← Project archiveProduct Innovation · Customer Insight · Brand Strategy
TexLab™
Testing new categories with the ULLA community
ULLA Hair®
Context / Challenge
TexLab™ is an early access testing programme I created within ULLA to involve customers in the development of new products, ideas and categories before they move into the wider brand.
ULLA had built its customer base around affordable synthetic hair. Moving into human hair meant entering a different price point and customer expectation.
Rather than develop a new collection behind closed doors and present customers with a finished product to buy, I wanted a way to test whether the category genuinely worked for ULLA and its community first.
Insight
Introducing human hair was not simply another product launch. It meant testing how far the brand could move beyond its existing synthetic offering without losing what customers already valued about ULLA.
I also wanted customers to feel involved in what the brand was becoming rather than only seeing the final result.
Strategy
I created TexLab™ as a structured testing environment within ULLA.
The first use of the programme focused on developing a new human hair collection, but TexLab™ was designed to extend beyond hair and eventually test other products, concepts and experiences before they become part of the main ULLA offering.
Customers receive early access at a reduced price while providing feedback that can be used during development.
Idea
Create a lower risk way to test new categories before a full launch while involving the ULLA community directly in product development.
The programme also needed to generate useful customer insight without making the testing stage commercially unsustainable.
Execution
I created the TexLab™ concept and designed how the programme would work across product testing, pricing, customer involvement and feedback.
For the human hair project, I have also managed manufacturer communication, product selection, customer updates and the development of the testing process.
I chose to treat the new collection as an early access programme rather than a conventional launch.
Customers are brought into the process through development updates and discounted testing opportunities. Their experience with the products can then inform decisions around quality, texture, styling, pricing and whether a product should move into the wider range.
The programme also creates opportunities to identify customers who may later take part in campaigns or other ULLA projects.
- Developing the TexLab™ concept and programme structure
- Defining the first human hair testing range
- Working with manufacturers on textures, lengths and samples
- Setting early access pricing
- Communicating the development journey with customers
- Recruiting participants and testers
- Planning the feedback process
- Using feedback to inform future product decisions
- Identifying potential community members for future campaigns
- A repeatable early access testing model
- Human hair products released through TexLab™ for testing
- Customer communication and development updates
- A structured route for gathering product feedback
- A framework that can be used to test future ULLA products and concepts
Impact
TexLab™ created a way for ULLA to explore a new product category without immediately committing to a full collection.
It also introduced a different relationship with customers, where the community can contribute to decisions before products reach the wider market.
The human hair programme remains an active testing project, so final launch outcomes are still being developed.
TexLab™ has reinforced the value of testing assumptions before committing fully to a new idea.
It has also shown me that customer involvement can be useful beyond traditional market research. Bringing people into the development process can reveal what fits the brand, what needs changing and what should not move forward at all.