Marketing Research Process for Design Concept Development

Abstract

The established marketing research methods, such as a survey by questionnaires, a Focus Group Discussion(FGD), and an in-depth interview, have numerous limits for an application to the design research. Therefore, quantitative methods through an observation, such as an empathic design, an Accompanied Shopping Trip(AST), a Town-watching, and a Home Visit receive attention in nowadays. Although an observation research usually requires a large amount of cost and time but is becoming more popular due to excavating fresh ideas that marketers had never thought. In this research, the overall research process conducted for “company L***” and the design concept development in 2007, the example to which the observation method was introduced and applied, is introduced. The design information appropriate for the target such as design trend and the preference factors was efficiently apprehended while testing a consumer observation methodology concretely aiming at the useful information provision of the way to develop the mobile phone design concept for 2008. Through this research, the process of this marketing research is introduced. Also, the each role of companies, marketers, and clients for a successful research performance is proposed.