Creative marketing and

innovative consumer
product
d e s i g n - some case
studies
Mary Alexander
Institute of Advanced Studies, Manchester Polytechnic, All Saints, Manchester M15 6BH, UK

This paper uses three case studies to discuss the importance of a total integration between marketing
research and design at the concept stages of new consumer product development and throughout the design
development and marketing process of the product
Keywords: qualitative market research, design and marketing integration, diversification opportunities
and design, product visual identity and consumer recognition
The Institute of Marketing defines marketing as 'the
management function responsible for identifying, anticipating and satisfying customer requirements profitably'. This defmition, however, raises important questions concerning the role of design (or its absence) in
relation to the marketing function within new consumer
product development programmes. In 1982, Sir Kenneth
Corfield identified the common practice of separating
design and marketing in British industry as a major
contributory factor to the country's poor achievement in
commercially successful, innovative product design, by
asking: 'How many of those responsible for the future of
industry would include design as a basic cornerstone of
business, and how many more would describe manufacturing and sales as the key activities? All too often design
would be seen as the tool of manufacturing rather than
the partner of marketing '~.
This management perception of market research as an
activity carried out within marketing and sales departments, and therefore distinct from the designing of
products, is reflected in an extensive conventional
marketing literature. Research work in this area has been
concerned with market performance evaluation models,

Vol 6 No 1 January 1 9 8 5

and with market research methods and techniques 2

which attempt to measure current consumer attitudes to
existing products or to examine previous patterns of
consumer behaviour for future prediction purposes 3'4.
Many designers have expressed scepticism of such
techniques which are based on consumer responses to
existing product concepts and which, when handled
insensitively, will merely serve to feedback 'historical'
information in the assessment of new products 5. In
particular, designer Kenneth Grange of Pentagram has
argued for the importance of a design sensitive approach
to market research which explores people's attitudes to
new product concepts, and which will effectively
'research a proposition '6.
More recently however, some market researchers
involved in new product development programmes have
questioned the uncritical use of unimaginative, quantitative consumer surveys that seek to find 'everything there
is to know '7. It is argued that a 'quantitative' approach is
too often used automatically by a cautious management
to delay inhouse decisions about a new product concept.
In contrast, 'qualitative' researchers, usually working in
conjunction with designers at the concept stage prior to

0142-694x/85/010041-10
$03.00 1985 Butterworth& Co (Publishers) Ltd

41

formulating the product design brief, recommend the use

of smaller informal group discussions including the
designer, which provide scope to explore people's wider
perceptions of a product and what form it could take, or
how it might be used 8'9.
A combined design and marketing strategy at the
initial market survey and concept stage opens up new
areas of design and business opportunities, and if
handled skilfully by design sensitive researchers, potential areas of 'innovation receptiveness' can be tested.
The following three case studies are examples of
innovative consumer product designs based on previously identified consumer requirements. In each case,
design and marketing staff used this information to move
beyond existing product concepts and translate these
requirements into innovative design solutions and new
uses of materials. At the same time, considerable cost
reductions were made in comparison with conventional
materials and methods of manufacture. Case studies 2
and 3, the Inhome Cassette Hose and the Redring
Autoboil jug kettle, presented new visual forms to the
British consumer at the time of product launch, and
therefore raise interesting issues concerning the visual
identity of a product, consumer recognition and the role
of communication design and marketing in this process.

CASE S T U D Y 1--SERVIS
WASHING MACHINE

QUARTZ

600

the consumer a 'value for money' quality product with

distinctive design features. Microelectronics would be
used to offer the consumer improved washing facilities
performing different tasks from standard automatics,
and the design of the product was to be better than
competitors but within the same price areas as the
standard automatic. Management perceived this as an
opportunity for the company to break out of the vicious
price-cutting spiral in the domestic white goods market,
and thereby avoid competition from cheap imported
products at the lower end of the market.

Design potential of microelectronics

The use of microelectronics offered the company considerable cost-saving advantages at a time when the price
of electrical mechanical timers was increasing and
sources of supply in Europe were becoming more
limited. This had been one of the major reasons for
Servis' earlier acquisition of ICC, an electronics company
based in Cumbria, and in 1973 the Servis Selectronic 301
was launched, the world's first microprocessor contzolled
washing machine. But the technical brief for the
Selectronic had been restricted to copying and replacing
the functions of a conventional timer in order to find a
cheaper form of control system, and to increase product
reliability by reducing the number of moving parts from
fifty-six to one silicon chip.
Wash programmes, however, remained virtually identical to those available on any standard automatic. The

Background
During the 1960s Servis Domestic Appliances, based in
Wednesbury in the Midlands, had established a reputation for the design of top-loading, twin-tub washing
machines but by the 1970s the market was moving
towards front-loading, automatic machines. By 1980
three-quarters of all washing machines sold in Britain
were automatics and two-fifths of these were imported,
mainly from Italy. Although there was strong brand
loyalty to the Servis twin-tub machine in Britain, the
market in general continued to decline to under 20 per
cent in 1980. At that time, the design of the company's
standard automatic machine did not enable it to compete
effectively against strong selling brand names such as
Hoover and Hotpoint.

Design as 'added value'

Servis launched the innovative microprocessor controlled
Quartz 600 washing machine in 1981, and within twelve
months the product had doubled the company's share of
the UK market (Figure 1). This was widely commented
on in the fmancial press because Servis was making a
profit and commercial recovery on the strength of the
Quartz, whereas the Wilkins Mitchell group (of which
Servis was a division) continued to incur heavy losses 1.
From the initial concept discussions in 1978, management had decided that the design of the Quartz would be
aimed at the upper quartile of the market and would offer

42

The revolutionary new SERMIS QUARTZ automatic washing machJne with

simple pcess -button operation and highly reliable Quartz control.

Figure 1. S ervis Quartz 600 washing machine launched in 1981

DESIGN STUDIES

Selectronic was not a commercial success, and its narrow

'engineering-led' development programme neglected the
wider industrial design requirements of users. In retrospect the company viewed this as a 'learning period' for
the design, manufacture and use of microclectronics but
their full design potential remained largely unexploited.
By contrast, the development programme of the
Quartz was designed to move beyond the geometrical
design restrictions of the coventional timer and incorporate new wash programmes into the design of the
software. Whereas the 360 clockface configuration of the
electromechanical timer prevented the expansion or
addition of new programmes unless at the expense of
others, the use of microelectronics permitted a new
flexibility of design in the planning of the wash
programmes. From the beginning, Servis management
decided to exploit this flexibility to the full by working in
collaboration with Procter and Gamble, detergent manufacturers, to obtain detailed consumer information on
both existing and required washing methods and habits. A
marketing priority at this stage was to identify the design
weaknesses of existing automatic machines as perceived
by a sample of consumers and analysed with the help of
Procter and Gamble's extensive research laboratories in
Newcastle and Brussels. Detailed information was provided on the optimum wash programme for each
individual type of fabric, ignoring the limitations inherent in conventional machine control systems.

Consumer research f'mdings and the product

design brief
Extensive market research on consumer washing patterns
revealed two important findings:
that 80 per cent of users continued to handwash small
items because existing programmes were either too
lengthy and inconvenient or were too vigorous for
many fabrics
that 60 per cent of users soaked items before washing
in the machine
Additional information derived from consumer research
discussion led to the following design specification in the
product brief:
that energy saving and economy should be considered
in the selection of wash programmes (energy def'med
in terms of electricity, detergent, water and time)
the machine must be simple to operate with uncomplicated controls 'alternative aesthetics' to be researched
and consumer tested before final production
electronics should use less components than Selectronic for increased reliability
microchip should be controlled by a quartz crystal for
reliability and accuracy
new product would be field-tested for 12 months prior
to full production and consumer results to be used
when fmalising the design

Vol 6 No 1 January 1985

Design development programme

The design development programme of the Servis Quartz

was the first time that the company had used consumer
research in order to go back to the drawing board and
design a washing machine from scratch. Previously the
company, like its competitors, had relied on close
observation of other products on the market and had
responded with incremental improvements. With the
Quartz, creative design interpretation of the marketing
data resulted in challenges to traditional design and
manufacturing methods, and to consequent design improvements and reductions in production costs.
For example, consumer dissatisfaction was expressed
with the traditional 'cheesegrater' drum which traps
buttons and hooks causing excessive wear and tear on the
fabrics, and also tends to 'dimple' fabrics in the holes. A
smooth surface 'Spin Care' drum was designed and
patented for the Quartz, which enables water to be
extruded through holes positioned at the sides (Figure 2).
In this way the drum itself serves as a pump providing
maximum water extraction and also protecting fabrics at
high speeds. An additional manufacturing advantage of
the new drum design was that it was considerably
cheaper to produce than the conventional type.
A consultant industrial designer, Desmond Khan, was
contacted at the concept design stage to advise on
ergonomics and overall graphics design, to ensure
simplicity of operation and effective communication
interface between machine and its user. Simple touchbutton-panel controls facilitated easy handling in wet
soapy conditions. A single touch button was designed to
select all programmes and large easy-to-read red LED
display lights were used to provide instant communication concerning the selected programme and the stage
reached in the wash cycle. Unlike the earlier Selectronic
machine, design was interpreted in the widest sense of
fully integrated 'industrial' and 'engineering' design.
Effective communication design extended to the related information booklet and advertising literature
which used clear, bold graphics to communicate to the
consumer the advantages of certain product features.
The design of marketing literature emphasised the theme
of simplicity, in contrast to competitors' brochures which

Figure 2. On the left, Servis's new drum; on the right, a

conventional "cheesegrater' drum

43

tended to stress complexity and 'space age' sophistication. Similarly, the built-in microelectronic self-fault
diagnosis was designed to identify simple user errors and
eliminate anxieties about calling the service engineer
unnecessarily.
The consultant designer also put forward design
proposals for new uses of materials and methods of
manufacture, although a major design 'given' was the
specified use of an existing machine tool producing a
basic three-sided box.
A brown pre-coated steel top with radiused corners
was designed which provided a strong, chip-resistant
kitchen worktop surface that was easy to clean, warm to
the touch and was visually attractive. The worktop
concept produced positive consumer response in the field
trials, and also had potential manufacturing advantages
in reducing handling damage in the factory.

Design and commercial success

Better design of other product features such as the
detergent dispenser and sump outlet increased operating
efficiency and produced economies in electricity, detergent and water consumption. The result of considerable
financial investment in design development and tooling
costs (over 2M) and fully-automated testing equipment
(350 000) was that Servis had a distinctive, welldesigned product at a time when the importance of brand
names was weakening due to competitive retail price
cutting. The Quartz price of 299 compared favourably
against a standard automatic at 260 or the equivalent
quality West German product at 800.
The commercial success of the Quartz demonstrated
that British consumers were willing to pay an initial
higher price for a quality product with perceived 'added
value' features. This was also true of the financial
company which rescued Servis Domestic Appliances in
1982 on the strength of its product design investment,
when the remainder of the Wilkins Mitchell group went
into receivership l~.

CASE
HOSE

STUDY

2--INHOME

diversification opportunities for the company, and similarities were indentified between the weaving technology
used in Rufflette curtain tape and the new lay-flal
domestic garden hoses which were then gradually
becoming available in Britain. After conducting a preliminary market appraisal, InHome marketing staff
identified the main disadvantages of competitors' products (mainly imported) as being:
very expensive (about 25 compared to 5 for a
conventional hose)
overdesigned or poorly detailed
confined to garden centres and not available in major
retail outlets and DIY stores etc.
The company contacted Buxton Wall McPeake, a
Manchester-based design group, for design advice and m
the first design brief in April 1981 the design consultants
were asked to examine competitors' products and to put
forward design proposals for new product concepts. The
overall objective in the initial brief was specified as being
'to design a better product'. InHome management
decided not to mention target cost price at this stage so as
not to restrict the initial scope of design possibilities.
Perceived advantages of lay-flat hoses (based on
fireman's hose principle) as opposed to the traditional
PVC-ribbed variety were:

light weight
compactness
ease of winding and unwinding
lack of kinks
durability and storage outside in winter without
cracking

E v a l u a t i o n a n d testing o f concepts

The InHome Cassette Hose (Figure 3) is an example of a

design development project in which the consultant
design group worked closely in conjunction with the

CASSETTE

Background

Thomas French and Sons is a Manchester-based company with a worldwide reputation for its expertise in
weaving narrow fabric tapes and webbs, in particular its
brand name 'Rufflette' curtain tape.
In 1980, two marketing staff were recruited to identify
new product diversification and marketing opportunities
for InHome Ltd, a recently established division of the
company specialising in home improvement and leisure
products.

Diversification opportunities
A Market Analysis Survey was carried out on product

44

Figure 3. InHome Cassette Hose designed by Buxton Wall

McPeake, 1982. Outer case is polypropylene, hose consists of an
extruded polyurethene inner and a polypropylene filament exterior
woven around the inner core

DESIGN STUDIES

client company and its in_house design team from concept

through to marketing stages. Design and marketing
worked together in identifying the problem and exploring various design options.
When Buxton Wall McPeake reviewed the range of
existing imported lay-fiat hoses, the main four originating from Norway, Italy, Germany and the USA, it was
felt that none of the versions exploited the design
potential of plastic as a material (Figure 4). Each used
large amounts of plastic in a rectangular carrying case
containing the hose, and employed numerous additional
mouldings. For example, the Hydrolett version consisted
of ten mouldings and used a complex series of moving
rollers to expel water from the hose, and a threaded nylon
washer and screws to fasten together the two main parts
of the case. This represented an engineering solution to
the problem and necessitated high tooling costs.
From the initial concept sketches, Buxton Wall
McPeake decided to exploit the flexibility of plastic and
reduce tooling costs by incorporating snap-fit details as
part of the design concept. The use of snap-fit construction eliminated the need for the nylon-bearing washer,
locking ring and threading device. Tooling costs were
also reduced by designing the rollers as fixed guides and

Figure 4. Imported competitors did not exploit the properties of

plastic, and did not communicateproductfeatures on the pack design

Vol 6 No 1 January 1985

therefore incorporating them into the plastic moulding of

the main case (Figure 5).
It is significant that the designers' decision to use three
rather than two mouldings for the product was related to
packaging design at the early concept stages. The knob of
the case was designed as a separate snap-fit moulding in
order to reduce the depth of the pack design.
The ergonomics of the hose were explored by constructing cardboard models with different handle options. The designers found that the use of a hand slot
positioned on the side of the product, as used in the
compact German version, did not provide sufficient
stability during the winding-in operation and tended to
wobble from side to side. The design concept for a
handle placed in the centre of a basic reel emerged during
discussion with marketing staff at InHome. A plywood
working prototype and two polycarbonate sheet models
were made and these served the dual function of
prototypes and appearance models for use in consumer
discussion groups.
Consumer research and product recognition

In 1981, lay-flat hoses were not widely available in

Britain and the design concept therefore presented an
unfamiliar visual form to the consumer. Marketing staff
at InHome Ltd were aware of the particular need in this
case to obtain qualitative consumer information. It was
considered important that interviewers should explore
user attitudes to hoses in general, but that responses to
the prototype designs should be classified according to
real perceived advantages/disadvantages as distinct from
those attributable to lack of information or visual
unfamiliarity. The company employed a marketing
research consultancy to carry out small informal group
discussions (8 groups of 8-9 people) which included a
member of the InHome marketing staff to provide a
continuous link with the design development aspects of
the product. The models and illustrational colour charts
were used to evaluate consumer responses to the design

Figure 5. Cassette Hose: snap-fit construction was used for the

polypropylene body of the case, and fixed guides functioning as
rollers were incorporated into the main moulding

45

concept, ergonomics, colour and finish and these were

compared with a range of competitors' products.
Responses to the models were extremely positive after
initial anticipated problems had been explained--for
example, some respondents became disillusioned about
the concept when told that the hose had to be taken
completely off the reel, but were reassured when they
handled the product by its ease of use. Overall responses
to its compactness, lightness and simplicity was positive,
as was the reaction to its colourful appearance which
distinguished, it from conventional hoses. Preferred
colour combinations were blue case/green hose for the
garden version and black/red for the car version with a
matt-textured finish. Response to the name 'Cassette
Hose' was tested as one of a list of twenty and was
strongly preferred because it referred directly to the
product identity as a hose with major benefits.

Visual communication and product launch

Design-sensitive handling of these consumer data by
marketing staff reinforced commitment to the innovative
product concept and further emphasised the need for
strong communication-graphic design at the point of
sale. A viewing slot was incorporated into the pack
design, enabling the potential purchaser to glimpse the
product without taking it out of the pack. Bold clear
graphics accompanied by simple text and sequential use
of photographs demonstrated the main product features
and method of use.
Within a year of product launch in 1982, the Cassette
Hose had become market leader and is now widely
exported abroad. Innovative design had reduced manufacturing and tooling costs by 20-30 per cent and had
persuaded management to manufacture the product in
Britain rather than Taiwan as was originally intended.
The creative use of marketing research in conjunction
with innovative product design initiated a commercially
successful diversification programme for the company,
which has since been expanded to other related product
designs that are widely marketed through retail chainstore outlets, DIY multiples and car accessories shops.

CASE STUDY 3 - THE REDRING AUTOBOIL

JUG KETTLE

Background
In September 1976, Redring Electric Ltd, a subsidiary of
GEC based in Peterborough, was contacted by Action
Design consultants with a concept proposal for an
electric plastic jug kettle. In his opening letter, designer
David Harris described Action Design Ltd as a 'marketoriented product design consultancy which pursues a
policy of innovation and speculative design'. Significantly, the design group had previously contacted major
brand-name manufacturers of traditional kettles in Britain but the design concept had been rejected on the
grounds of being 'too far ahead of the British market'.

46

Redring's expertise was in electrical heating elements,

and the company was at that time a major manufacturer
of electrical elements for other firms' consumer products
such as kettles and immersion heaters.

The Design Concept

The market-analysis survey carried out by Action Design
included current and projected sales figures of kettle and
coffee makers worldwide, cost comparisons between
plastic and metal kettles, and details of prices and models
available in Britain. The total number of manufacturers
was sixteen, and models totalled eighty-three. The
introduction survey therefore began by asking 'Why
another kettle, or indeed why a plastic kettle?'
The advantages of plastic as opposed to metal were
perceived to be:
manufacturing cost reductions enabling separate parts
to be incorporated into one moulding, thus avoiding
the expense of individually soldered components in
metal
plastic's low coefficient of friction (good surface
lubricity) prevents build-up of calcium deposits and
'furring'
durable and easy to clean material, is virtually
unbreakable if dropped
safe to touch when boiling
can be moulded in a variety of colours
The advantages of an upright jug-shaped kettle as
opposed to a conventional shape were listed as being:
Decreased diameter of base enables user to boil
minimum amounts of water i.e. a single cup of water.
Convenient and energy saving.
Narrow base is space saving, fits easily on a tray.
Jug handle positions user's hand well away from steam
when pouring.
Can double up as a measuring jug, measured scale
marked inside.
New shape needed to compete in the UK market.
The designers stressed, however, the interrelationship
between these design requirements and the properties of
plastic as a material in their preliminary report--'to
produce the required cost reduction we have chosen to
design a plastic, moulded body. It was the basic
technology intrinsic in the process that led to a jug shape
rather than the shape of a conventional metal kettle,
although we realised that this could meet with inertia in
the UK marketplace'.
Although some manufacturers had previously used
plastics, without exception they had attempted to reproduce the form of the conventional kettle.

Design development
Redring management invited David Harris of Action

DESIGN STUDIES

Design to give a presentation of the design concept work

(Figure 6).
The company were interested in the concept because it
was related to their allied expertise in electrical heating,
and also because its energy-saving and convenience
features tied in with the company's recent diversification
programme into consumer products including a shower
unit and a water heater.
Redring were convinced of the marketing advantages
of the jug-kettle concept which was already used widely
abroad. The company was also aware of positive market
research response to the concept via earlier experiments
at Hotpoint, another member of the GEC group.
A further meeting was held to discuss the technical
problems connected with the BSI 'boil dry' and the
BEAB 'dry destruction' tests. Consideration was given to
the selection of a high-melting point plastic material
which would also meet requirements of appearance,
non-toxicity and corrosion resistance, the type of control
systems to be used, and the development of a good
element form and safety shield (Figure 7).
Action Design produced a wooden model which
slanted forward ergonomically to accommodate the
angled, clenched position of the user's hand when lifting
and pouring simultaneously. This ergonomic and safety
feature was especially suited to elderly and slightly
handicapped users. The company's engineering staff
expressed reservations about the angle of the slant, which

Figure 7. Redring Autoboil kettle, launched 1979180

was considered to give a misleading visual impression of

instability and was therefore modified.
After six months the design development programme
was continued entirely inhouse by the company's engineering design team. Consultations began with GE
Plastics of Holland in connection with the development
of a specification using the plastic 'Noryl' to overcome
existing cracking problems. Considerable development
time was given to the design of an effective steam-control
switch.
One ergonomic-design-user requirement which was
not given sufficient attention by the inhouse engineering
team was the necessity for an indented finger grip in the
lid to facilitate removal by wet greasy fingers. The
subsequent tooling modification would not have been
necessary if a more integrated industrial/engineering
design approach had been maintained throughout the
development programme.

Product launch and marketing implications

Figure 6. Concept drawing for the plastic jug-kettle by Action

Design, 1976

Vol 6 No 1 January 1985

Unfortunately, the initial product launch in late 1979/80

was not supported by the level of committed marketing
strategy essential for an innovative product design which
was so new and visually unfamiliar to the general public.
Following a change of marketing management, the
company relaunched the Autoboil kettle with a new pack
designed to communicate instantly the consumer benefits
of the new design concept. An additional marketing
feature was the fitted plug ready for use and the
consumer guarantee of automatic return within seven
days if faulty.
In 1981 the Redring Autoboil kettle achieved sales in
excess of a quarter of a million in Britain and contributed

47

to a company turnover of approximately 16M, including

substantial export orders from France, Holland, Denmark, Australia, South Africa and the Middle East. But
in 1982 seven plastic jug-kettles were launched by
competitors in the U K market, including brand names
which were backed by substantial TV advertising campaigns. Redring's home market sales were adversely
affected by this later development, but the company's
export market continued to expand and include the USA.
The Redring Autoboil case study demonstrates that
innovative design does not sell itself but that it depends
on the creative communication skills and positive corn-

mitment of marketing staff working in conjunction with

designers to ensure the commercial success of the
product j 2.

Discussion
Each of the three case studies discussed above are
examples of British companies in which a policy decision
was taken by senior management to create new business
and market opportunities by. using innovative design. In
each case, a member of senior management demonstrated

Table 1. Comparison of case studies

Issues raised from case studies

1 Management policy commitment to design a value-added,

quality product
Enthusiastic 'product
champion' identifiable at senior
management level

3 Use of consultant industrial

designer

Case 1
Servis

Case 2
InHome

Case 3
Redring

~/

,,t

,I

,1"

,.7

,.t

,l-

Only company (2) used design consultancy

throughout all stages of project. Company 3
has since employed an inhouse industrial
designer

,./

"

New personnel appointed specifically for this

task

,,I

,/"

Group discussions explored wider issues of

consumer 'attitudes' and 'perceptions' of
product and its usage patterns

~/'

,/

At time of product launch, products 2 and 3

presented total new visual forms to British
consumer

,/

v"

Integration of design and

marketing strategy

7 Company policy of
diversification into new market

Perceived opportunity to
increase sales in existing
market sector
U' e of qualitative 'group
discussions' for consumer
concept appraisal and prototype testing

11 Importance attached to
consumer communication,
through product graphics/
packaging/sales literature
12 Requirement of new safety/
testing procedures as result
of product innovation

~"

v,"

,.,t
J

,i'

Company 2 incorporated within product

strategy from outset, company 3 postponed
action until product launch

v-"

13 Reduction of manufacturing/
assembly costs
14 Increased market share/sales

v"

10 New visual identity of product/

problem of consumer
recognition

48

Marketing Director (1), Marketing Director

and New Product Development Manager (2),
Managing Director (3). In case 3, product
initially rejected by Chairman as 'too innovative for UK market'

Design consultant as originator

of design concept

5 Involvement of designer in
initial evaluation of product
concept

Comments (case study no.)

,,t

Companies 1 and 3 anticipated potential

delays, contacted official testing bodies at
design concept stage
20-30% reduction affected the decision to
manufacture by company 2 in UK
Good design of product and its commercial
success acknowledged as major factor in
company l's rescue from receivership

DESIGN STUDIES

a positive commitment to produce a better quali!y product

by design, concentrating on distinctive 'added-value'
features and avoiding competition on the grounds of
cheapest cost price. The issues raised in the case studies
which relate to a combined innovative design/creative
marketing strategy are summarised in Table 1 and
discussed below.

Integration of creative design and marketing

strategies
It is significant that the marketing managment responsible for the three product development programmes
adopted a strategy of 'group discussion' to obtain data
which explored consumer attitudes, perceptions and
criticisms of product concepts, in preference to a
conventional market research quantitative questionnaire
survey yielding large volumes of raw data. Each group
discussion approach to product concept research elicited
information from the 8-9 participants which provided
deeper insights into the potential user's psychological
perceptions of the product, its potential pattern of use,
and anticipated anxieties or enthusiastic responses to
detailed design features. A crucial feature of the discussion groups was the attendance of a member of the
product design development team with detailed knowledge of the product. For example, the InHome Cassette
Hose project could have been terminated at this stage by
insensitive handling of the market research data which
appeared to confirm negative consumer response to the
basic design concept. The presence of the New Product
Development manager as an observer at the meetings
clarified an important distinction between consumers'
apprehension owing to lack of information in this case
(which was to become a major feature of the promotional
design packaging and point of sale material), rather than
a negative rejection of the design concept itself.
In this context, other researchers have identified the
importance of treating the consumer market survey at an
early stage of the project as part of the product concept
evaluation, rather than at the later stage of market
launch 13A4. An integrated step-by-step design and
marketing strategy at the design-concept stage, especially
when carried out in conjunction with a consultant
designer, can identify new diversification and business
opportunities for the company ~5.
In recognising the usefulness of consumer-group
discussions to identify user requirements and complaints
concerning existing products, it is also important to
recognise that the participants are not usually in a
position to actively generate innovative, three-dimensional formal solutions to identified requirements I6.
Positive steps should be taken to help participants
visualise new design concepts by using block models and
stimulus boards to explore reactions to colour, shape,
texture, environment, etc. An important recent example
of a successful design and marketing research strategy in
the consumer fashion retail area is Conran Associates'
design programme for Hepworths' 'Next' fashion chain
shops. Puzzled by the apparent negative consumer

Vol 6 No 1 January 1985

research to the name 'Next', the design group developed

the research further, by producing more visual prompt
boards, suggesting a graphic style and shop front, and
the resulting very positive consumer response was
attributed to the provision of more visual stimuli to assist
respondents ~7.
There has recently been widespread criticism of
British and American companies for planning a marketing strategy before developing the design of their
product--a policy which tends to undermine product
quality in the process.
Comparisons are often made with design and new
product development practices in Japan* where it is
claimed that production decisions are more widely
consumer-oriented, rather than being narrowly
consumer-data-drivenls'~. Innovative design alone will
not ensure commercial success in the market place, but
as the above case studies demonstrate, this success will
depend on the creative partnership of design and
marketing throughout all stages of the project.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
These design case studies are part of a series which is
being compiled at the Institute of Advanced Studies,
Manchester Polytechnic, for use in business and management education. The research is funded by a grant from
the Leverhulme Trust.

REFERENCES
1 Coriield, Sir Kenneth 'No Man is an Island--Design in
Context' S IAD/M aurice H ille Award lecture (1982)
2 Kofler, P Marketing management--analysis, planning and
control 4th edition, Prentice Hall, UK (1980)
3 Fishbein, M A Consideration of Beliefs and their Role in
Attitude Measurement John Wiley and Sons, New York
(1967)
4 Ehrenberg, A S C 'Towards an integrated theory of
consumer behaviour' Journal of the Market Research Society
Vol 11 No 4 (1969) pp 305-337
5 Peters, M 'Why market research must come second'
Design, No 370 (October 1979) pp 76-77
6 Grange, K 'Market research--the product designer's view'
Design No 420 (December 1983) pp 34-35
7 Factor, S and Sampson, P 'Making decisions about
launching new products' Journal of the Market Research
Society Vol 25, No 2 (1983) pp 185-197
8 Lorenz, C et al. 'Market research--a fear of feedback?'
Design No 420 (December 1983) pp 31-41
9 Krauschar, P M New Products and Diversification Business
Books Ltd, London (1977)
10 'Microelectronics research pays off for Servis' Financial
Times (November 26, 1981) p 31
11 Financial Times (July 3, 1982) Investors Chronicle (June 11,
1982)
12 Alexander, M 'Marketing Design for Profit' Education
Interface (Autumn 1983) p 8
13 Berridge, A E Product Innovation and Development Busin s
Books Ltd, London (1977)
*See the article by Bill Evans in this special issue of Design
Studies.

49

14 Carson, J W and Rickards, T Industrial New Product

Development, Gower Press, London (1979)
15 Oliver, B 'Going out for help' Marketing (15 March, 1984)
pp 42-50
16 Andrews, B Creative Product Development Longman, London (1975)
17 Interview with Sir Terence Conran 'Research and design:
synergy in fashion', Market Research Society (special issue

50

on Design and Decision Making), (Feburary 1984)

18 Sterling, D 'Five Japanese designers' Industrial Design,
(January/February, 1984) pp 35-42
19 Garvin, D A 'Product quality: an important strategic
weapon', Business Horizons Vol 27 No 3 (March/April 1984)
pp 40-43
20 Cotton, P and Harvey, G 'How to create creativity'
Management Today (May 1984) pp 74-77

DESIGN STUDIES