Observing Category Users to Drive Product Innovation
Situation
An international outdoor power equipment manufacturer wanted to better understand the needs and behaviors linked to outdoor hand-held power tools among their key consumer segments. The goal was to populate the innovation pipeline with the authentic voice of the consumer wants and needs. In addition, they wanted more insight into influencers of their target segments, as well as the purchase journey.
Listening & Learning
Compendium focused on ethnography research to learn more about consumer experiences and uncover unmet needs.
- A series of in-depth interviews (IDIs) were conducted in the homes, lawns and gardens of target segments in the U.S., the United Kingdom and Germany.
- Prior to the actual IDIs, participants completed pre-work exercises to help the team craft personalized, meaningful, on-site discussions.
- Compendium led the entire project, including facilitating the IDIs in the U.S. and working closely with facilitator partners in Western Europe.
- The project culminated in an Insights and Innovation Workshop, where the research insights were presented by both the Compendium team and clients who attended the IDIs–utilizing a variety of ideation tools and breakout sessions helped develop target consumer insight-based product solutions.
Clients also attended the IDIs, providing the opportunity for first-hand observation and learning.
Leveraging Insights
An enhanced knowledge of the target segments was achieved, including a clearer understanding of the similarities and differences between consumer segments in the U.S., Germany and the U.K.
Unmet needs and pain points were shared and understood, providing direction for a long-term innovation plan and inspiration for several service and product offerings, including the introduction of an ergonomically designed, hand-held, cordless power-tool system designed to meet a need of a specific target segment.
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