E.M.P.O.W.E.R.

Our experience shows that anticipating and responding to consumer emotions, rather than parsing demographics and focusing on market research, has proven to be the most reliable indicator of design success. Developing a simple, intuitive process for incorporating this emotional insight into the design process has involved vigorous experimentation. Over time, we discovered that factoring in emotion has not made design more complex but introduced clarity to the decisions and trade-offs that come with implementation. That clarity has enabled us to breathe new life into stale categories, help companies climb back from decline, and enter the market and seize share, faster, with more lasting results than we dared to hope for.

What does this mean in practical terms? How can a firm begin to practice this philosophy? What are the resources and skills involved in implementation? Based on our work with diverse clients, we have distilled the process into distinct phases that can be easily remembered with the acronym EMPOWER. The Psycho-Aesthetics process is a powerful catalyst in empowering clients and design professionals to innovate. Not coincidentally, EMPOWER also describes the experience that we aim to create for consumers. Empowering experiences create connections between consumers and brands. These bonds are the basis of market leadership and sustained financial performance.