In-home Usage Testing: Debunking 10 IHUT Myths

In-home usage tests (IHUTs for short) are nothing new in product research, but they have entered a new era—faster turnarounds, smarter recruiting, and decision-ready insights at a pace insights and innovation teams can actually act on.

Historically, in-home usage testing has been tricky. Cultivating a diverse, representative, and engaged Highlighter community is labor-intensive. Logistics for physical product distribution has been an expensive headache. And the technology to collect and process consumer data simply didn’t exist.
That’s all changed. Highlight is a product research platform that makes it easy for CPG and retail brands to put products in front of real, at-home consumers and get the insights innovation, R&D, and marketing teams need for quick innovation.

With so much changing in physical product testing, there’s a lot to catch up on. To better understand how IHUT works with today’s tech-enabled research platforms, we’re debunking 10 myths below:

Myth 1: IHUT isn’t customizable

The Highlight platform puts insights and innovation teams in the driver’s seat. Our CPG testing solutions span pre-launch use cases from ideation, prototyping, and validation to post-launch renovation use cases like line expansion, competitive testing, alienation testing, and more.

Most Highlight customers design research to capture data for several use cases at once. (For example, when ready-to-drink cocktail brand Country Luau set out to concept test new packaging and flavors, their marketing team added questions to gather purchase-driver data by consumer demographic, too.)

If that sounds overwhelming, don’t worry. Highlight’s customer success team has in-house expertise to guide you in crafting a study—or series of studies—that meets every goal on your product research roadmap.

Meet Highlight's Sensory Scientist, Lauren Rappaport

Myth 2: Product testing only tells you what you want to hear

Product testing can create an echo chamber effect, and that is a problem. That’s exactly why testing with a well-built Highlighter community—quality humans in their natural environment—is so important.

Many brands rely on internal teams, family and friends, and brand loyalists for feedback. That can give you directional data, but insights teams need unbiased third-party feedback from consumers who are completely unfamiliar with your brand to get the honest, decision-ready data that drives better products.

“I realize the importance that honest feedback gives to both companies and their consumers. By being a Highlighter, I feel like I can help both sides to make the perfect product.” - Alyssa

Learn more about Highlight's Highlighter community

Myth 3: Product testing is old school

Some elements of product testing are old school. Gathering consumers in a central location and observing them through a two-way mirror is mostly just a Mad Men plotline nowadays.

Today, software—not office rooms—enables creative exercises and projective techniques to inspire effective product messaging.

But the need for insights on how consumers interact with your product remains constant. Too many companies haven’t updated their approach to physical product testing since the 1950s.

Technology has come a long way to make market research faster, easier, and more effective—brands just need to learn how to leverage it. See how tech-enabled IHUT is changing what’s possible.

Myth 4: Products aren’t tested as they should be used

IHUT is the best alternative to CLT (central location testing). Rather than consumers sitting in a sterile, uncomfortable room, products are in your consumer’s home—used, eaten, and evaluated in the environment they naturally would. That leads to more accurate, truthful feedback.

This is another reason Highlight provides integrated logistics. To get reliable consumer data, brands need products tested as they will be used—that might mean refrigerated, frozen, or otherwise packaged to maintain fidelity. When Highlight customers ship product in bulk, we handle the rest to ensure everything is delivered as it should be.

For a real-world example of what that looks like in practice, read our coffee machine prototype IHUT case study—where a kitchen appliance brand validated real home usage before committing to full-scale production.

Myth 5: You can’t blind test against competitors

Highlight’s logistics solution also makes it possible to run a blind side-by-side test of your products, your product against a competitor, or your product on its own. Highlight’s customer success team consults on the best option for your brand and research goals.

Myth 6: You can only test a limited number of products with IHUT

Most CPG (Consumer Packaged Goods) products you can think of, we can help you test at Highlight. Does it have to fit in our boxes? Nope! We work with you to customize a plan and get the product you need to test into your ideal consumer’s hands.

Here are a few categories we've worked with:

• Food & beverage
• Beauty & skincare
• Office supplies
• Pet care
• Frozen/refrigerated
• Beer, wine, & liquor
• Household cleaning supplies
• Consumer electronics
• Apparel & footwear
• Household appliances
  and more!

Myth 7: IHUTs are only valuable for quantitative data

You and your team control the format of feedback received. Highlight can collect traditional quantitative data, ask open-ended questions, and gather photo and video responses for qualitative insight. Many brands use a combination of both, or arrange in-depth interviews (IDI) with members of the Highlighter community. We’re proud of the detailed, heartfelt responses our Highlighter community continues to provide across every medium.

See how apparel brands use qualitative testing for innovation