Every product tells the story
of the decisions behind it.
Product development is centered around milestones. We focus on the decisions that shape them. Kulima partners with founders and new product development teams from early product direction through long-term product leadership. The work is organized across four stages: Understand, Define, Evaluate, and Evolve.
Understand
Not every perceived opportunity deserves to become a product. Before deciding what to build, it's important to understand what people are actually trying to accomplish, how they're solving it today, and whether an opportunity for meaningful improvement exists.
The work may involve consumer interviews, social listening and sentiment analysis, competitive product audits, category and trend analysis, audience segmentation, ingredient and claims landscape review, and product-opportunity assessment.
Define
Once the opportunity is clear, the work shifts from understanding the problem to defining the solution. This is where the product's purpose, performance, and direction are established. The decisions made here become the foundation for every decision that follows.
The work may involve product concept brief development, formula brief development, ingredient advisory, competitive benchmark selection, performance and sensory targets, claims territory evaluation, and prototype testing framework design.
Evaluate
A formula is tested in a lab. A product is tested by people. Technical testing can tell you whether a formula performs as intended. It can't tell you how people will use it, what they'll expect from it, or whether it becomes part of their routine. That only happens once the product is in someone's hands.
The work may involve hands-on prototype testing, application and sensory assessment, comparative testing against competitive products, salon practitioner evaluation, consumer home-use studies, focus groups, surveys, and claims versus performance analysis.
Evolve
Product development doesn't end when a prototype performs well. Once a product begins moving toward launch, new questions emerge about how it should be introduced, understood, supported, and expanded. The work shifts from defining the product to ensuring everyone involved—from founders and internal teams to practitioners and customers—has the knowledge and direction needed to support the product throughout its lifecycle.
The work may involve education strategy for internal teams, practitioners, and consumers, product adoption strategy, post-launch product evaluation, portfolio planning, and ongoing cross-functional product leadership.
How we engage
Whether you're exploring a new opportunity, preparing for formulation, evaluating prototypes, or expanding an existing line, Kulima can support a focused project or become an ongoing part of your product development process.