Conjoint analysis is a market research technique in which respondents are systematically presented with a rotating set of product descriptions. Each contains a rotating collection of attributes and levels of those attributes. Then, by asking respondents to choose their preferred product or indicate their degree of preference from within each set of options, conjoint analysis can determine the relative contribution to each variable’s overall choice and level.
The two key advantages of conjoint analysis over other methods for studying preferences are that it can provide detailed information about the importance of individual attributes and levels and do so without requiring respondents to make trade-offs between highly abstract concepts. In product development, conjoint analysis can be used to assess customers’ preferences for different product features, generate ideas for new product designs, and evaluate the likely success of proposed new products.