Our Approach
Akila ice axe, designed for Blue Ice
Logic, Not magic
Design consulting firms sometimes like to describe themselves as “misfits” or “alchemists” as if creativity is a personality attribute that is only bestowed upon the fortunate few or perhaps some kind of magic that is just out of reach. At Sophic Design we believe that design (at its core) is a rational process that seeks to observe people as they live their lives and to recognize the joys and frustrations they feel. The “magic” of design comes from gathering, synthesizing, and understanding the data that connects us to what people experience by identifying the various cues that prompt and motivate their actions and thought processes in different situations. Additionally, as we begin to understand these data points we also begin to see innovation opportunities reveal themselves.
People, not consumers
All too often in business we hear labels like “user” or “consumer” applied to the individuals who purchase and use products.
At Sophic Design, we also believe that users and consumers are actually people with complicated and beautiful shared stories that are worth listening to because when you connect with people, you can turn product line chaos and confusion into the strategic clarity and purpose that strengthens brand success.
Information, not opinion
Deferring to the person with the strongest opinion about product development strategies is a little bit like playing with fire: we may avoid disaster a time or two but if we do it long enough disaster always manages to find us in the end.
Our data-driven design approach combines product-oriented consumer insights with unparalleled design services so our clients can make informed decisions that side-step false opinions and avoid the risk of launching the wrong product and potentially damaging their brand.
Our approach to data-driven design is rooted in four basic steps:
Understand
We collect in-depth information through qualitative and quantitative research methods such as in-depth interviews, ethnographies, surveys, online review scraping, and market trends that form the foundation for development.
Identify
The gathered information is then plotted, visualized, and analyzed to identify the prompts that inform people’s motivations and behaviors as well as the pain points and unmet user needs that lead to innovation opportunities.
Create
The synthesized data is then deployed to develop the best product feature sets, novel solutions to unmet needs, strategic concept ideation, configuration and usability studies, product aesthetics, and prototyping efforts.
Validate
Additional qualitative and quantitative research is conducted soliciting feedback from potential buyers using concept artwork and prototypes to evaluate potential success and reduce risk prior to product launch.