4. Customer Research

Client

University

Sector

Public

Role

Analyst, researcher

Skill areas

  • Primary research

  • Secondary research

  • Insight generation

  • Report writing

  • Facilitation

Context

The client faced major challenges in adapting to the changes brought on by COVID-19, as virtual work became standard and altered users' perceptions of physical spaces. This shift created a disconnect between existing property infrastructure and services and users' evolving needs and expectations, affecting occupancy levels.

Opportunity

The client needed to understand better how their spaces could be designed for the future. The scope of our exploration included identifying user perspectives, researching current space trends in commercial and tertiary sectors, and providing an overview of current and potential future metrics of space planning and utilisation. This exploratory engagement was the first part of a multi-phase plan that would inform the subsequent design and implementation phases.

Outcome

  • We employed a human-centred approach to explore user needs, current space-related behaviours, pain points, enablers, and future expectations and concerns about the future of work and study.

  • We engaged with 107 participants from diverse stakeholder groups through virtual interviews and workshops. Based on the qualitative data collected, we also conducted 57 follow-up surveys to validate our understanding and test our assumptions.

  • We analysed all qualitative data alongside secondary research, which involved reviewing over 100 documents and approximately 1,000 pages to identify key themes.

  • A comprehensive report synthesised the themes into a framework to help the client understand user perspectives, behaviours, interactions, and choices and inform future decisions.

As the analyst and junior researcher…

  • I worked in a team of three, with a senior analyst and director, alongside a core working group from the client side.

  • I designed discussion guides, surveys, and workshops and facilitated discussions with users from a diverse range of demographics to gain insights.

  • I undertook extensive secondary research, reviewing and analysing client documents, research articles and market trends to identify commonalities.

  • I supported the analysis and synthesis of the different types of data, the write-up of the report and recommendations, and the development of the framework illustrating the key themes that surfaced through our research.

Tools

  • Miro

  • Microsoft Teams

  • Google Forms

  • Google Slides