Transcript The user as a source of inspiration

The user as a source of
inspiration
Game ON! 2008/09
Marketing / UCD college
Agenda
• Learning goals
• About me
• What are marketing & UCD?
• The user as a source of inspiration
• Summary
Learning goals
• By the end of this college you should
– Have learned a bit about me and how I see
marketing and user centred development as
subjects
– Have learned the difference between needs and
wants
– Have learned how you can use this difference to
develop a better game for your target customer
About me
Charlie Mulholland
• Education
– MA in Philosophy (not marketing!)
• Career
– Sony
• 1985 - 2000
– UPC
• 2000
– Freelance
– Chello, WdKA
– Teaching
• Helped start CMD Rotterdam
• HvA since 2005
Other stuff about me
• Language
– Okay Dutch, but…
• Accent
• Grammar
– Favourite Dutch word is gezellig
• When I am enthusiastic I…
– Speak quick
– Use “idiomatische uitdrukking”
• I love music
• I support Liverpool (sorry) and I enjoy cricket and rugby (really
sorry)
• I am a vegetarian (in case you want to buy me lunch)
What are Marketing & UCD?
What marketing is not…
• Marketing is not advertising
– Although advertising is an essential part of marketing
activities
• Marketing is not selling
– Although “selling” is usually the end goal of marketing
activities
• Marketing is not in itself a bad thing
– Although it sometimes is done in a way that is not good
• And marketing is not boring
– Although sometimes it can be practiced (and perhaps
taught) in a boring way
So what is marketing
• Marketing is:
– An activity that puts a target group (or target
groups) at the centre of an organization’s activities
– An activity that involves working with groups of
people to meet the needs and wants (behoefte en
wensen) of the target customer / user in a better
way than other options
– Marketing is a creative activity
What does marketing do?
• The job of marketing is to help organizations
create mutually beneficial (wederzijds
voordelig) exchange
• The idea of exchange is essential to marketing
Exchange?
That’s better!
Ah, happy
shareholders!
I’m thirsty
Exchange is the process
where you willingly give
something of value to
another, in return for
getting something of value
to you
N.B. Exchange does not have to be
financial
• Exchange can also apply to other things such as
–
–
–
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Barter deals (I’ll give you this DVD player for that Wii)
Ideas and knowledge
Gossip
Support (e.g. political)
• The key is that both parties feel the exchange is
valuable for them and both exchange willingly
– Both get something they need or want
Marketing secret number 1
People and organizations do not buy
or use things that they do not need or
want
(or at least believe that they need or want)
Marketing is therefore about needs
and wants
A definition of marketing
(not the definition)
Marketing is a creative activity that aims to create
mutually beneficial exchange by developing offers
(products, price, place and promotion) that meet the
needs and wants of a target group(s) better than the
offers of alternatives (the competition)
The problem with marketing
• Marketing focuses on the buyer (aka the
consumer / customer)
• However, there is another stakeholder
(belanghebber) in many exchanges…
• The user
• And this is where User Centred Development
is important
Is this a familiar story?
Mmm…iPhone,
that’s sexy!
Charlie as consumer
Bloody hell! Why
can’t I reject a call
when it’s locked?
Charlie as user
The consumer and user can have different needs and wants
(actually they can be different people)
What is User Centred Development?
• UCD is an activity that looks at the needs,
wants, goals and behaviours (gedrag) of the
user (as user, rather than as consumer) and
tries to make sure the product developed
delivers a positive user experience
Why UCD?
• Because the consumer and user are not
always the same (actually or in terms of
needs, wants, goals and behaviours)
• Because marketing is also about developing
long-term relationships with customers
– Positive user experiences help achieve this
Why UCD for Game ON!
• Because the consumer and the user are
different
– You should focus on the user of the game (the
children) not on the buyer/consumer (usually
their parents)
The user as a source of
inspiration
Or how can marketing and UCD help
you with this assignment?
What (I think) is important for Game
On!
• Your assignment is to develop a game for a
child or children aged 12
– In order to do this you have to meet their needs
and wants better than other options (your
competition)
• So you have to understand what their needs
and wants are
Needs and wants
The basis of all marketing
What is a need?
• A need is a basic feeling of missing something
• When people have a need they will either
– Look for something to satisfy that need
OR
– Reduce the feeling by ignoring it or looking for something else that will reduce
the feeling
• Needs are basic to humans
– Physical needs: food, clothing, warmth, safety
– Social needs: belonging and affection
– Individual needs: knowledge, self-expression
• Basic needs such as food and safety are fairly consistent for humans (and
indeed other animals)
• Other higher level ones are not experienced by all
Wants are expressions of needs
• Wants are human needs that have been shaped by things such as
–
–
–
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–
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Culture
Sub-culture
Personality
Interests and concerns
Family and upbringing
Particular situations
• For example
– Hunger is a basic need
– However how that need is satisfied if the person has the opportunity will
depend on the factors above
– So I need to eat, but I want a vegetable curry (since I am English and
vegetarian)
From needs to wants
Mmm…doughnuts
I’m hungry
Culture
Personality
Family influence
Nationality
What’s available
Situation
Mood
Need
Want
So this means
• You first have to understand the needs of your
target group and then understand how these
needs are shaped into wants by culture,
personality, etc.
• This process will allow you to develop insights
into your target group so that you can create
an offer that meets their needs and wants
Analysing needs and wants
• Obviously a game cannot satisfy all the needs
and wants of the target group so firstly you
must ask: which can it satisfy?
• To answer this, you need to do some research
into the target group
• However, is the target group clear?
Spot the similarity
You’re right - there is nothing really relevant
But in the old-school market segmentation
we are the same
Male and around the same age
Game ON! target group:
children aged 12
• They probably have similar basic needs
• But they are unlikely to have the same wants
since they have different cultural backgrounds,
personalities, etc., etc., etc.
– This means they will have different ways of satisfying
these needs
• But how can you handle this?
– A golden rule in marketing is to group customers
together who have similar needs and ways of
satisfying these needs
– This is called segmentation
Segmenting the target group
• In reality the Game ON! target group is too
undifferentiated (ongediffertieerd)
• In order to get better insights you need to break
your group into smaller segments
– This will allow you to group children with similar
needs and wants
– You should then target one of these groups
• This will help you understand how their needs are turned
into wants by culture, personality, etc.
• You achieve this by research
Research?
• Tomorrow you must do some research into
the target group
• This cannot be done from a computer alone
– Go out into the world and look around…
• This is veldonderzoek
Some research tips
•
Talk to members of the target group
–
But be careful not ask them directly what they want
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Watch the target group
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TV, magazines, websites
Talk to people who deal with the target group
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Especially when they are playing
Look at the media the target group uses
–
•
Generally we do not know until we see it - thinking of better offers is the one of the most creative aspects of
marketing
Parents, teachers, etc.
Be the user group
–
Play games
•
Imagine situations and write / tell stories (scenarios)
•
Look at the competition
–
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What needs and wants are they trying to meet
Google for research (last option BTW)
–
For example this age group is sometimes called “tweenagers”
Your goal
• As a team you need to get beyond having a target
group of 12 y.o.
• Use your research to think about what group of users
might help you
– Girls / boys maybe but this is still not good enough
– What more might help (blind, deaf, Ajax fan, love painting)
• The most successful games are targeted at the needs
and wants of a clear target group
• Your goal is to define a clear target group for this
coming Friday’s mood board.
Summary
• Marketing is about creating exchange by
satisfying needs and wants of your target
group
• In order to understand the needs and wants
you have to know your customer / user
• The user is therefore a great source of
inspiration
• Get out there and get to know them