Designing for Different Audiences
Most of the design projects that I’ve had in the past have normally been designing for my particular age group or older. In those situations, it always helped to surround myself around those age brackets to try and get into the minds of those users. Stuff that seems normal for doing research on a design project. Since I was always around my age gap and older, the research was right in the palm of my hand, I just had to pay attention.
With a current project that Tridea is working on, we are designing a site with the target user being “tween and teen girls”…….in other words, the 12-19 type age gap. What’s interesting about this, is that I don’t necessarily have the option of surrounding myself in this type of atmosphere (without looking creepy), so I have to find other means to try and get into the minds of young girls. This is no easy task.
Naturally, I started with the web. I found a few good resources for ideas, but that doesn’t seem to be enough. I got started on a design to see where my thoughts and ideas roam, and I think I got a good start on things, however I feel like something is missing.
So, my next plan of research will be watching “teeny-bopper” type tv shows to pick up on the youth lingo. What also might be useful in watching some of these tv shows, is that there will be targeted advertising for that demographic, so there will be a lot to be learned there.
My overall point is that when doing design research for a particular demographic, it really helps to immerse yourself in that type of environment to get a good idea of how to communicate a message. Without this kind of research, I really would have no clue how to appeal to the “tween and teens.”
What ways do you research a demographic for a web project?
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