smorgasbord-design

So in my post about focus groups I lamented that the Ford Mondeo did nothing spectacular. I was wrong, as Robert Fein (Director of User Experience at Grand Union) carefully pointed out: it sold in the millions and won Car of The Year, at least in Europe.

I’m not an expert on the Mondeo’s history so forgive my inaccuracies. It was designed to be a “car of the world” (hence the etymology of the name) and therefore serve multiple markets. But it didn’t. It didn’t sell well in the US, prime Ford territory and there are lots of reasons for this. But, all that aside, Robert identified quite correctly that be considering price, variety of model range and so on as user needs as much as any other, Ford were creating a user-centred car. I’m extrapolating from his comments (made on Twitter) but that is in essence what he contends. And he’s right.

I’ve still got a way to go before I resolve the difference between listening to users and creating a desirable product based on their wants and listening to users to create a desirable product based on their needs and motivations. Perhaps its about the context in which you listen, what you hear and how – importantly – you interpret and respond.

:: Right, next post is about PlusNet and how they really listened to me and responded (eventually) to retain me as a loyal customer.