Context
Saint-Gobain is a French industrial group and a global leader. Within the group, Placo and Isover are two major brands, the former specialising in plasterboard partition and ceiling solutions, while the latter is an expert in thermal and acoustic insulation.
This project is part of this ecosystem and focuses on a key issue : identifying and structuring customer needs.
Rôle
UX Designer
Date
April 2024 - June 2024
The Problem :
What processes can be used to improve the reporting of customer needs in order to offer innovative products and services ?
The promotion of projects is limited for reasons of confidentiality.
Discovery
To address this internal issue within the company, we conducted 26 interviews with Placo and Isover employees. We had the opportunity to speak with a diverse panel of employees, including market managers, product managers, DTCs, marketing directors, etc.
The aim was to understand the reality of the job and the reality on the ground, the points of frustration and friction, what processes were in place before and what has changed now, in order to identify opportunities, challenges and avenues for innovation.
What we understood was that each brand (Placo, Isover) had its own information reporting processes, but the merger of these brands completely disrupted each other's processes.
All these interviews enabled us to map out the current process and highlight what works and what doesn't.
Define
Interviews, verbatim transcripts and insights played a central role in this project. They formed the basis of our approach, enabling us to establish a precise overview of the existing situation (what processes were in place before) and compare it with the current situation.
Particular attention was paid when creating our interview forms. These had to be sufficiently open-ended to allow for open and honest discussion.
Using this qualitative data, combined with parallel research (benchmarking, usage analysis, business constraints, etc.), we were able to identify real issues, prioritise needs and propose solutions directly rooted in the reality of users.
Project Goals :
How can communication between departments be improved and a common language developed to ensure better coordination and a smooth exchange of information within the company ?
Design
Based on our mapping, we were able to determine all the stages of the information feedback process and identify its strengths and weaknesses.
The weaknesses led to in-depth research into current practices implemented in various brands, including Harvestr, Productboard, User Voice, Decathlon co-creation, Leroy Merlin, Rail Open Lab, Lego Ideas, etc.
Each situation was informed by benchmarks of best practices in order to resolve the point of friction.
For confidentiality reasons, this stage cannot be disclosed further.
Delivery
This project highlighted areas of friction in current processes, and our research and design workshops enabled us to propose solutions inspired by real, established and effective practices.
To address these issues, we have established three areas of focus :
- Recommendations for tools to be used within brands, emphasising the importance of centralising data
- Practices inspired by what has been implemented in other companies, emphasising the importance of data monitoring
- A framework for human resources, emphasising the importance of interactions