Tue, Feb 1 2011
During our weekly staff evaluation of product ideas, we focus on exploring three main areas: Design, Market, and Viability. Each of these areas gets a score out of 10, which gets added to the Community and Staff scores to result in the final rating.
So what exactly goes into the DMV scores? Here’s a list of the questions we consider, right from the people who consider them.
DESIGN SCORE (10) Gaz, Brian, Jordan, and the QDS
- Does the submission solve a problem? How “important” a problem does it solve? How many people are affected by this problem?
- Does the submission propose a strong solution? Or is it just “feature creep” (combining more and more features to give the impression of improved problem solving)? Usually there is a tipping point where the increased feature set inhibits the product’s ability to solve the original problem.
- Is it unique to the market? Does it have “wow factor”?
- Will the finished product be innovative? Does it explore the “adjacent possible”? In other words, does it push the culture of objects forward by combining/transferring wide-reaching ideas, thought, materials, etc. to reach new and interesting outcomes? To read about “adjacent possible” and other innovation-related themes, get a copy of Steven Johnson’s Where Good Ideas Come From, it’s frickin’ fantastic.
- How interesting is it going to be for the community to work on? How many opportunities will there be to explore?
- Could the finished product potentially win design awards?
MARKET SCORE (10) Chad, Matt, and Garret
Marketability
- Is it easy to demonstrate and explain?
- What is the immediate impact of the idea on customers (“wow factor”)?
- Is it a must-have? Would you see it and want to buy it then and there?
- Is the solution still relevant?
- Would you tell your friends about it?
Market Size
- Does it solve a common problem? Does the solution appeal to lots of people across several demographics?
- If it’s a very targeted product, does a scalable business opportunity exist?
- Is it unique?
Competitive Edge
- What is the competitive landscape?
- How unique are the features to the marketplace?
- Is the Viability team price point competitive?
Fit with Sales Channels
- Does it have U.S. mass retail potential?
- Does the product work abroad and can it sell through channels internationally?
- Does the product appeal to our site visitors?
Fit with Product Mix
- Does it complement existing products?
- Does it directly compete with existing products?
Shelf Talk
- How many SKUs? How many colors?
- Can it be easily described on the packaging?
- Where would it sit on a retail floor/shelf?
- Will it grab your attention or will it just get lost?
- Would it be promotion worthy?
VIABILITY SCORE (10) John, Nikki, Paul in Hong Kong, and The Suits (lawyers)
Manufacture-ability
- Can we make this product?
- Do we have existing suppliers who can make it?
- If we do not have existing suppliers, how hard do we think it will be to find the right supplier?
- Will we be able to make this with consistent quality and function over time?
Costs
- What do products with similar functions retail for?
- Given the competitive landscape, will we be able to make this product stand out on a cost-competitive basis?
- How much space at retail will the product require?
- Are there special shipping considerations? (heavy, large space, etc.)
Legal
- Are there certain regulations that we will need to follow? UL listings?
- What does the patent landscape look like?
- What is our patent infringement risk? Is this too similar to an existing product/patent?
- What is the likelihood that we will be able to get patent protection for this product?
One final note: While these questions can help you get a sense of your idea’s potential on Quirky, don’t let them discourage you from submitting an idea that doesn’t have a positive answer to every question. We ask these questions to make sure that we can responsibly bring an idea to life. Innovation can come from surprising places, so we promise to stay open-minded!
