Creating a Design Strategy that provides clearer brand differentiation

Challenge

Our client is one of the largest white goods suppliers and manufacturers in China. Recently, like many leading companies, they are accelerating via acquisitions. Now they have owned three brands and thousands of products on their portfolio, but lack a clear brand image and product structure. It has caused confusion internally and with users.

As a design management consultancy, our mission is to help our client to set up a clear product design strategy, while better conveying brand identity at the same time.

All of these should be based on a clear understanding about the current situation of their brand and products.

Process

At the start of this project we worked with the client to align and agree on a road map that we would use to identify their brands strengths and weaknesses. This would help to clarify products, understand users, and plan out the road map for this project.

STEP ONE

Define Segments and Brand DNA

Through user research, we mapped out user perspectives and expectations around our client’s and competitor's brands.
By conducting field work studies and qualitative user research methods, we were able to better understand and communicate user's BUY, USE, and ATTITUDE on the product. Through the use of questionnaires as a quantitative user research method, we understood how brands were perceived differently, and then were able to map out the value attributes of each brand. Meanwhile, through a panel discussion with the client, we gathered understanding around their findings on both the positive and negative attributes of their brands.

In addition, we gathered current and future market insights based on the collected information from users, clients and market trends. We were then able to concisely identify to Brand DNA.

STEP TWO

Interpret Brand DNA Into Design Language

Due to the fact that this client normally develops products based on only market and design trends, we needed to include these two factors into our interpretation and guidance for the Brand DNA. This helped us to speak their language.

To understand the market trend, we conducted extensive study and product crosscheck on current products available at retail. This revealed the realities of today’s competitive landscape; advantages, features and functions currently available on both the client’s brands as well as competitor's.

Finally, we were able to capture and help the client understand the current market and competitive brands strengths and weaknesses, combined with the study on design trends. We were ready to integrate and interpret into a design strategy.

Outcomes

With all the information from our research, our client had a better understanding about the users and the current situation of their products and brands. This provided a good foundation for our client to understand and apply the design strategy proposal offered by us.

Based on our findings and directions for better brand positioning and segmentation, the most important deliverable of this project is a Brand DNA Guide and Design Strategy Proposal visualized in charts. It provides directions to help our client Plan, Control, Judge and Guide design based on a clear understanding of their current and desired brand direction. It also aims to help in making the internal communication among design, marketing and sales more efficient and fluent.