1

&

research techniques

that drive innovation

2

to create and execute design solutions towards problems of form,

usability, user ergonomics, engineering, marketing, brand

development, and sales.

traditional research methods

• Traditional research tells people’s attitudes . . . not how

people think, feel and behave

• Focus groups, intercepts, consumer surveys can be artificial

performances

• Traditional methods use descriptions and sketches;

consumers can’t make the leap

• Traditional research facilities aren’t where the product is used

• “the voice of the customer” is only a part of the need

• Traditional research stops with the results of the research

• Traditional research is time-consuming, expensive and not

always effective . . . and can cause restarts or market failures

3

innovation is the

profitable

implementation of

ideas.

4

what

people

say

what

people

do

what is

ideal

5

the new basics

• Capture consumers’ emotions, behavior & cognitive

processes with ergonomics/design trained eyes

• Go to where the product is used: i.e., catch consumers

being themselves

• Go beyond “the voice of the customer” to the behavior of

the customer

• Put product in the participants’ hands

• Videotape everything

6

7

"I skate to where

the puck is going

to be, not where it

has been."

- Wayne Gretsky

8

Change focus group to small grpup

discussion

Correct spelling of questionnaire

Online?

Crowd sourcing?

Sustainability?

Experts?

Small

9

discovery • innovative methodology can

range from GuerillaWebfare™

to experiential types; e.g.

behavioral mapping, ‘fly on the

wall’, etc. . .

• overt, covert, or combination

• observational, conversational,

surveys, etc.

• videotaped for ease of

collection, later analysis and

client communication

10

11 11

12

the critical next step

• analyze and interpret a solution that embodies the essence of

that intellectual interpretation and most importantly resonates

with the people who buy and engage your product, package or

brand.

• integrated into a thorough understanding of how the body

moves, thinks and feels

• design thinking is applied to concept & design development

• creates the critical thinking analyses to enable a framework for

design and results that lead to actionable innovation

13

“You miss 100%

of the shots you

don’t take."

- Wayne Gretsky

14

the innovation step

• integrated into a thorough

understanding of how the

body moves, thinks and

feels; true ergonomics

• run though a proprietary or

other innovation processes

• creates the critical thinking

analyses to enable a

framework for design and

results that lead to

actionable innovation

• design thinking is applied to

concept & design

development

15

&

strategy • innovation • sustainability