Guide · Research methodologies

Conjoint and MaxDiff: when and how to use them

Asking people “how important is X?” on a 1–5 scale often produces uniformly high, unhelpful answers. Structured research methodologies — MaxDiff, Conjoint, TURF, Van Westendorp — measure real priorities by forcing choices. Here’s when you need them.

MaxDiff: what really matters

When you have many items (features, messages, benefits) and want to know which matter most, MaxDiff shows small groups of items and asks for the best and the worst. Repeated across groups, it yields a reliable ranking — far more discriminating than a battery of scales.

Conjoint: the value of combinations

When an offer is made of several attributes (price, format, features), Conjoint shows complete profiles and asks people to choose, as they actually would. From this you estimate how much each attribute weighs and simulate scenarios: “if I raise the price but add this feature, how many prefer it?”.

TURF: the combination that reaches most

Useful when you must pick a subset — which three flavors to stock, which topics to cover at a congress — to reach the most people. TURF finds the combination that maximizes total reach, not the individually most popular items.

Van Westendorp: the acceptable price range

With four price questions (too expensive, expensive but acceptable, a bargain, so cheap it’s suspicious) you identify the range where the price feels right. A solid starting point before setting a price list.

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