Elevators Experience Refresh – Research & strategy for design refresh of elevator range
Project Background
A leading global brand of elevators approached Turian Labs to refresh the interiors of its India product range. The brand commanded premium but at the same time its market perception in terms of aesthetics had nose-dived after other international competitors brought a vibrant option lineup. Its products were one of the costliest in the market. Rapidly changing consumer preferences in the emerging Indian economy was weighing heavily on the brands’ ‘reliable’, ‘international’ and ‘safe’ perception. Their other international markets had already overhauled the respective product portfolio where the Indian team was unsure if the same changes can be brought in the domestic market also, knowing that it is a highly cost sensitive market and several of the product upgrades were too costly to be adapted locally.
Project Brief
Client intended to revamp its elevator cabin range and refresh with new aesthetics, which would help retain its competitive edge and going further, capture a greater segment in the Indian market. The aesthetics exercise shall focus on the Indian market and the new aesthetics are aimed to have an Indian flair reflecting the Indian culture and lifestyle. Our brief was to :
Conduct a user research to establish the emerging personae for the brands target
Establish a design strategy for aesthetic upgrade
Provide visual concepts for each identified range of elevator cabins
Turian Labs’ Approach
We prepared a mixed method research plan that started with understanding the pile of data our client team had already collected from competitors and the field. Our first task was to understand the thumb-rules of this business and build the relevant vocabulary to understand the nuances in a field conversation. Some of the tools we deployed include-
In-depth interactions
In-depth interactions conducted with users across the segments in residential+industries segment, architects, designers and builders
Interactions were conducted with several cue-cards
Cocreation of strategy with the client team
Based on the analyses of technology research and usage research, our team prepared appropriate cue/aids for a co-creation workshop. Our team then facilitated the co-creation to synthesize design and business directions.
Impact on the business
Client launched the new product refreshes with an overhauled portfolio and nomenclature. Our findings resulted in the consolidation of elevator cabin aesthetics under three sub-ranges based on consumer personae. Most characteristic of them all was the ornamental range, with optimal influence of Indian visual imagery. This was in line with the emerging consumer segment seeking resurrection of traditional values and cultural identity into modern consumption. This also became the India’ signature range for this global brand and differentiated itself from its global counterparts as well as global competitors.