| Market research and R&D form an unlikely alliance. In most companies, their relationship is distant if not adversarial. Faced with the challenge of commercializing technologies or developing new product platforms, R&D often sees market research data as short-sighted. Ethnographic research, however, is uniquely suited to bring marketing and R&D together. Ethnography produces rich sets of data and models that directly support the creation of new product ideas, with R&D and marketing working together during the most conceptual phases of programs. Gary Waymire, President of Point Forward, will discuss how companies including Alcoa, SC Johnson, Ericsson and Kimberly Clark employed ethnographic research to generate their most successful new product innovations. In these and other companies, ethnography is breaking the longstanding barriers between marketing and R&D.
"Culture is changing all around us. Innovation is directly tied to the ability to recognize and interpret these changes and develop products and services accordingly." In Gary’s fifteen years of experience, he has served as visionary, researcher, product planner, and business developer for social science-based innovation teams. "Ethnography and the social sciences take us inside the hearts and minds of customers and provide product development teams with a generative, inspirational perspective." Whether it’s the culture of technicians, U.S. teenagers, or young Japanese women caring for their homes, Point Forward studies people in their natural environments. "Ethnographic methods expose the latent gaps between existing products and cultural expectations. From these insights, we define new products and services."
A graduate of the University of Michigan, Gary received his BS and MA in Architectural Planning and Development. "The transition from buildings to products and services was natural. From the viewpoint of the users, both buildings and products embody utility and convey meaning." Today, Gary consults with clients including Alcoa, Canon, American Heart Association, Ericsson, and Unilever, redefining their view of customer needs, and revealing new product and service opportunities. Gary and his colleague's most well known innovations include:
- Huggies Pull-Ups disposable training pants
- Canon Creative printer software
- HP Advance Stack hubs and switches
- Ericsson BuddySync wireless service
- Coke Fridge Pack multi-pack container
Before moving to Silicon Valley in 1992, Gary worked at Herman Miller in Ann Arbor, Michigan, where he and his colleagues developed a business based on designing appropriate living environments for people as they grow older. "Our working assumption was that living environments could support an individual’s dignity and health. Using contextual research and working with some talented designers we created an entire line of home furnishings and fixtures to support independent living" Gary’s experience at Herman Miller led him to pursue his passion-combining creativity and research into a single productive process.
"With shortened product cycles, larger capital investments, and intense competition, it is more important than ever to develop the right products and services. Our approach to innovation helps our clients focus on creating compelling customer experiences." |
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