THE FIT DIAGNOSTIC™
The instrument through which Tiny Hat Consulting’s quality of seeing becomes actionable.
The Fit Diagnostic™ is built on the Embodied Consumer Framework. It is not a research instrument in the conventional sense. It is a structured way of asking whether what an organization is building actually fits the people it is built for, in the moments those people will encounter it.
The diagnostic works across two dimensions (Audience, Occasion) and four integration layers (Memory, Practice, Narrative, Scaffolding) mapped against each other in the Fit Matrix. What the matrix makes visible is where fit exists and where it breaks down, with enough specificity to act on.
TWO QUESTIONS
Every innovation has to answer both.
AUDIENCE FIT
Are the right people being seen clearly enough? Not as a demographic segment or a behavioral profile, but as living beings in the middle of becoming, shaped by the life stage they are in, the cultural world they inhabit, and the specific moment they are standing in.
OCCASION FIT
Has the moment of encounter been understood honestly? Every product or service enters a person's life at a specific moment, in a specific context. Whether it fits that moment or misses it is often the difference between adoption and indifference.
What the The Fit Diagnostic™ produces is innovation fit: the degree to which what is being built aligns with how people are actually living.
The output is not a score. It’s a diagnosis, specific enough to inform decisions and grounded enough to defend them.
HOW THE DIAGNOTIC GETS DONE
The Fit Diagnostic™ draws on a range of methodologies depending on what the situation requires. Ethnography and market immersion for depth, focus groups and qual-at-scale using AI for breadth. Both in-person and virtual.
The diagnostic has been applied to audience illumination, brand positioning, and new product development.
THREE WAYS OF WORKING
1
Diagnostic Lite
A focused audit of two to five days. Built for organizations that need a clear picture of where fit is breaking down before committing to a longer engagement. The output is a targeted diagnosis with specific recommendations per cell.
Together, we outline a path forward that’s realistic, strategic, and tailored to your specific needs.
2
Full Diagnostic
A comprehensive engagement running six to twelve weeks, involving primary research across both dimensions and all four integration layers. Built for organizations making significant product, brand, or innovation decisions where the cost of misalignment is high.
You’re part of the process. We keep communication open and decisions shared—no black boxes or surprises.
3
When we deliver, it’s not just a finished product—it’s a solution you can trust, backed by real care and effort.
Iterative Build
A multi-phase engagement running three to six months. Built for organizations that want the diagnostic lens embedded into an active development process, not as a one-time input but as an ongoing check on fit as the work evolves.