We explored how people across Asia live at home, and what they need, to inform IKEA’s next product range.
The challenge
Pain points differ across cultures and lifestyles. IKEA knew functional furniture well but needed actionable insight for future ranges: which home furnishing solutions would make everyday life simpler and more meaningful for people in Asia. The research followed daily activities, behaviours and social trends in five cities: Shanghai, Tokyo, Seoul, Hong Kong and Mumbai.
Our approach
We mapped user journeys and culture-specific touchpoints with Life Immersion™, our design thinking process for building future scenarios, which ends in an innovation roadmap and an actionable playbook. Ideation workshops gave every stimulus a clear strategic purpose. Home Immersion, our virtual reality tool, let IKEA’s teams step into consumers’ homes and everyday moments without attending the fieldwork.
The result
Compelling user scenarios and key opportunities for IKEA’s next range, told through IKEA’s own design principles. The findings defined a product range strategy across nine business areas: living room and workspace; bedroom and bathroom; kitchen and dining; cooking and eating; decoration; children’s; lighting and smart home; textiles; and free range.
Brand-wide figures reflect the client’s overall performance, not this project alone.
