At Sundberg-Ferar, Design Learning (research) fuels our creative process, and enables our clients to make bold decisions that might previously have been considered too risky. We go beyond what users tell us about themselves and their experiences. We want to know not only what they say they do, but also what they actually do. At the outset, we are not looking for statistically significant findings, but rather, the nuggets of information that will encourage us to generate concepts that we otherwise may have missed. We dig for thoughts and observations that can manifest themselves in unique and compelling product concepts. And we include our product designers and engineers every step of the way!

In the end we realize that extraordinary new concepts are often polarizing. We have developed quantitative research methodology, MAPSS™ (Measuring Adoption Propensity in Styling Selection) that acknowledges the human tendency towards neophobia, and uses that knowledge to empower our clients to introduce products with lasting market appeal and higher profit margin potential.

Creativity is not an output process. It is an input/output process. The human brain is not a wellspring. It is a processor. Research for Sundberg-Ferar is, in part, the input side of the input/output creativity equation.