September 2012

How are global consumers feeling about economic issues? What pressures do they face, and what actions are they taking? We invite you to an on-demand briefing on these complex topics, drawing on Mood of the World 2012 - an annual survey of 37,000 consumers, ages 15+, across 25 developed and …

This article is re-posted from User Centric’s blog. A few months ago, consultants around our office were adding theirMyers-Briggs profiles to their Skype status. As an introvert, I naturally did not post mine, but this got me wondering whether there was indeed a profile for the ideal …

Good design and usability principles have been, for many years, important considerations for organizations, particularly in industries such as automotive and e-commerce. However, a confluence of trends in the broader consumer market has created interdependency between market research and user …

It has been an unforgettable summer for Britain. Anyone who was lucky enough to attend the London 2012 Games will have experienced something amazing and truly unforgettable which they will cherish for years to come. For me, as a non-Brit and consumer trend-spotter, it was also an insight into …

Remember the line about a camel being a horse designed by committee? This idea flashed across my mind when I saw a newspaper ad recently for the world’s first car to be ‘crowdsourced’ via Facebook. I must add at this point that the resulting vehicle, the Citroen C1 Connexion, is a smart looking …

With most research focusing on high-involvement product categories (such as cutting-edge products and ‘sexy’ brands), managers of low-involving products often struggle to get their brands noticed; the same rules just don’t apply. This article explores the factors that may influence consumers’ …

This article is re-posted from SirValUse blog. The number of mobile and stationary devices connected to the internet is growing steadily and so is the importance of responsive web design. With responsive web design, websites will adapt automatically to the width and height of the screen on …

Chargers are an inevitable result of ubiquitous consumer electronics. There are phone chargers, tablet chargers, iPod chargers, laptop chargers, and the extension cables required to support them all. At one stage, it became so complicated that the EU stepped in, passing legislation to make all …

Advertising basics Strategic analysts believe that global advertising spend in 2012 will total a whopping $465.5 billion, with the US estimated to spend $152 billion on advertising. While consumers may be frustrated by advertising’s constant interruption of their favorite TV show or, more …

This article is re-posted from User Centric’s blog. Pinterest is quickly growing into one of the most popular websites on the internet, thanks to inspired execution of a fairly simple concept. For anyone left who needs a two sentence introduction toPinterest, the site is equal parts …

TV is in the middle of a technology revolution which has the potential to completely change the TV-viewing culture and experience. A range of technologies is contributing to this revolution including Connected TV, HDTV, 3DTV, time-shifted viewing and the ability to watch TV programs on a number …