The Danger of Assuming What Your Client Wants

by Duncan Beedie

If you want to fill your customer’s needs, you have to listen to what they want. Donna Carpenter, owner of Burton Snowboarding, learned this firsthand when she became President of the company in December 2011. She focused on making Burton the brand of choice for women snowboarders, though after they hit a rapid growth spurt in the ’80s and ’90s, Burton had become male dominated and lost their female customers’ voice. In an interview with Edition F, Carpenter explains:

…We had a children’s snowboard for boys that had robots on it. A woman in our soft goods department then said, ‘I know there’s a demand for a girls’ snowboard.’ So we went to graphics and said, ‘You have to give us a girls’ snowboard.’ They just turned it purple and it still had robots on it. We laughed and said, ‘No one is going to buy it. A girl doesn’t want it, because it has robots and a boy won’t buy it, because it’s purple. And then you’re going to say girls don’t want snowboards.’ So we insisted that they put little girls’ graphics on the board like butterflies. It exceeded pre-season projections by 250 percent. Everyone wanted to have it. But the guys didn’t know how to do it. They just said, ‘We’ll pink it and shrink it.’ That doesn’t work. Women consumers see right through that. They don’t want that.”

For Carpenter, understanding her client meant also having that same demographic hold leadership positions within the company. In this manner, Carpenter was able to have her own customers readily available and on staff to provide insights and understanding. According to IDEO, human-centered design is about hearing from your users in their own words, not assuming you know what they want. Carpenter’s research found that not only do female snowboarder not want purple robots on their snowboards, but that they approach the sport in a completely different way. Male customers compartmentalize their sports, whereas women view it much more holistically. They were interested in the sport as a lifestyle, which required marketing to tell a completely different story.

Unfortunately, it isn’t always possible to partner with your direct client on a permanent basis. However, IDEO recommends that interviews can unlock the same understanding. In their design kit The Field Guide to Human-Centered Design, they stress writing down exactly what the interviewee says, not what you think they might mean. It is also important to observe their body language and surroundings, especially if you have the opportunity to interview them in their home or office. You can learn so much more about a person’s mindset, behaviour, and lifestyle by talking to them in their daily surroundings. As with all research, come with an open mind and without preconceived notions. The goal is to design to the actual needs or desires of your client, not your perception of what they are.

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