ABSTRACT
The resource has been developed through investigating designers’ needs, and their desires from tools that aid the design process. The interface allows designers to specify a user group through selecting certain variables e.g. gender, and view statistically validated data on that groups’ generic attitudes towards products. They can also browse individual people’s data, where there is more in-depth information about products that they find pleasurable, providing a more intimate portrait of different market segments. RealPeople is an Arts and Humanities Research Council funded research programme that has led to the development of an interactive DVD based database. It is designed to inspire and inform designers in the early stages of the design process; highlighting the key “pleasure” needs of different market demographics and promoting greater empathy with the user. The resource is not intended to replace first hand research, but designed to inspire initial concept generation, and to guide and focus preliminary research activity.
