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Working Environment
Typically, a Building Blockssm test is held in a social hall, cafeteria, or hotel ballroom. These spaces provide wide open areas in which the respondents and team members can move freely from task to task. The various tasks to be completed, such as name selection, concept evaluation, product preparation and tasting, are assigned to work tables, or stations.
A Typical Building Blockssm Session
Station 1
Benefit Sort
Station 2
Taste Evaluation
Station 3
Flavor Variety Sort
Station 4
Packaging Evaluation
Station 5
Name Sort
Station 6
Final Product Bundle
The respondents are given the job of "building" a new product in the category of interest. They are introduced to the project in a short briefing.
At each task table, or station, the respondent completes a self-administered questionnaire. Members of the Building Blockssm team help out, by giving assistance when respondents ask for it, and by helping to manage the stimuli used in the test. The team members are encouraged to ask additional questions at each station. The answers to these questions help the team to understand consumers' responses to the various stimuli.
Each respondent follows his or her pre-assigned routing sheet in completing the specific tasks. Thus, some respondents might get to choose a name before sorting benefits; others might try the product after they work on refining the package design.
The stimuli are subject to change. A test could start with a sort and rank of twenty-five names. It might become apparent after two or three sessions that some of the names just aren't being picked. They can be replaced with back-up names for the remaining sessions.
Similarly, the questions being asked might change. If the Building Blockssm team determines that additional diagnostic questions need to be asked, they are administered in the remaining interviews.