Japanese panelists offer insightful and creative descriptions of various products. After applying a hand cream, one panelist described her skin as velvety, powdery, thin, and veil-like. Another panelist described that her palms felt slick and smooth after applying a lotion and wiping it off. She highlighted the luxurious quality of the lotion and attentive observations about how her skin felt. Their descriptions were genuinely intriguing.
That wasn’t the first time we heard from insightful Japanese panelists. In a facial cleanser test, one panelist described her dry skin as pleading for hydration. While we typically ask them to evaluate products using predetermined scales, they often express their nuanced feelings in their comments.
We did not train them to describe how their skin felt after using the product; panelists gave these comments voluntarily after rating specific attributes on descriptive analysis scales.
Comments Supplement Quantitative Ratings
The trained sensory evaluation method, including Descriptive Analysis, employs fixed rating scales. Trained panelists assess test products using specific attributes and corresponding scales to quantify their characteristics. However, these defined sensory attributes do not always capture the whole sensory experience of the evaluated products. To get a complete profile of the tested items, we encourage panelists to share their observations and experiences in their own words.
Find Meticulous, Descriptive, and Enthusiastic Individuals
Selection and training are essential steps before the actual training process begins. Not all Japanese consumers are equally descriptive. We select consumers genuinely interested in specific product categories, such as snacks or cosmetics. Individuals passionate about products in these categories have significant exposure and exhibit careful attention to product characteristics. We further evaluate candidates through a testing process to assess their ability to detect product differences and describe their characteristics objectively and without bias.
Panelists view training as an opportunity to improve their sensory skills. They conduct sensory evaluations before and after training sessions to reinforce their learning. During training, they seek guidance on assessing products more accurately to replicate and enhance their test results. Their commitment to the training may stem from their interest in the product category. The process of selecting sensory panelists also fosters a sense of pride. After completing the training, we congratulate them on their achievement and encourage them to continue participating in sensory testing.
Note language Nuances
While Japanese sensory panelists are skilled at capturing products’ sensory characteristics, it’s important to note that their comments depend on the nuances of the local language. For example, the Japanese word “BETATSUKU” conveys various meanings, including stickiness, wetness, and oiliness on the skin surface. We must translate these Japanese comments carefully.
Despite local language nuances, sensory panelists effectively capture quantitative and qualitative product characteristics, contributing to product development activities surpassing those of mechanical machines.