Scientific method of solving problems

The scientific method is a process that is continuous and usually starts with an observation made by an individual of the natural world. Naturally, human beings are known for their curiosity and their desire to understand the world around them. Out of these curiosity, various inquisitions have been made in an effort to explain things that people see or hear and this has led to the development of various hypothesis that attempt to explain why things they are the way they are. While the number of ideas generated is vast, not all are significant and some do not require any follow-up. There however some hypotheses that leads to the creation of information that cannot only be tested, but also improved to create a better understanding of the world. Such types of hypotheses are based on experiment that were controlled and replicated carefully to give results that is stored as vital data for the area that is being studied. Whether a hypothesis will require further explanation or alteration will depend on the level in which the tests conducted match the predictions that were made as the expected results. If well supported, a hypothesis is considered to be a general theory and thus used as a means of explaining a certain aspect of the natural world. For this paper, the scientific method will be used in a bid to show what developing a new product that is superior to competitor’s brands entails.

Although there is no single form of a scientific method, there are various ways in which scientist conduct research that could be considered to be forms of scientific methods. They involve making observations where an individual will closely observe what is going on around them and then come up with questions that are relevant and can be researched on. Another method is where an individual will make an educated guess about a certain occurrence or thing and then come up with a hypothesis to try and answer these questions. Predictions are also made to show what is to be expected if the hypothesis that is being tested proves to be correct. Finally, the individual is able to make conclusions that are based on the hypothesis and it combines the hypothesis, the results that were predicted and the results that were acquired. In order to solve the issue of how to develop a new product that is superior to competitor’s brand, this paper will combine various aspects of the scientific method which include, but not limited to, observation, questions and predictions (Armstrong et al, 2014).

The hypothesis is that, due to the high level of competition in the market, the most ideal solution for creating products that are better and preferred over those of other competitors is through innovation. On a global scale, companies have managed to remain competitive by using strategies that are different from their competitors in an effort to make them stand out (Porter, 2016). Even though these strategies may be different, they often have the same mode of operation and this is seen in most of the companies that remain successful despite the level of competition that exists. Their continued success is due to the fact that they have discovered the importance of being innovative and finding out ways to deliver what the customer wants and how they want it. If the hypothesis is correct, the outcomes that are expected will involve more popularity for the company offering the new products, larger market share for the company, acceptance of the product by the targeted customers and an increase in sales as a result of the purchases made for the new product (Armstrong et al, 2014).

To test the proposed hypothesis, a survey will be conducted where the new products will be presented to a sample of people who will act as representatives of the target market. These people will be given a chance to test the new product and then questioned on various aspects so as to estimate how the product will be received in the actual market if it is launched (Aeker, 2011). They will be required to respond to questions such as whether they will consider using the product again; whether they will choose it over similar products from competitors; and whether the product meets their needs. The success of the program will be determined by the response that the test subjects give after they have had a chance to test the new product. If majority of the test subjects respond as not only being willing to use the product again, but also ready to pick it over other competitor’s products, then the hypothesis will prove to be successful (Armstrong, 2014). Lack of interest in the product after the study and unwillingness to choose the product after the study will indicate form of failure in the project and need for more research on how to make the product better.

Companies across the world have used innovation to get a competitive advantage in the market. It basically involves using new technology and different methods of operation to come up with new products that are better and preferred by the target market (Porter, 2016). The innovation will involve making a new type of product design, changing the production process so as to add on the quality of the product or combining the two methods. These alterations are made after new ideas are generated or the company decides to give consideration to ideas that were aired but not fully exploited. These ideas, combined with the information of trends in the target market give the company a rough idea of the type of products to produce (Aeker, 2011). The wisdom behind using a sample to test the attitude towards the new products is that it will allow the company to test whether the method will be successful before mass production. The test predictions will help to identify whether innovation is successful in launching the new product and whether it will do well in the market once it is mass produced and stocked in the various points of sales. 

For innovation to be successful, a company should concentrate on gathering relevant information regarding the market it intends to launch the new product in. hiring outsiders as innovators is also ideal since they are in a better position to identify opportunities and take advantage of them. Once the company successfully launches the new product, it will also be required to keep up with innovating it because, like most scientific methods, innovation is also a continuous process. To remain competitive, the company has to keep in touch with the trends in the market, observe areas that may be opportunities and take advantage of them. Scientific methods are ideal in solving issues in that they not only create solutions but also provide ideas on how to better operations in an organization.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

References

Aaker, D. A. (2011). Brand relevance: Making competitors irrelevant. San Francisco, CA:           Jossey-Bass.

Armstrong G, Adam S, Denize S and Kotler P, (2014) “Principles of marketing” Person   Australia

Porter E, (2016) “The competitive advantage of nations” Harvard Business Review