Design for People

Emotional and Psychographic consumer profiling for designers.

People

One of the most important difference between art and design is that Design starts with keeping people and their needs in mind, it is about how will they use the product, their convenience, taste, trends etc. while art is more about self expression.

In fashion and lifestyle, designing products, content, images, sets etc. it is very important to know the customer. But, before the start of any project, whenever I have asked for customer info, all i have got is their demographics-age, city etc. Personally I feel that because of social media boom, people have become global citizens and it is unfair to group them according to their geographical locations for their aesthetic and emotional choices.

So, about a year ago when I was working on a project to define the look of a jewelry brand that sold charms, I did some secondary data research on consumer psyche and their styles That I used not only to define the imagery for the brand but also while merchandising the bracelets and products. I continue to gather details around it for different disciplines but want to share the basic findings here first:

Here are the four dominant category

TRADITIONAL

-Classic

-Historic

-Curator

-Regal

Unaffected by trends, the Traditionals embrace the timeless. Culture reference plays a big role in their choices. For millennials, it is seen in the refinement of traditional products or clothes and slight underplay in terms of style. They find emotional comfort in familiarity and are attracted to the ageless and classic styles.

EMOTION

-Liberty

-Bold

-Subculture

-Rebel

Driven by emotions purely, they are bold in their choices and enjoy a sense of freedom in the "I don't care what people think about me " attitude. They are enthusiastic about expressing their idea and doesn't shy away from telling their stories, ideas, feelings, views and emotions. They are opinionated and make sure that their voice is heard. They tend to develop their own ideas and beliefs and style and have the power to build a community of their own like a subculture.

CREATION

-Cross Cultural

-Mixing

-Fusion

-Dynamic

This group belongs to multiple flocks. The are aware and manifest a true global persona. The have a dynamic cultural exchange and are open to influences. They resonate multiple aspects of their personality and are both leaders(because of their unique exposure and influences) as well as followers(accept and adopt new things quickly) and do not hesitate to try novel experiences. A lot of mixing and fusion is one their core traits. They form the biggest part of the dynamic cultural society.

MINIMAL

-Balanced

-Futuristic

-Function

-Logic

'Minimals' are conscious buyers. They make informed choices, are balanced and do not get carried away easily. They are happy with the basics and buy what they need. Guided by clear logical thinking, they act on facts and choose quality over quantity most of the time.

Reference: Nelly Rodi Lab