Semiotic research in consumer goods
In search of the perfect design
A household goods manufacturer was about to develop a new design for their dishwashers. Using an unusual qualitative approach, GIM was able to provide the client with a substantial insight into how to brand future designs with their own language.
The challenge
In order to clearly communicate the core brand values of their company, the manufacturer wanted to develop an independent design language. GIM was tasked with comparing the design principles of the client’s competitors and the client’s design language. Research was also required into which specific design elements represented the client’s core brand values.
The solution
GIM selected a two-stage study: semiotic analysis and focus groups.
For the semiotic analysis, models of the client’s most up to date dishwashers and those of the competition were analyzed according to the main design principles. GIM then investigated to what extent the main aesthetic conventions chosen, i.e. symmetry, proportion or haptics, actually communicated the brand’s core values.
In the second stage of the study, eight discussion groups with householders between the ages of 20 and 60 were conducted, focusing on the design requirements of dishwasher consumers. The consumers then discussed the previously identified dishwasher models. The results of the semiotic analysis were circulated in bound catalogues and as hypotheses to be discussed. In addition, the consumers talked about the client’s brand image and considered this in relation to the design of the appliance.
The success
By decoding the design language of all manufacturers, coupled with the in-depth investigation, into the consumer’s design requirements regarding dishwashers, GIM gave the client qualitative foundations on which to develop a new design language for future appliances.