Design Research

When we approach the fuzzy front end of a design project, attempting to create the design brief we will outline a course of action for the design research to take place. We cannot rely on the assumption that we know what is best for our customers. Your customers are well informed and know what they don’t want.

One thing for sure is the customer will always want a great experience.

This is why it is important to research the customer needs and wants, and attempt to present a persona that offers a real idea of who the real customer is, what the experience is currently like for them and how to turn it into a memorable experience.

The aim is to build the experience into something that the customer will tell others about and create a loyalty to the product/service, and help in developing a brand that is identified with great experiences. We all identify with brands and have experiences that guide our decisions, whether we continue with the organisations products or not. Loyalty is short lived if the experience is a bad one. Creating an association with the brand is critical to the survival of all businesses today.

Our main source of research is through the design research methods. A more detailed approach to the problem and a lot less generalized.

We will use methods like the following:

Ethnographic research; a research method that is more observational and recording detail of how people interact with your product or service.
User Centred Design (UCD). Through UCD we can gain empathy into how people interact with the world around us.
Journey Maps; this is a graphical representation of the journey of the customer and may include the service providers crew. A more holistic method
Persona; a method of creating an identity of the typical customer or client. What they think, act and do., demographics, etc.
Behaviour design. Closely linked to UCD with a focus on how the product and the person interact. does it meet their everyday needs.
Prototyping is used to get valuable feedback from your peers, clients and end users.
Wire-framing: building an inactive digital prototype, to assess customer or client touch and pain points.
Scientific research, is not used a great deal, but sits in the tool box ready to be used for a more general understanding of the research subject.
Primary and secondary research can and will be used.
Observational research is the most used, once we identify with a target audience we will follow, and watch them interact with products and services. ask questions to find out what they are thinking at the time of the interaction.

We identify where you are and design a solution to your problem and build a unique experience for all.

The design research strategies can be applied to: