FISCHER IS ONE OF EUROPE'S LEADING SUPPLIERS OF CONSTRUCTION FIXINGS. WITH A STRONG NAME IN THE MARKET AND AN IMPRESSIVE PRODUCT RANGE, THEY WANT TO KEEP LEARNING ABOUT THEIR USERS AND STAKEHOLDERS. WE DOVE INTO THE WORLD OF FISCHER BY VISITING MANY OF THEIR CONTACTS IN SALES, CONSTRUCTION, AND OTHER SECTORS.
Ranging from self-employed carpenters to big contractors and construction
companies, fischer has a wide variety of stakeholders. Given that there are large
differences between the stakeholders' needs, the challenge arises to cater to all
the different information needs in an appropriate way.
The aim of this project is to map the informational needs of all different
stakeholders and to improve the service that fischer gives, by, among other
things, better meeting the needs and expectations of their customers.
In the first phase, exploration, I conducted 2 weeks of research where I spoke
to 56 different people, mostly traders, constructors, implementers, and work
planners. Through interviews and various tools, like value mappings and future
scenarios, I've got to know the stakeholder and their needs better.
In the second phase, analysis, I collected and combined all the research
material. Using a giga map, stakeholder-mappings, personas, and ‘how might
we?’ questions I got a better view of all different aspects of the issue.
Halfway through the project, the team gave a presentation and exposition. Both our
client and various coaches provided us with extra feedback that helped us to get
into the next phase.
In the third phase, processing, I took all the information and feedback from the
analysis phase and converted it into a more manageable model for our client. This
also helped with answering the research questions. Using the analysis, we
developed the ‘Co-Design Toolbox’, a tool that makes the themes clearer and
makes it easier to discover new insights.
In the final phase, designing, the five themes that were found in the analysis
phase have been used to create two directions for solutions. I went back to my
original respondents and got feedback and insights.
Ultimately, I worked on two concepts: First, an educational product that allows the
basic knowledge of fischer products to be easily learned by novice or
inexperienced users. Then a communication platform that is designed to facilitate
the transfer of information and advice between the consultants working at fischer
and their clients.