Product Development
Datex-Ohmeda:
Windows on (and doors to) new markets
Datex used ethnography in hospitals to study relevant patient and caregiver needs. Catalogued in hundreds of hours of digital video, this research exposed mismatches between current systems and patient needs...mismatches that have dramatic impact on cost and quality of care. Result: a rich portfolio of product concepts aligned from the start with demonstrable human needs. Better, these concepts are aligned with the “cultures” in which they must take root. Click here to read more.

Consumer Insight
International Masters Publishers, USA:
Seeing customers and relationships
IMP used in-home visits and consumer self-documentaries to get insight into current and ideal customer experiences. A diverse IMP team explored these insights in a series of interactive workshops. Results: product improvements, new product concepts, new strategies for customer relationship management, and even ideas for wholly new businesses. The in-home perspective also renewed the appreciation IMP team members had for the strong positive effects their products have on people’s everyday lives. Click here to read more.

Strategy Renewal
Steelcase Wood Furniture:
Steelcase Wood sought strategic perspective on an existing market segment: private office furniture. Conifer trained a team of industrial designers, marketers, and engineers in ethnographic research approaches. and mindset. We led members of that team on expeditions into typical workplaces. We videotaped people using private offices, and interviewed them. Steelcase Wood set up a four-week program in which team members watched video, brainstormed, and identified key needs new products and communication might address. Click here to read more.

Architecture and Space Planning
Grand Rapids Convention Center:
Using space to support real behaviors
On a mission to re-invent their hometown convention center, architects Progressive AE along with Steelcase used ethnography to build a new model of how convention-goers behave. This new model drove exploration of design concepts and business models. The result: a bold but feasible program that adds new, high performance, high margin learning spaces and increases utilization of “in between” spaces: corridors, hallways, and break areas where people spend significant time at conventions and trade shows. Click here to read more.

Marketing Strategy
World Business Chicago:
Branding the ground-level experience
WBC sought to create a clear Brand identity for Chicago's business community on the global stage. As an input to their branding process, WBC used a camera study to check in with business people around the world. What came back was a rich collection of ground-level pictures and words that extended the prevailing Sears Tower / Lakefront / Wrigley Field imagery that marked branding conversation prior to the study. Result: a brand more relevant to the real experiences of people it aims to reach. Click here to read more.