Ecover & Method - Innovation acceleration
How we empower R&D to launch better & faster - helping Ecover's clean world revolution
In 2011, when Ecover invented a new formulation for detergents, they contacted Made to facilitate the process from formula to innovative applications consumers would love.
It started with an ideation session and resulted in a relationship as an innovation partner, speeding up the operations of this beautiful organisation, making a healthy and sustainable lifestyle easy.
I have been working for over 8 years with Made and still feel the same passion and commitment from the team. Over the years, Made have been crucial in supporting us to go after some bold and pioneering innovation. A truly reliable partner that continued to push the boundaries for us.
What if refilling would be the new normal?
Could we convince consumers to start refilling durable packaging? How would this service look? Can we look at all aspects of this challenge; including logistics, human behaviour, business and packaging?
What if we’d consider waste as a resource?
Can we shift from a linear to a circular economy? What would be the impact on FMCG? Should we stop at swapping ingredients, or should we rethink the whole value proposition?
What if consuming more would be beneficial?
Can the product be built in such a way, that consuming more is beneficial to the world?
What if detergents would contain no water?
Concentrated products come with lots of benefits. Can we imagine how that experience looks? How will it impact consumers' willingness to buy?
Visualizing & Validating the potential of R&D breakthroughs
As innovation partners, we work closely together with both R&D and Long term innovation, supporting the continuous conversation between both divisions.
We co-create, challenge, visualise and prototype R&D innovations and push them forward towards the operational product development processes.
What starts as a preliminary idea is turned into a tangible product in a matter of weeks, ready for further user validation and testing.
Longer-term innovation opportunities are always on the radar and are spotted, validated and taken as the starting point for new products, services or business challenges.
Spotting opportunities
during creative sessions and workshops
Gathering Insights through prototyping
What could a concept look like? How would people use it?
Would people be interested in it?
Throughout the whole innovation process, we prototype every step of the way. Prototypes range from quick & dirty prototypes to high fidelity mock-ups with functional laundry and cleaning products.
We invite consumers, but also R&D formulators, marketing and salespeople to take part in the validation process. Hence, we can validate not only the desirability but also the viability and feasibility of the innovations.
High fidelity prototypes
to test ideas on the potential target group & market
User testing for qualitative propositions
There is quite a large gap between what people say and what they do. That is why user validation is crucial for gauging the potential success of a concept.
Made offers qualitative and quantitative techniques to validate the product-market fit in a structured way.
- Thorough interview screeners, design probes, in-situation semi-structured interviews, and a slew of other tools to conduct customer research
- A comprehensive report gives an overview of all insights and findings.
- The most crucial part, however, is turning insights and recommendations into tangible new and improved concepts and products.
Design probes & booklets
Supporting user research.
Growing as innovation partners.
What did we learn since that first ideation session? A lot. Most important: We learned that opportunities could be captured, challenged, expanded and tested. This lead to our long-term relationship.
Ecover has given Made a role of innovation partner. As challenger & inspirator, we introduce new ways of rapid prototyping & user research at every turn, inspiring R&D to go beyond today’s possibilities, opening the spectrum of research and validation.
Growing Partnership.
Ideas from the list keep spilling unto new product offerings, seven years after the first product launch. In the meantime everything has evolved:
Technology has grown. The farfetched ideas of 2011 are reasonable now. They should scape the products of the near future.
The internal design team has grown over the years. The role of Made as a complementary partner has evolved to fit this culture.
The partnership has evolved: Made is helping R&D to get ideas out of the lab, into the company culture, aiding in research & opportunity-spotting, while the internal teams focus on concept & design. We challenge each other, for better output.
Made has kept in touch with Ecover over the years, having found a driven partner, looking to make an impact on their market by better products (creating a natural organisational fit).
Enhance your process accelerate innovation impact
We distilled three ways to innovate faster & better, as a long term partner to many successful product owners:
You'd like to work with us,
want to share an idea
or have a question for us?
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Klokstraat 16
2600 Antwerp
Belgium
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