Editorial Series
Deep dives into the methods and ideas behind research that holds up.
Product Testing
01
A History of Product Testing
How product testing became a science, from postwar sensory labs and Nielsen BASES forecasting to the CLT-vs-HUT split, the behavioral-economics turn, and today's AI-era pre-launch methods.
5 partsExplore the seriesThe seriesA History of Product Testing
- 1From the Lab Bench to the Living RoomHow 1940s military ration research and Rose Marie Pangborn built modern product testing.5 min read
- 2How Nielsen BASES Turned Forecasting into a ScienceHow Nielsen BASES transformed product testing from gut-feel to volumetric forecasting, and what the…6 min read
- 3The CLT vs HUT SplitCentral location testing vs home-use testing, how two product research traditions diverged, why it…6 min read
- 4When Behavioral Economics Changed EverythingHow Kahneman's behavioral economics research forced product testing teams to move past 'do you like…6 min read
- 5The AI EraSynthetic respondents, AI-moderated diaries, and the real tradeoffs reshaping pre-launch product testing.6 min read