The following is an excerpt from our new ebook, How to Design with the Consumer in Mind. To download the full ebook, click here.

Your product needs to do something for your target consumer. It somehow needs to solve one of their problems or meet an unmet need. When it comes to figuring out your target consumer’s wants and needs, you can’t simply guess — it requires research. Consider employing these tools when defining your targets’ wants and needs:

Defining your Target Consumer through Market Research

  • Keyword Research – Do keywords research to figure out what people are searching for in relation to your brand or niche industry/market. Long-tail keyword analysis can be a great way to uncover unfulfilled needs and wants.
  • Competitors Forums – Stalking your competitor’s website might seem a bit unusual, but is an excellent way to gain insight into what they are doing (and more importantly, what they are not doing). With a bit of research, you can tap into competitor’s deficiencies in order to fulfill unmet needs.
  • Product Forums – If your niche market already has products, be sure to check out product forums. This can help to provide insight into what needs and wants aren’t being met — something that you can leverage to your advantage during the design and the development process.
  • Surveys and Interviews – Last but not least, it is always a wise idea to interact directly with consumers to figure out what they are thinking. Establish focus groups and either interview or survey participants. This is an excellent way to gain insight into your target market.

Don’t neglect Regulatory Compliance

Pivot Tip: Don’t forget that you also need to design and develop with industry standards and regulations in mind.

There is nothing worse than developing and manufacturing a product, only to figure out you can’t send it to market because it doesn’t adhere to industry specifications.

While meeting your consumer’s wants and needs is crucial, don’t forget that you also need to design and develop with industry standards and regulations in mind. Pivot employs ISO:13485 and ISO:9001 certification standards that ensure that your product meets all necessary requirements. This allows us to meet all client standards, including UL, IEC, CE, CSA, FCC, RoHS, and TÜV requirements.