Project Time: Jan 2017 - Apr 2017
Teams:
Internal - JMS Strategy Team, JMS Data Team
External: Microsoft - Surface Team
Responsibilities: Research Screener Development, Feedback Analysis, Insight Discovery, Presentation Design & Development
Goal of the project:
The purpose of the co-creation workshop was to obtain insights from incoming and current college students, to discover what incentives and product bundles would positively influence their consideration of Microsoft Surface.
Our methodology:
Microsoft and John McNeil Studio held a co-creation workshop to discover insights and direction for Microsoft Surface incentives. We collaborated with 19 individuals in Denver, CO. One group consisted incoming college students and the other was current college students, across many different majors. The participants provided an understanding of their everyday life, how they utilize technology to increase academic capabilities, and the products and services they believe could come together to create the ultimate productivity bundle.
Who are they?
They center their lives around devices.
The most important thing to bring with them when they leave home for college Their laptops and phones.
Implication: How might we convey that the Surface can be a device central to their lives?
Microsoft: in their lives, but not top of mind.
Because Microsoft Office is so common they only relate the brand with tools and academic assignments.
Implication: How might we leverage the Surface and its bundles to bring Microsoft alive to students?
What is (really) important to them?
They are excited for the future...
For high schoolers, leaving home is the elephant in the room – but they’re excited for adulthood
Implication: How might we convey the Surface is central to their coming academic experience – and independence?
...or they’re anxious about the future
For college students, they are wondering how to make a difference in an upsetting political & cultural change.
Implication: How might we offer our participants a sense of empowerment over their lives?
How do they work?
From analog to digital and back again.
Most participants see a benefit to keeping a pen and paper at hand.
Implication: How might we message Surface as the device to bridge the gap between analog and digital?
Multiple – Tasks, Screens, Devices
They mostly have a thing about tabs.
Implication: How might we portray Surface as a multi-media device that makes multitasking frictionless?
How do they play?
Social Media: a complex relationship
Personal connections are important, but keeping up on their feeds is distracting and anxiety producing.
Implication: How might we heighten our participants’ sense of control over their social media feeds?
They share what they do – not who they are
Participants are very conscious about what they want to share of themselves, and what they have created.
Implication: How might we portray Surface as well suited to creating and sharing content?
They move through entertainment by mood.
They take a nuanced view of social media channels and use multiple music services.
Implication: How might we bundle and message these apps and services so they best reflect the nuances of how our participants use them?
Pay for a Subscription?
Individuals rely on parents and friends to cover the cost of popular streaming services.
Implication: How can we induce them to pay for something they currently get for "free"?
How do we reach them?
They rely on social discovery for what’s new
Call it the “Stranger Things” Phenom – things of value often explored from the bottom up in their worlds.
Implication: Could an “unofficial” Surface Bundle offer go viral?
Recap: What we learned?
Young people have a great affinity for their tech. The devices are critical components of what they do and how they express themselves.
They’re tech agnostic. They may have a device they currently use, but they aren’t afraid to switch or pick up new tools to get the job done.
They know Microsoft, use Office — but this is not a top-of-mind brand for them. The brand needs to create tactics that highlight its presence in their lives.
Work and leisure are blended — it’s all life. They have a set of services that they either subscribe to or borrow passwords for. They are required to use services to boost their skills or to prepare for college. They always want to learn, they always want to play — they look for brands who make it easy for them.
Recommendations
Create incentives that support the lives they lead.
Work and leisure are closely aligned. Often segueing from one to another quickly, bundles should reflect the ease of leisure and their desire to progress in their college lives.
They learn from each other.
Give them ways to share their bundles and insights with their peers. Discounts if they invite 3 or more people to participate or easy sharing mechanisms that allow them to post on social once they’ve bought a package.
Give them the reason to buy.
Other technology brands have a clear position in their life. Netflix for shows they can talk about, Soundcloud for music discovery, Google for collaborative school work, etc. We need to give them a clear POV for Surface and the incentive bundle.