This document discusses qualitative research methods for understanding customers, including ethnography, one-on-one interviews, focus groups, and mystery shopping. It provides brief descriptions of each method and examples of the type of insights they can provide. These qualitative research techniques are presented as ways to gain customer perceptions, beliefs, and motivations to help inform branding decisions. Videos and additional resources are linked for further information on each method.

1. PHASE 3:
Designing Identity

2. Decision making requires trusting
yourself, your process and your team.

4. RECAP ON YOUR LOGO
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cHbJ0fkq
I6I

5. RECAP: THE VISUAL ELEMENT
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cHbJ0fkq
I6I

6. Not everything that counts can be
counted, and not everything that can
be counted counts.

7. QUALITATIVE RESEARCH
• Qualitative
research reveals
customers’
perceptions,
beliefs, feelings,
and motives.
Findings are often
rich in context
and may offer
new insights and
perspectives
about the brand.
Ethnography
One-on-one
interviews
Focus groups
Mystery
shopping

8. ETHNOGRAPHY
• Observes customer behavior in everyday life
either in a work or home environment.
Typically used by designers to gain insight and
inspiration. There’s a school of thought that
claims that traditional ethnography can only
be conducted by professionals who have
studied the social sciences.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aOBh8haj4E0&t=62s

9. ONE TO ONE INTERVIEW
Individual in-depth interviews with senior
management, customers, and thought leaders
are ideally conducted face-to-face, but may be
conducted on the phone. Information and
anecdotes yielded by this method are rich and
particularly valuable to the branding process.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Qg80qTfz
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10. FOCUS GROUP
A fast-paced group discussion about
predetermined topics led by a moderator with
carefully selected participants who share
common characteristics. Focus groups are best
used to uncover attitudes, perceptions, needs,
prejudices, and ways of using products.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3TwgVQIZPsw

11. MYSTERY SHOPPING
Trained mystery shoppers anonymously visit
stores, branch banks, and other locations where
they pose as customers. They evaluate the
shopping experience, salesmanship,
professionalism, closing skills, follow- up, and
overall satisfaction. Mystery shoppers follow a
list of predefined steps, make mental notes,
observe conditions and performance, and
produce audit reports that provide objective
feedback.

12. Focus group results are what site visitors
think they might do. Usability testing shows
what visitors actually do.

13. • LET’S GET YOUR BUSINESS CARD READY