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

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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