design research

WHY?

  • You can't effectively solve the design problem unless you complete understand it
  • Need to identify & study the different faucets that may effect the solution
  • Help you form the right strategy and make correct decisions when formulating the solution

3 Approaches to research

  • Exploratory: Gain background information and clarify problems to solve
  • Descriptive: To research and describe marketing phenomena
  • Causal: Determine the cause. If this then that statement 

define the problem

  • What is it that you have to solve? Is it an increase in sales, a new product launch, target a new audience?
  • Ask yourself: Why are you creating the ad?
  • There might be more then one problem to solve. Make sure you review everything and look at the problem from every possible angle

determine the audience

  • Who is your target audience? Are they young, old, male, female?
  • Flush this out with details. Write them down. 
  • You can try surveying or using focus groups to determine their habits and what their perception of the product/service.

research the competition

  • Create detailed profiles of the competition
    • Who are they?
    • What's their position?
    • What do they do right/wrong?
    • How can you do it differently?
    • How can you set yourself apart from them?
  • go to their websites, browse the shelves in stores, get to know their history. Gather information as if they hired you!

Remember: A Common goal is to set yourself apart from them!

research The brand/product

  • Create detailed about the brand/product/service that your solving the problem for
    • Who are they?
    • What's their position?
    • What's the features/benefits?
    • What do they do right/wrong?
    • How can you set yourself apart from the competition?
  • Go to their website, browse the shelves in stores, get to know their history. Gather any information that you can about the company

Key Words, Feelings and metaphors

  • How should the audience feel when viewing the ad?
    • Happy, introspective, determined?
    • Write them down and keep them in mind for the design phase 
  • What 4 keywords (adjectives) would describe your product or service?
    • Rugged, Sleek, Expensive, etc...
    • Write them down and keep them in mind for the design phase 
  • What metaphors can you use to describe the product or service?
    • If brand X were a car, they'd be a porche because their fast, sexy and expensive

Text

Text

if you get stuck

  • Try posing the problem as a question
  • Don't be afraid to ask questions
  • Ask yourself what would make you buy the product
  • Find the central truth about your product. The human truth
  • Try the competitors product
  • Dramatize the benefit
  • Study award winning ads
  • Focus on substance
  • Test the strategy - it's better then testing executions

ideas on paper

When you start out, it's quantity not quality

Getting your ideas down

  • First, say it strait, then say it great
  • Restate the strategy and put some spin on it
  • Think about the mood that you want the view to feel
  • It's okay to come up with horrible ideas
  • Share your ideas with other people to get feedback on them
  • Try mind mapping
  • Look at pictures that stir the emotion that you want to communicate
  • Make sure the medium works
  • Be provocative
Made with Slides.com