Before a new product is launched, many questions need to be answered. Which target group is most interested? What are their needs and their aesthetic desires? How much are they willing to pay? As the winner of the first EELISA Prototype Contest, Adán Sánchez, founder of the Spanish startup “The Green Factor”, had the opportunity to test his prototype at JOSEPHS – The Open Innovation Lab in Nuremberg, Germany.
During January 2023, more than 100 potential customers have carefully tested the prototype, a nature-based air purifier. They provided honest feedback, and their user experiences were professionally evaluated. With these new insights, Adán Sánchez is now in the process of finalizing his prototype and launching it on the market by the end of the year.
Q. What insights did you gain from the test space? What surprised you the most?
A. We have been able to compare the information we had on target customers in Spain with potential users from Germany, and we have noticed that most of them coincide; however, we have been surprised by the extraordinary general interest of people in Germany, whether or not they are potential customers for our product.
Q. What was the most valuable feedback for you?
A. Many things are important to us, in particular, the compendium of future marketing actions, the price discovery, and the feedback about the visual aspect of our air purifier.
Q. What other feedback did you get from the audience?
A. Other significant things are the manageability of the product and its acceptance. Initially, we expected it to be perceived as a strange element, since fusing nature and technology for air purifying is something novel and unknown. However, as people were in contact with the product, they could feel the significant change in the “freshness of the air coming out of the air purifier”. This was our WOW Moment, and people greeted our product, giving us more momentum to continue the project.
Q. So you’ve received a lot of positive feedback. But what do you think of the audience’s suggestions for improvement?
A. Some suggestions are understandable, such as integrating air quality measurement systems or a photovoltaic system so that the air purifier generates its own energy. However, what I liked the most was the idea of producing a smaller air purifier that could be more easily transportable and adaptable to numerous surfaces and spaces. I think this might be interesting to consider and give a spin.
Q. There were also name suggestions: which of them are now on the final shortlist?
A. We have three final options now: Vento, CleanAir and Pury.
Q. Why are such test spaces so important for the innovation process?
A. These spaces are essential for innovative products to be tested by the public and obtain important and valid feedback for their final design and development. We feel fortunate about this opportunity. And we invite other startups to participate in the following editions of the EELISA Prototype Contest to enjoy the same chance.
Q. What’s next for your product?
A. Now, we have to carefully analyse the results of this case study and cross-reference the information with the study conducted in Spain. Later, we aim to launch a crowdfunding campaign to get the funds for production and market launch.
About JOSEPHS
JOSEPHS – The Open Innovation Lab is part of FAU’s excellent innovation ecosystem and is located in Nuremberg’s city centre. At JOSEPHS, everyone is welcome to explore test spaces to try out new ideas, products, and services from companies and public institutions. JOSEPHS’ innovation guides interact with the visitors and invite them to be part of innovation processes – this is why they call them co-creators. This is also how JOSEPHS’ innovation specialists learn about the co-creators’ needs and wishes for new product ideas. By sharing their feedback, JOSEPHS’ co-creators actively participate in open innovation. This greatly helps to create more successful ideas, products, and services.
This is how the prototype was tested