.

This level of ongoing engagement demonstrates something crucial about well-designed IHUT studies: when participants feel their input is valued and they can see how their feedback contributes to product improvement, they become invested in the success of the product itself.

The strategic impact

The IHUT study delivered three critical outcomes that directly impacted the brand's go-to-market strategy:

Prototype validation

The video evidence and high completion rates provided concrete proof that the coffee machine's core functionality resonated with target consumers. This validation gave stakeholders confidence to move forward with final development stages.

Barrier identification

Specific usability concerns were identified and prioritized for resolution, preventing potential customer satisfaction issues post-launch.

Ongoing insights

The extended feedback period created a dialogue between the brand and real users, providing insights that continued to inform product decisions beyond the initial testing phase.

4 key takeaways for product development teams

This case study illustrates several important principles for successful product testing:

1. Real environments matter

Testing in actual homes revealed usage patterns and pain points that wouldn't emerge in controlled lab settings. When participants used the coffee machine during their actual morning routines (while juggling kids, checking emails, or rushing to work), different usability issues surfaced than those found in quiet, distraction-free lab environments. 

Real kitchens have limited counter space, varying lighting conditions, and competing appliances that impact how users interact with new products. 

This authentic context revealed friction points like confusing button layouts during hectic mornings or difficulty reading displays in different lighting conditions—insights that would be impossible to capture in artificial testing environments.

2. Multi-touchpoint feedback is essential

The combination of video documentation and three separate surveys provided a comprehensive view of the user experience over time.

Videos captured unconscious behaviors and workarounds that participants might not remember or articulate in surveys alone—like repeatedly pressing buttons they thought weren't working or developing personal shortcuts for complex features. The three-survey approach revealed how opinions evolved: initial excitement might fade as novelty wore off, or frustrating features might become easier with practice. 

This longitudinal feedback prevented the team from making decisions based on first impressions alone and helped distinguish between temporary learning curves and genuine design flaws.

3. Participant selection is crucial

Recruiting true category users who matched the target demographic ensured relevant and actionable feedback.

Rather than testing with anyone willing to participate, Highlight specifically recruited people who:

1. already owned coffee machines and
2. matched the brand's intended customer profile in terms of coffee consumption habits, lifestyle, and purchasing behavior. 

This meant feedback came from people who understood coffee quality, had established routines, and would actually purchase this type of product.

4. Extended testing periods reveal evolving relationships

One month of usage captured both initial reactions and longer-term usage patterns that shorter studies miss entirely. 

The first week revealed learning curve issues and initial impressions, but weeks two through four showed how the product fit into established routines, which features became daily staples versus occasional novelties, and whether initial problems were resolved through familiarity or remained persistent irritants. 

This timeline helped the team distinguish between features that seemed confusing initially but became intuitive with use, versus those that remained problematic even after the novelty period ended. 

This helped the brand prioritize which issues required design changes versus better onboarding.

The bottom line

This IHUT study transformed what could have been a risky product launch into a confident market entry. By investing in comprehensive real-world testing with 40 carefully selected participants over one month, the kitchen appliance brand achieved 100% completion rates, identified specific barriers to address, and gained video-documented validation of their product's user experience.

The result wasn't just a successful research project – it was a strategic advantage that positioned the coffee machine for market success while minimizing post-launch surprises.

Download the full case study here.

Ready to validate your product's real-world performance and eliminate costly post-launch surprises? The key is finding comprehensive testing methods that reveal actual user behaviors while providing the actionable insights your development team needs to succeed. Schedule a demo with Highlight to learn more.