A Smarter Way to Prioritize Features, Messages, and Product Roadmaps with Market Research
A few months ago, a medical device company came to us with a problem. They were developing a new product line and had a laundry list of possible features. Every internal team had their own “must-have” ideas. Marketing wanted one thing. Sales wanted another. Product had their own list.
So they did what most companies do: they ran a survey. They asked customers to rate each feature on a scale from 1 to 5. And guess what? Every single feature came back as “important.” Which… wasn’t helpful. They still had no idea which features would actually move the needle with customers—or which ones they could safely leave out.
That’s when we ran a MaxDiff analysis. Instead of asking customers to rate everything, we forced trade-offs by showing them small sets of features and asking which (from that set) most important and least important. Within days, we had a crystal-clear picture of their priorities—and it wasn’t what the team expected. Some “pet features” ranked near the bottom, while a few under-the-radar ideas turned out to be deal-makers!
Armed with meaningful market research data, the client was able to design a feature set that resonated with their target audience, focus their marketing on the benefits that mattered most, and cut development costs by shelving low-impact features.
What is MaxDiff?
MaxDiff (short for Maximum Difference Scaling) is a survey technique that reveals what your customers value most—and least—by forcing them to make real trade-offs. It’s an ideal method for:
Feature prioritization
Product bundling and packaging decisions
New product development
Marketing and message testing
Designing upgrade-worthy product tiers
Instead of giving you a list where “everything is important,” MaxDiff delivers precise, ranked priorities you can confidently act on.
What does a MaxDiff question look like?
Let’s say you have 20 features you want to test. Way more than a normal ranking can handle. With a MaxDiff question type, a participant sees (and chooses best and worst) from a list of of just a few. Then it mixes up another set, and asks the same question. Participants respond to 9-15 sets (depending on how many features you’re testing, how many participants, the level of statistical significance you’re looking for, etc.).
Here’s what a sample question looks like for this question type:
MaxDiff is especially valuable when you have a long list of possibilities and need to narrow it down. Consider it when you’re:
Launching a new product and validating the feature set
Creating good-better-best product tiers
Revisiting pricing or bundling strategies
Testing value propositions or key messages
Deciding what to cut from a crowded roadmap
Why Use MaxDiff Instead of Ratings or Rankings?
Eliminates Rating Inflation – Ratings let people say “everything’s important.” MaxDiff forces tough choices, revealing true must-haves.
Quantifies Relative Importance – See exactly how much more customers prefer one feature over another.
Identifies Dealbreakers & Must-Haves – Learn which features you can’t cut without losing customers.
Drives Confident Decision-Making – Clear, statistically reliable results make internal alignment easier.
What You’ll Get from a MaxDiff Study
A ranked list of features, benefits, or messages by true customer value
Importance scores to quantify priorities
A clear picture of what’s essential, optional, or expendable
Segment-level insights to compare priorities across audiences
We’ve run these studies for companies like Eko Health, Cvent, and Vention—helping them go from “everything is important” to “we know exactly what to do next.”
“MaxDiff is how you stop arguing in meetings and start building what actually sells.”
Your customers already know what matters most to them. The only question is—do you?
Let’s run the MaxDiff that gives you crystal-clear priorities and a product roadmap that sells itself.
📅 Book your call today in the calendar below. No jargon, no pressure—just answers:
