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GIM Design Experience

Researching multisensory perception of product design

Topic
Technological developments and real innovations have become rare in this category, and they often present only minor improvements for consumers or users. Aesthetic aspects have thus become a differentiating factor that plays a crucial role in the purchase decision. Design creates potential for identification and thus, strengthens the product and the brand!

Therefore, market research has also started to focus on the topics of design and design research. By consistently focusing on the users and their design needs, market research adds a different and new angle to design research. So far, conventional and strongly usability-related design research has broadly neglected those who the design is actually made for (users and B2B professionals)!

Areas of application 
GIM Design Research guides you through this complex process by supporting you with well-tried methods along the entire design research process, and by suggesting actions that should be taken, from the first scribble to the marketable product. Our central question is: How is the design perceived? Which feelings does it trigger? Thus, the most important aspect is the impact the design has.

This kind of impact research is more than just an evaluation of products‘ usability. It consequently identifies users’ needs in the area of design and reveals how they can be fully satisfied. Key aspects for achieving this are thus interpretation and understanding.

Toolbox 
In order to explore consumers' complex design experiences holistically, we need a versatile set of well-tried research techniques. For this, our GIM Design research and GIM UX research teams work hand in hand to fully benefit from the synergy effects: depending on the research question and study design, we combine qualitative methods with device-based, collaborative or quantitative methods:

  • Design-labs: Iterative idea development for new designs by consumers in collaboration with manufacturers.
  • Semiotics: Helps to systematically identify subtle messages conveyed by design in order for the results to be used design development.
  • Focus groups: Bundled feedback to existing designs.

  • Ethnography: In-depth understanding of design contexts through visits to consumers‘ lifeworlds (apartment, workplace etc.).
  • Eye-tracking: Identification of visual anchors of (2D or 3D) designs. Also recommendable in combination with biophysiologic measurements.
  • Explorative interviews: Broad area of application regarding all research questions that are relevant in the area of design: from the development of new ideas to the evaluation of existing designs.
  • Biometrics: Measuring the emotional reactions to a certain design. Particularly suitable to explore the subtle and difficult-to-verbalise differences between several versions of a certain design.
  • Quantitative acceptance tests: Representative determination how much an existing design is accepted.

References

Also interesting
Here you find an interview about design between Sebastian Klein, Research Manager GIM and Real Kitchen & Interior a blog about interior-design, by Miki Homma.