If you’re like most designers out there, the thought of marketing research is probably about as exciting as watching paint dry. Concepts like stratified samples, nonresponse bias and quantitative measurements aren’t likely to be tops on your list of coffee talk, either. But, being able to provide your clients with great work and the research to back it up, will give your design more authority and maybe put a few more zeros at the end of your bank balance.

Research isn’t just the domain of the mega firms and companies. An independent designer with a little savvy can obtain good information that will help to target their work and bring better results. A little bit of something is always better than a whole lot of nothing. Simple, but valuable, research can be done with telephone calls, email, the internet, your local library, trade organizations and many other sources.
Did you know you have a great profile?

At the start of a project, get with your client and begin to profile the audience. For smaller clients, this is likely to be a “best guess.” For larger ones, sales data will often be readily available. You might even luck out and find they have just completed a relevant formal study. The key is to figure out who you’re talking to and what’s important to them. For example, I was recently contracted to develop a site for a large cardiology practice, but they didn’t want to sink a load of dough into research. A cursory look at the waiting room showed that the target was likely to be senior citizens. No big surprise there. That lead me to research computer usage by seniors on the AARP site. A quick keyword search lead me to a several other reports and articles on senior surfing habits. Here’s the resulting profile that when into my proposal:

“A typical user profile would be a senior female with limited computer confidence. Her computer is a Windows-based PC and her browser software is Internet Explorer. She most likely hasn’t upgraded her browser software recently. She accesses the Internet for roughly 9 hours per week for e-mail and to search for information about various products and services of interest. She may have even made a few online purchases, but she is very concerned about her privacy being exploited by online enterprises.”

Short, sweet and to the point. The profile is something of a guiding overview. For detailed information, I just needed to go back to the research.

From this profile I was able to design the site specifically for the this “person” and create a comfortable, useful design. The research took about 6 or 7 hours. When I presented the designs, it was obvious that the design fit the profile and made sense. Research is the ammo that will make your sales job easier and minimize, or eliminate, any resistance by your client that’s based in personal opinion, views of their significant other, or their brother-in-law's neighbor’s cousin who took a design class once. We’ve all been there.

Let’s play 20 questions
For some clients, your research may simply involve getting the names and numbers of a few key customers. Listening to them will yield a wealth of knowledge that will increase the effectiveness of your design and your value to your client. Most people will be happy to talk to you because it will ultimately help them. Be sure to respect their time. Always be sure to ask up front if it’s a good time to talk and let them know you’ll be brief. Who knows … you might even land a new client because they’re so impressed with your thoroughness!

What do you ask, though? Questions often center around whether they are familiar with my client’s company, their products, their literature. I’ll ask what product and/or service features are important. What are the benefits to them? Do they buy based on price? Or is customer service more important? How do they get information prior to buying? The questions differ from project to project. Your project goals will often dictate what you need to ask.

And the survey says ...
For more involved studies, the internet offers several survey creation sites, such as Zoomerang.com and Surveymonkey.com. Both offer free surveys and paid options. When your budget allows, research studies, focus groups and such can be conducted by partnering with an outside firm.

Often, you’ll start out with a premise or a belief only to find that things aren’t the way you thought at all. In the above cardiology example, I thought our target would have been male. The research showed otherwise. Even if the patient was the husband, it was more often the wife that would do the surfing. That saved me from approaching the design from the wrong angle.

You can play after you do your homework
Once I have a profile, the concepting begins. That’s followed by key visuals and copy that work together to meet the needs of the audience and influence them to do something. Based on what I’m trying to accomplish, that can be to go to a web site, call for a sales rep, purchase a product or perhaps, make a contribution. By doing my homework, I know what to feature within the context of the design and how to talk to the audience.
Did you study for your test?

As the designs come together, it’s important to test them. In profiling, you find the points that unify the audience. Beyond product/service feature and benefit needs and wants, you’ll often find demographic similarities. They may be primarily female, college educated, high income, similar age group, etc. These will help you in selecting appropriate colors, fonts, images, etc. so your design connects with the audience.

You can put together your own focus groups easy enough to test your ideas. I’ll often run potential solutions by friends and family that are similar to the profile. My client can do the same. If you want to get a larger sample, but can’t spring the bucks for a research firm, try posting to an online forum that matches your target profile. About.com is a great place to find groups that can provide opinions. Trade associations often have forums on their sites. Upload the designs to your site and then ask for feedback. What comes back can be enlightening, encouraging and sometimes downright depressing. It’s important to listen, even if you don’t personally agree. Maybe you just love blue, but 90% of your test group says that red really turns their crankshaft. There might just be a reason to rethink your color choices. If you’re into creating designs that solely please you, you’re better off sticking to the fine arts. Take the information you get and find ways to apply it to your project.

Time invested in research will enable you to make confident design decisions. It provides a framework and helps to focus your thinking. Contrary to what some designers may think, it doesn’t stifle your creativity, it empowers it. Without it, you’re often shooting in the dark. Marketing research provides you with the ability to present your solutions and make a sound case for them. Any day of the week, that’ll beat, “Well, here’s my designs. Ain’t they purdy?”

©2002, Neil Tortorella