Precision at Scale: Prototype LED Mask Trial
A global beauty and technology brand needed 300 prototype LED face masks in the hands of everyday users across the UK, tested, tracked, and reported on before launch. The products were pre-market prototypes requiring strict confidentiality. Half the sample needed to be verified existing owners of LED face masks, ensuring feedback came from people with genuine comparative experience.
That last requirement was non-negotiable. So we built a multi-stage verification process, collecting proof of ownership and securing client sign-off on every participant before they were onboarded. No shortcuts. No assumptions. Three hundred verified, quality-checked testers.
Over two months, participants used the device as part of their everyday routines, moving beyond first impressions into real behavioural patterns, longer-term usage and genuine expectations. Throughout the trial we managed participant communication directly, provided troubleshooting support, flagged emerging issues to the client in real time, and maintained a consistently high survey response rate across the full sample.
On completion, all 300 prototype units were collected and sent for controlled destruction.
We believe great research combines rigour with care. This project demonstrates our ability to deliver complex, high-stakes IHUTs at scale, without losing sight of the people behind the data.
That project is now in its next iteration. And the one after that is already in planning.
Methodology:
In-Home User Test (IHUT)
Respondents:
300
Duration:
Two Months
Services:
Recruitment, product verification, participant support, logistics, collection and controlled destruction
Working with Zest to test our first LED mask with consumers was a fantastic experience. The project was complex — skincare was a completely new space for the business, and the volume of studies required to ensure a highly consumer-satisfying product was very large. Despite the clear challenges, Zest successfully accomplished all our requests, finding great quality testers who allowed for excellent diversification. They were extremely flexible any time the research required a pivot — which frequently happened given the new space we were operating in. I am really grateful to the Zest team for all they've done and the excellent support they provide, no matter how challenging a project we propose.