Ethnography case study june 24, 2013

Andrew Schechterman, MS, PHD

Michael Eckersley, MFA, PHD

Max Ruckman, Black & Decker HHI

Bill O’Connor, Source, Inc.

www.maxruckman.com

Ethnography

The ethnography research in this presentation was completed as part of a larger brand development project for Black & Decker. The project focus was on the creation of a new luxury brand of door hardware. This presentation covers only a small portion of the overall research. The research was enlightening, helping us to truly understand the designer, architect and client interaction during the custom home building process. The project was a deep dive into all of the nuances and emotions involved. Everything from the dynamics between husband & wife, how the designers presented their office to the detailed interactions between all parties involved. The project includes three different scenarios: 1) The client leads with help from the designer(arbiter), 2) The designer(arbiter) leads with input from the client, 3) The client and designer(arbiter) collaborate on the project. The information and discussions are real, taken from fieldwork, observing the interaction of designers, architects and clients while actually developing and building a custom home. The homes ranged from $2,000,000 to $5,000,000.

Project Overview

Ethno

gra

phy

Brand Strategy

Development and

Creation Design of a

branding System

brand strategy development and design of a brand branding system

Brand

objective

process Strategy

Brand System Design

Post Design

Research Finalization Application

Research

Designer Arbiter & Client Consumer User Research

o

b

j

e

c

t

i

v

e

s

human-centered research and strategic design-planning

Help inform A

new Brand

and platform

accomplish

qualitative

research

yielding

insights and

human-

centered

“DNA”

provide conceptual representations of insights, conclusions and recommendations

14 p

r

i

m

e

r

design for experience

method and process quick

primer

Design for Experience Method: High - Level

Marketing Engineering

Design

Sellable &

Distributable

Possible &

Feasible

Useful &

Desirable

Product Success

Human Centered Research

Define

Release

Iterative Participant

Studies

Iterative Participant

Studies Design

A

B

Design for Experience Method: In-Depth

“I am Me”

By Becky Weraer

I am funny

I run, sing and play

I like dogs

I m a sister

a wide or horizontal view yields a commodities or manufacturing view of humans as customers

Experience

Seeing Customers

Humans

a zoom or vertical view yields a market view of customers as humans

Experience

Seeing Customers

Humans

a microscopic view demands patience and skill, but yields critical insights

21

Experience

Seeing Customers

Humans

Discover & Refinement Opportunities Everywhere




Everyday Realities

Human Data Personas Archetypes Design Filters

31

natural affinities to

“correct, life-size”

archetypes

Well, he’s right.

Grandma Opal

brings me toys!

Mom, you’re

the best!

Archetype as Human Continuum

Archetype As Human Continuum

science teaches us that humans are more alike than different

the primary differentiator being culture

Archetype As Human Continuum

understanding the nuances of human experience across a

continuum, deeply informs strategy for brands & products

Archetype as

Human Continuum

Express

Search

Manage

Realize

&&Manifest

behaviors or

actions which

are largely

objective and

observable

go to a showroom

browse a catalog

talk to a friend

touch hardware

place an item in context

thoughts or

opinions

which are

subjective and

unobservable

until

expressed

early American would be nice

great quality, affordable too

it should be inviting

emotions or feeling which are subjective and inferentially observable, not requiring explanation

it feels…

solid

safe

exciting

boring

REALIZE - MANIFEST

55

Decisions reflecting

education

urgency

choice

confidence

Satiation

all prior behavioral Cognitive And Affective variables

Participants

Participant Geography: Current and Previous

63

San Diego

Phoenix

Salt Lake

Boise

Kansas City

St. Louis

Chicago

Birmingham Atlanta

Miami

D.C.

Baltimore

New Jersey

Philadelphia

New York City

Participant Geography: Current and Previous

Arbiters

65

Kim

Lucy

Martha

Kathy

Client

Consumers

Liz & Robert

Marlise&& Mike

Leslie & Family

hybrids

wearing the hats of an arbiter and a

client at the same time

Annie

Brad

melanie

Data points Touch points Constructs Moments of Truth

Touch point Universe

Arbiter-relevant Touch points

consumer-relevant Touch points

Builder/Architect relevant Touch points

((consumer-arbiter))))

Touch points of shared relevance(((

(expression: desires, needs, style, vision…)

Touch point constellation construct

(search( find) : appropriate path elements )


(management: process, complexity)


(realization (manifestation): dream, style, goals visualization)


Problem Solution Spaces

Problem Solution Space #1

arbiter

client

decisions

made in

the

building

process

Problem Solution Space #2

Personas

Archetype

Interior Designer

Archetype Carole

“you have to be an

excellent communicator”

“it‟s 90%

of the job”

“a lot of psychology”

I enjoy developing a personal relationship with clients

“it leads to successful collaboration”

reflecting the family’s

lifestyle

“I don‟t get many clients who

cheat on product quality”

“they‟re

pretty

consistent

on price-

points

throughout”

“some of my clients are wealthy”

“but they‟re not stupid”

“they won‟t waste their money”

“different”

“but – product names don’t dictate what I choose to specify”

Front door – the

architecture and the

material has to blend

with what’s inside

getting to know the arbiter, Carole

Family originally from Cleveland

children are in the public schools

40 years old

two children, 8 & I0

married to Jim for I5 years

Jim works in Banking Administration

(working on his MBA)

They live in Dublin, an upper middle-class suburb of Columbus, Ohio

with some coursework in architecture B.A. in Interior Design

Carole Drives a 2010 Lexus SUV

Jim drives a 2012 Mazda sedan

full-time independent interior designer

with full-time assistant

primarily residential

some commercial

gets most referrals by

word of mouth

involved in 3-4

projects at a time

project budgets range

from less than $20,000

to more than $200,000

Leslie &

Doug

Client couple

archetype

“door hardware may

be heavy, a really great

finish” [Leslie]

bathroom hardware, possibly unique, but relating to sink fixtures and the style of tile [Leslie]

“well, I guess they should be compatible,

but not direct matches” [Leslie]

I„ve already selected the front door hardware [laughs, then points to circled items in a catalog]

[Leslie]

“they‟re pretty plain. huh?

actually, they‟re just what I

wanted” [Leslie]

“i‟m very concerned about it

lasting a long time” [Doug]

“my files appear to

be in disarray” [Leslie‟s interior research]

but I know where

everything is; I stay

organized by using

this spiral binder. I

got this one at

Target” [Leslie]

“…like the

bathroom sink

design, it makes it

nice to get ready

in the morning” [Leslie, Doug nods head]

getting

to know

the

clients

originally from Columbus and Cincinnati (Ohio)

married

16 years

and

age

39

40

so

ns

2

a family dog

lives in an

upper middle class

suburb of

Columbus Ohio

(mechanical engineering)

Doug is co-owner of a manufacturing firm

Leslie is a full-time mom and CPA

providing “relief“ for local corporations during tax season

Doug drives a 2009

Jeep Grand Cherokee

Leslie drives a 2011

Chrysler Minivan

building a

custom home

on a private

golf course

budget

$925,000

Leslie is particularly interested in a “very nice kitchen and master bath”

Doug is particularly interested in having a full-sized office

and workshop

Doug Also wants it to be a place where friends can come to relax

and play golf

We explored three different types of relationships

1 - client leads the project

2 - Collaboration between client &&&and Designer

3 - Designer Leads the project

client leads

Carole Leslie

Leslie is a self-starter

she has a lot of interest in:

building

design

Leslie remodeled or built a home prior to the

current custom home

Leslie actively researches and specifies many of her materials and hardware

she may work closely with

her builder and architect

sometimes

even operating

as the general

contractor or

“assistant" to

the contractor

15

9

this is a

significant

amount of work

for Leslie,

balanced with

her own daily

responsibilities

but she enjoys it as a “labor of love”

Leslie may access Carole„s expertise at the start of a project and at various stages of the process

or on an "as needed" basis

“ Carole“ may be her friend who “happens to be an interior designer”

trusted family member

actual interior design

professional she

encounters in a higher-

end design showroom

Carole may also be available via her builder

architect

Client and Arbiter

collaboration

Carole Leslie

functioning

in a

somewhat

more

common

client-

professional

relationship

Leslie hires Carole

after meeting her at

an open house

she asked Carole to help her in

the design of the family„s new

6000 sq. ft. custom home

nestled on 1.5 acres

Carole knows she has the freedom to propose an array of ideas

and expert recommendations to Leslie

but honors that Leslie and her

husband will make the final choices

Leslie remains comfortable

with

family

friends

even

some

freelance

work

Leslie and Doug share a home office

Leslie meets at Carole‟s office

and Carole comes to Leslie's home

the project is

yet must be completed

in less than a year

Leslie and Carole

spent an enjoyable

saturday together

recently

visiting an exclusive showroom

Several items were specified

a few were “rejected!

arbiter leads

Carole Leslie

Carole is an experienced

Well regarded

interior

designer

With A History Of Consulting On…

c

o

m

m

e

r

c

i

a

l

restoration

historic

and private projects

sometimes with high-dollar budgets

She attracts Leslie as a client, by referral

Leslie is

busy

with

other

activities

in her life

she and her

husband

currently have

homes on

both coasts

She is less inclined to “dive into" the joint labor and decision making process

detailing the family‟s new gathering place

Carole spends

enough time with

Leslie to get a

good feel of

Leslie„s

personality

life style

and needs

this is an upfront

“psychological"

skill Carole has

worked to

refine

though she acknowledges that she is also a natural, which helps

and though she knows she„s been

granted substantial liberty in the

overall design of the new home

she must ultimately find the

right solution for Leslie‟s needs

Use and Validation

Carole - Designer Leslie - Client

Scenario of actual customer client discussion

Carole

hello, i'm Carole and this is my friend (and

client) Leslie.

we've been asked to tell you something

about our experience of working together

and about the process we undertook

to conceptualize, design and specify

Leslie's amazing new, custom home

here in Dublin. Ohio.

LesIie?…

Leslie hi! I suppose I can begin, since the ideas for the house go back some years – long before Carole and I met and got to know each other…

Doug and I were married back in

1996. we met as undergrads at

Miami University in Oxford

(Leslie smiles and turns to Carole and smiles)

Leslie I studied Business and Accounting and eventually got my CPA while I was still pregnant with our first child, Jeremy

Leslie

I guess you could say that Doug and I both come from suburban

middle-class, midwestern families, rather conservative…

Carole Me too, Carole chuckles - inside joke? I actually met Doug„s family at Leslie and Doug„s open house party

I also got to

know Leslie's

mother on

various

occasions

throughout

the design of

the home

Leslie The reason I bring up history is that Doug and I lived in an apartment for some years

and later our first home was pretty modest

we have fond memories of those years

but we’d always held out

the prospect that someday

we might have a home that

is truly of our own making

over the years I’ve collected many books and magazines looking for ideas hoping to find out what‘s possible in a custom home

l also wanted to familiarize myself with the ins and outs of the process of home design

you know,

architecture,

building, interior

design…

Carole

Leslie invited her mom in to react

to some of the design and furnishing

issues that came up

she had some good advice

we‟ve laughed plenty of times over

how much our families are alike

wonderful people

but conservative

not willing to take too many risks

Leslie has an impressive collection of resources

catalogs

“how-to” books

videos

stained wood

she had a dream…

and was patient and methodical about making it happen

Leslie

when Doug and I were finally in a

position to consider building a new home

his manufacturing business began to take-off

around 2007 we set

about looking for

property in the

Columbus area

we’ve always lived close to neighbors

subdivisions

for this house we wanted some acreage

its our favorite pastime

We also wanted some freedom to build a truly custom home…

we have close

friends who live in

beautiful upscale

areas

but the homes seem

"cookie-cutter“

they have a “sameness" that we didn„t want

especially given the kind of investment involved

anyway, we’ve always liked Dublin

the schools are excellent

the downtown is nice

it took about a

year, but we found

a really wonderful

piece of land

abutting the

14th tee of a

new country

club golf

development

lots of trees

lots of privacy

plenty of space between the houses

We interviewed some architects in the area

with mixed results

but eventually found out about a

really gifted young residential

architect in the Cleveland area…

working with Roger over the summer (he would fly in or drive over every couple weeks)

(Leslie smiles and turns to Carole)

he was able to gradually get a feel for our vision of the house

and create some great drawings and plans

He brought a lot to the design qualities and possibilities that we had not even imagined

but then we came to an impasse

Roger had a great feel for

the broad-brush design

when it came to details in the interior plan

we just couldn‘t get on the same page

that's where Carole came in…

Carole

what she„s referring to is the annual

designers‟ home show sponsored by

businesses in the area to support a local

women & children‟s clinic…

I was awarded the job of designing and decorating the master bedroom

and children‟s rooms

of the show house

Leslie liked my work and gave me a call

thanks again Leslie!

(laughs)

Leslie

I loved what Carole had done with the bedrooms

enough to call her

but what really sold me on her abilities was

our ability to communicate

she‟s a great listener

yet always seems able to offer up some insight or possible solution that I know I’ve been thinking about

but haven't had the words to express

Of coarse, looking at Carole's portfolio of work

her

drawings

her attention to detail

to subtleties

materials

it was so impressive

Great launching

pads for making

decisions

in no time, Carole was up to speed on what we felt we needed and what we really hoped for in the home

though I was familiar with many of the elements and the

general process of designing and building a custom home

I struggled with how to pull it all together

Carole's ability to select just the right elements

and finishes

to cabinets and furniture

was so helpful

even more importantly, she was able to work with

Roger to make important changes to the floor plan

that significantly enhanced the experience of living in the home

we now realize that

A home‟s exterior is one thing

everyone sees it

but the interior is a whole other thing

I think much more complicated

Carole

I occasionally consult with

builders and architects

working to integrate and coordinate

all the various elements

subtleties

and spatial relationships

that the architect often never has the time or patience to deal with

Their elevations and plans succeed in roughing things in

but before you know it, they're on to another project

my clients and even architects

are sometimes exhausted or impatient

at later stages of the process, they want closure

it's unfortunate because decisions made in the final 10% of the process

often can make or break the completed

design

Leslie

Carole showed us how relatively simple

alterations in the original interior plan

could create

an entirely

different

orientation

and flow to

the upstairs

bedroom

and hallway

experience

I had some definite ideas about the configuration

of the master bath

my wants and needs are different than Doug‘s,

and she found

ways to make us

both happy

Carole also offered a practical adjustment to the downstairs entry

hall

way

living room

and kitchen flows

We have a close group of friends

and we like to entertain

the kitchen

breakfast nook

dining area

and patio area

all had to work together

So…

and be adaptable to groups of three or four, even two dozen!

tall order, I know

(smiles at Carole)

now that it’s complete, it simply feels right

it captures all the qualities

I had in my mind's eye ten

years ago when we were

still in our little starter home

Carole

Leslie mentioned the home entry…

even really good

architects can overlook

the symbolic “entry-

welcome”

and “entry-farewell” experiences

for the home-owners and their guests

I consider the front door to be, both literally and figuratively the portal between the public and private worlds

the walkway

the lighting

the scale

and feel of the door

the door hardware

the sounds

the smells

the lines-of-sight

all combine to

potentially tell you

something about

the values of the

family living there

the front door

should integrate

with the exterior

style of the house

but also signal the ambiance of the experience that awaits inside

Leslie

for us, probably the quintessential enjoyment we

get out of our new home

friends have told us that

coming into our house

is somehow special

they can‟t put their finger on it

but they love it

and so do we

Carole

the process of designing a custom (or even

semi-custom) home is immensely gratifying

to me

it‟s like putting together a puzzle that„s different

yet somehow familiar, every time

it‘s fun getting to know a client well to help them articulate their own style and translate that style into a fully realized solution

although, I have worked with builders to specify materials, hardware and appliance packages for higher-end housing developments

“packaged solutions," seem impersonal

they don„t do a whole lot for me

they're right for some, but not the clients I tend to work with

my vendors and I are a team

I rely on them a lot and trust them, and vice versa

the really good ones help me stay informed and up-to- date on new things

they give me honest value

I guess high-end professional

residential Interior Design is

about criteria of

appropriateness

proportion

and perspective

those are the qualities that set us apart

it‟s where our value lies

(End)

Conclusions and Recommendations 1

the earlier the arbiter

gets involved

the more likely she may be

able to influence the overall

residential experience

the more anxious and overwhelmed the

client, the more likely they may consider a

one-stop solution or packaged solution

this doesn‟t mean

that each party

won't want to “a

la carte" the

solution")

the longer they

live with it (before

or after

completion of the

home")

for a modest change fee (upgrade, downgrade)

price points don‟t seem absolutely critical

we studied the lives of arbiters-clients tackling custom home projects

$750,ooo

To

$5,000,000

in the range


while the client must have

some money to spend (for an

interior designer to even

take on the project)

increasingly more unique

hardware is of interest to

many consumers

a brand value proposition may carry

greater weight if it can be introduced early into

the design process

if it‟s perceived as solving

a distracting

overwhelming

or anxiety-provoking problem

a brand marketing message may yield leverage if it touches not just

the arbiter, but the client as well

as distinctive

either by

means of a

"stylistic

heritage“

theme

i.e., anthropolgie store

possibly even sub-branding product lines

with the names

and faces of the

actual artisan-

designers

i.e.,

sundance

catalog

a brand value proposition of

architectural style families

may initially, carry greater weight on the far ends of the arbiter-client relationship continuum


project management

and associated artifacts

the client obtains on his/her own or from the arbiter (as a gift)

this might be a thoughtfully branded product

workbooks

bags

or other items

that would make easier the arbiter's and/or client's life

making the arbiters job too easy may ultimately

disintermediate them

interior designers offer

value because they‟re

trained professionals,

gaining insight into

human needs

wants

interpreting these and then delivering flexible

solutions, which are context, and client-

centered

project management of a custom home is no simple task

helping arbiters & clients experience greater mastery over this

can enhance a brand’s associations

and facilitate serious consideration of products


we find evidence of stylistic eclecticism in the specification of interior

materials

surfaces

furnishings

and details

homes designed to a particular stylistic theme throughout do exist, such as…

bungalow

Tuscan villa

however, they do not appear to be the norm among our participants (at present)

there is a significant amount of beautiful,

functional, sustainable (though expensive) door

and bathroom hardware, available

many of these

items are in

niche markets

some, such as

southwest

door‟s

hardware are

offered in

“handmade,

architectural

families“

brochures are detailed

and clients seem willing

to do the work to

locate items of interest

to see and touch for

themselves

there are certain items

they‟re willing to purchase

without having “laid hands”

placed in context of the

existing space, though this

seems difficult for the

hardware decision


very little research of this kind exists

professionals are open to

good

clean

objective

information

that helps them feel more empowered

providing arbiters and

clients the ability to place

the hardware in-context

to assess

not only

goodness

-of-fit

but, more importantly,

perceived fulfillment of

“dream,”

may offer significant advantage over those

hardware pieces that are not available

What did the research tell us?

target the arbiter to launch

they have access to

the transactor

in the beginning the arbiter is the storyteller

over time the brand can carefully begin to assume this role

the storytelling attribute of this brand is essential

It‟s what separates it from other competitors

“architecturally inspired/ influenced product is the core marketing notion

It’s not the marketing

communications

execution

it won’t win on style alone

or distribution

there are too many niche style authorities already in place

there seems to be a lot

of price elasticity

promote

the

brand to

the

arbiter

through him/her to his/her client

with artifacts, workbooks etc. that support the brand’s meaning of discovery

Andrew Schechterman, MS, PHD

Michael Eckersley, MFA, PHD

Max Ruckman, Black & Decker HHI

Bill O’Connor, Source, Inc.

www.maxruckman.com