The project began with a two-day ideation workshop at the client's headquarters. I facilitated this session with a cross-functional team of marketers, engineers, and scientists from the Product Development (DPD) organization. The workshop served as an opportunity for the client team to present key foundational documents, while we worked collaboratively to identify research goals and knowledge gaps that would guide the project.

We chose an ethnographic research approach, engaging in both in-home research sessions and retail shop-alongs. This allowed us to gain a deeper understanding of how users experience sleep issues within their daily lives and how they interact with sleep aid products in real-world contexts. By observing and interviewing participants, we could identify their pain points, unmet needs, and existing approaches to managing sleep issues.

The research led to the development of a comprehensive Needs Map, where we compiled over 2,000 data points, identifying key behavioral and attitudinal patterns among users. These insights were organized into thematic needs that informed our client’s innovation strategy. We synthesized these findings into an Insight and Opportunity Framing Report, which presented actionable opportunities to drive innovation in OTC sleep aids. This foundational work positioned the client to effectively pursue the development of breakthrough products.

Concept Generation

Building on insights from our ethnographic research, we moved into the concept generation phase. This stage was critical for translating user needs into actionable product ideas. Using structured brainstorming and design thinking exercises, we were able to quickly generate over 200 point ideas, refining them down to 20 early stage concepts for testing and laying the foundation for the next phase of product development.