The perceptual map is not available when no products are marketed. However, you may still obtain information on segment needs from the semantic scales study. Let’s take an example and assume that Space Agencies have indicated that they are looking for products with a high value in Energy Efficiency, i.e. their ideal point is at 5.5 on the 1 to 7 scale. Our best option is to assume that there exists a linear relationship between the energy efficiency, from 20 to 100 cycles/Watt-hour and semantic scales, i.e. that the lowest energy efficiency –20– would be rated 1, and that the highest efficiency –100– would be rated 7. In this case, the formula to convert the ideal 5.5 into energy efficiency is:
The general formulas are:
where P is the desired value on the 1 to 7 scale; X is the corresponding physical level; and LB and UB are the lower and upper limits of the physical characteristic’s feasible range.
This method, although imperfect, allows you to make approximations until more data becomes available over time.