Toluna has become a go-to solution for product teams looking to get quick, reliable feedback without the time and cost of full-scale research engagements. Its strength lies in flexibility – you can customize surveys, reach niche target audiences, and view results within hours. But beyond the speed and ease-of-use, Toluna offers unique advantages for product feature research.

Real-time access to consumer insights

With Toluna, teams don’t have to wait weeks to test a product idea or feature set. You can launch surveys in real time, incorporating spontaneous feedback into your roadmap planning fast enough to stay agile. This allows you to test concepts pre-launch, validate features in development, or gather ongoing input post-launch.

Easy feature comparison and ranking

Toluna supports survey modules that are ideal for feature prioritization – such as max-diff, ranking, and grid-style questions. These formats help reveal how consumers evaluate features relative to one another, providing a clear hierarchy of what really matters to them.

Accessibility for non-research teams

One of the key draws of DIY research tools like Toluna is that they don’t require advanced research expertise to get started. While there are nuances that expert researchers can unlock (more on that later), anyone can build and launch a basic survey. This democratization of research means that product managers, marketers, innovation leads, and others can be closer to their customer decisions.

Cost-effective way to scale research

Traditional research can be resource-intensive. Toluna offers a more scalable option – especially useful when teams need to test many variations or concepts, or when budgets are tight. For companies experimenting with AI tools and lean operations, using Toluna can stretch research dollars further.

Trusted by major brands across industries

Toluna is used by startups and Fortune 500 companies alike to gather opinions across consumer, B2B, and global audiences. Its platform continues to innovate in areas of respondent targeting, AI-powered analysis, and mobile optimization – all key factors in keeping today’s product development processes moving in real time. When done right, Toluna helps businesses cut through internal assumptions and design a roadmap that closely reflects real customer priorities. But to avoid common pitfalls like weak survey design or misinterpreted results, it pays to get expert input – especially for high-stakes decisions. That’s where teams often turn to experienced researchers from SIVO’s On Demand Talent network to bridge the DIY gap.

Once you’ve decided to use Toluna for product feature research, the next step is structuring your survey to surface the features your customers care most about. This part of the process determines whether your data will be useful for roadmap planning – or just a collection of opinions without clear direction.

Start with a structured feature list

Before you create questions, it’s essential to define and organize the features or ideas you want to test. These could include:

• New feature ideas under consideration
• Improvements to existing features
• Enhancements requested by current users
• Competitive differentiators you’re exploring

Group these in logical clusters so they can be easily compared in the survey. Use simple, jargon-free descriptions that any survey taker can quickly understand.

Use the right question types for prioritization

Toluna offers several question formats that work well for feature comparison. The two most commonly used for prioritization are: - **MaxDiff (Maximum Difference Scaling):** Respondents choose the most and least important feature from multiple sets, revealing relative importance across a large list. - **Ranking & Rating Grids:** Ask customers to rate or rank different features based on perceived value, excitement, or likelihood to use. Each method has advantages. MaxDiff tends to deliver clearer hierarchies at the cost of being slightly harder to analyze. Rating scales are easier to interpret but can suffer from response bias. This is where expert guidance can drastically improve your outcomes.

Analyze and segment for clearer insights

Once data is in, the analysis is what reveals actionable ranking. Look beyond the average to see: - Which features dominate across all segments - Which appeal to high-value customer segments - Whether preferences differ by age, usage intensity, or industry Segmenting the data prevents one-size-fits-all decisions and ensures your roadmap reflects your most strategic customer needs.

Validate assumptions through diagnostics

Sometimes the most requested features aren’t the most impactful. Toluna surveys can also incorporate diagnostic-style questions to probe: - Why people prefer certain features - How a feature affects perceived usability or satisfaction - Whether a new addition would cause confusion or clutter These diagnostics uncover the “why” behind preferences, helping product teams avoid costly missteps.

How On Demand Talent sharpens this process

Even with the best tools, DIY surveys can miss critical nuance if not executed properly. SIVO’s On Demand Talent professionals help bridge that gap by supporting survey design, guiding methodology selection, and interpreting results for action. These aren’t outsourced freelancers – they’re trained insights leaders matched to your needs, helping your team unlock the real value from your Toluna investment. With proper data structure, expert analysis, and audience-led rankings, you can confidently build a product roadmap that not only checks the boxes – it delivers what customers truly want.

Even when teams gather useful feedback through surveys or user input, connecting that data to a clear product roadmap can be challenging. That’s where diagnostic tools like Toluna’s advanced analytics come in. They help convert open-ended opinions and raw data into measurable customer preferences – the kind you can take straight to your planning sessions.

Bridging the gap between opinions and actions starts with structure. Rather than relying on gut feeling or loud internal voices, linking Toluna data with roadmap decisions ensures you act on what your customers actually value.

What Diagnostic Tools Reveal Beyond Surface-Level Feedback

Survey data often includes feedback like “the app is slow,” or “I wish it had more customization.” But that doesn’t tell the full story. By applying diagnostics – like TURF analysis, Kano models, or key driver analysis – you gain clarity on:

• Which features drive the most satisfaction or dissatisfaction
• What functions are considered basic expectations vs. delightful surprises
• Which enhancements could unlock the most value across different segments

For example, a fictional app developer might discover that while users say they want more themes, a diagnostic reveals load time is a stronger driver of app retention. That internal conversation quickly shifts from cosmetic ideas to performance-first development priorities – a move backed by data, not perception.

Bringing It All Together into Your Roadmap

Using Toluna surveys paired with diagnostics creates a structured, data-driven path for roadmap planning. It allows teams to:

1. Map customer needs in order of priority
2. Identify critical features for user retention
3. Avoid investing in features with limited consumer value

By quantifying how much influence a feature has on user satisfaction or conversion, teams can prioritize with confidence, aligning developments with what customers truly want – instead of only what your team thinks they want.

When used right, Toluna’s survey capabilities and diagnostic tools are powerful decision-making aids that help you move from surveys to strategy, faster and smarter.

While DIY platforms like Toluna make consumer research faster and more accessible, navigating them effectively still requires skill. Building the right questions, ensuring data quality, and pulling actionable insights from a sea of charts takes more than intuition. That’s where SIVO’s On Demand Talent comes in – providing the expert muscle behind your digital research tools.

The Missing Link in DIY Research: Expertise

Many companies adopt tools like Toluna with enthusiasm. But after launch, teams often face challenges like:

• Getting low-quality responses from poorly worded surveys
• Struggling to decide which insights are truly meaningful
• Not knowing how to apply the findings to business priorities

That's not a tool problem – it’s a research strategy and execution gap. Instead of relying on freelancers or burdening internal teams, SIVO’s On Demand Talent provides experienced insights professionals who know how to guide DIY efforts for maximum impact.

Flexible Talent, Immediate Value

Our network includes senior-level researchers with expertise across methodologies, industries, and tools – including Toluna. When you need extra hands or brains, you can bring in the right professional within days, not months. Whether you’re tackling a one-off study or reshaping your entire product roadmap, our experts can:

• Help design effective surveys and diagnostics
• Analyze results through a strategic product lens
• Translate insights into clear business recommendations

Instead of a drawn-out staffing process or mismatched freelancers, On Demand Talent gives you high-caliber expertise, flexibly integrated into your projects. These aren’t consultants-for-hire – they’re seasoned professionals who extend your team’s capabilities and build your long-term confidence in using research tools like Toluna.

Collecting feedback is one thing. Turning it into meaningful action is another. When it comes to product feature research and roadmap planning, data is only as powerful as your ability to use it strategically. With Toluna survey data in hand – and the right analysis – you can move confidently from fuzzy ideas to focused development plans.

Get Specific With What to Build and When

Product development cycles are often filled with assumptions: about what customers want, what features matter most, and what will actually impact business goals. Toluna helps remove that uncertainty by showing you:

• Which features are must-haves vs. nice-to-haves
• What drives loyalty, adoption, or abandonment
• How customer preferences vary across demographics

When you use Toluna to test feature concepts early – such as through idea screens, concept evaluations, or simulated trade-offs – you avoid costly rework later. For instance, a fictional tech brand might discover that users greatly prefer a stripped-down “lite” version of its app rather than the fully featured one planned. That single insight could redirect the entire investment roadmap.

Connect the Dots from Research to Roadmap

To make the most of DIY research tools, teams must embed research findings into every stage of their product process. That means using insights not only to validate ideas post-launch, but to:

• Prioritize your feature pipeline
• Optimize user journeys ahead of development
• Communicate customer-backed priorities to stakeholders

With a Toluna-enabled process guided by insights professionals – such as those in SIVO’s On Demand Talent network – your business builds products rooted in real needs, not assumptions.

It’s no longer enough to ask whether customers “like” a feature. Instead, forward-thinking teams ask: “Does this feature solve a problem backed by data?” That shift toward action-driven intelligence is where successful product strategies come to life.