Pre-project design research is highly recommended for a full understanding of target markets and their needs. Design research helps to support the industrial design process. Some of the design research services M Design offers are:
- Marketplace review - Taking a step back to fully understand the culture, trends, and consumer segments that affect each design project.
- Focus groups - Group discussions to understand people’s attitudes, beliefs, perceptions, associations, and reactions to products, services, packages, concepts, brands, etc.
- Ethnography - Observing people in their normal routine (relevant to project) to see how products are used, what challenges consumers face and how to create a better user experience.
- User generated content - Having consumers create videos, photo journals, or “day-in-the-life” diaries of their routines, habits and practices.
- Deep-dive interviews - One-on-one or one-on-few dialogue lead by a moderator that yields a thorough understanding of the people or processes relevant to the design challenge.