Perceived Function - Understanding User Needs | #TurianPerspective

Need plays a critical role in an individual's life, as every human being has innate (born with) and acquired needs. At Turian Labs, a large part of our time and effort is dedicated to understanding the user needs while working on research projects. From a #DesignThinking standpoint too, understanding need is the first step. It helps us to define the user's point of view in the form of a problem statement.

Let us look at a scenario which our team encountered while working on a research project with a leading automobile brand. The project brief revolved around decoding the styling and aesthetic preferences along with understanding the functional needs of users.

While interacting with users, the discussions moved towards understanding the preferences around how a headlight should be. We all are aware that the primary function of a headlight is to illuminate the roadway leading to a safe driving experience. The highlight of the conversation was the way users defined the aesthetics of a headlight.

Complex curves in the headlight conveyed the perception of superior technology. Whereas, a plain surface which provides better illumination (primary function) was perceived to be low on technology.

As you can see, the users were settled on the primary need, but there was added emphasis on the perception created by the surface of the headlight and it became a key factor in the decision-making process.

To sum up, it is critical to extend the classification of functional need beyond the core. We term this as 'perceived function'. This allows us to better understand the nuances of the user needs and help us address it in a different way (through feature messaging, positioning, etc.)

What's your story of perceived function?