BCorp Studio Market Research

Berchild Design Agency

Client Work

Project tools: Figma, Miro, Google Word, Zoom, Loom

October 10th - November 4th

About Berchild Design Agency

Under the umbrella of Berchild Design Agency, B Corp Design is a global design agency empowering companies and creatives to advance environmental & social causes through innovative & immersive design solutions.

Problem Statement

The goal of this Industry Design Project is to determine which of the few messages resonates best with our target audience and why. If our target audience is not swayed by our messaging, then the goal is to understand why and continue refining our message and value proposition. This will be a multi-pronged approach through multivariate testing as well as 1:1 interviews.

This is the discovery phase of a product—our goal is to define the marketing and development fit for the company.

The "Berchild Design Agency" Team

For the privacy of the team members, I have only added their titles and roles.

CEO of Berchild Design Agency

Project Manager

Copywriter

Responsible for USP content

UI Lead Designer

Visual Design, Wireframing, Sketching, Style Guide, Interview note-taker

Marketing/Secretary

Planned meeting’s, coordinated interviews, managed research documents

Interviewing, questionnaires, Affinity Mapping, & Personas

UX Researcher (Myself)

Project Timeline

Team deliverables.

Week 1

1st Team Meeting
HMW Statements & Project Plan
Develop 3 USP Messages
Develop Ad Graphic
Develop 1:1 Interview Questions

Week 2

Launch USP Messages on Facebook and Instagram
Gather Quantitative and Qualitative data
Gather multivariate data
Conduct 1:2 Interviews over week 2 and 3

Week 3

Analyze results Quantitative and Qualitative data
Affinity Map
Persona
Synthesize research
Prepare recommendations

Week 4

Present research to CEO and stakeholders
Recommendations and suggestions
Submit final documents and deliverables.

What is a USP?

A unique selling proposition is often the first bit of copy you’ll see above the fold on a given company’s homepage. It is typically a single sentence-length headline, and is sometimes accompanied by a sub-headline. The essential word in the phrase is “unique.”

The USP defines your position in the market insofar as it answers the question:

What’s the ultimate point of differentiation between you and your competitors that makes your company the one worth doing business with?

Our 3 USP Messages

Below are the 3 USP messages that we tested during the 4 week internship

Message A

“Beyond design, BCorp Studio is making good business, your business. By aligning with your cause, we bring personality to the mission, advocating for change and pursuing outcomes that benefit people and planet.”

Message B

“Designed for purpose, inspired by cause — an agency with a conscience. We are BCorp Studio. How may we help you?”

Message C

We believe story & design matter. We believe our responsibility is to empower the products, practices, and people we work with to be the change we need in this world. Now, not later. Are you in? Join us.”

Week 1

1st Team Meeting

HMW Statements & Project Plans

Develop 3 USP Messages

Develop Ad Graphics

Develop 1:1 Interview Questions

How Might We?

1. How might we be the most attractive agency for Certified B-Corporations and other organizations that are focused on women’s initiatives and the environment?

2. How might we be the desired partner for our customers, in an ever-changing market?

3. How might we be the most attractive workplace for the best ‘ up-and-coming designers?

4. How might we be the thought leader in the market?

5. How might we make our company the go-to place for both clients and candidates?

6. Identify where our target market hangs out, what they read, and what they are interested in?

Aim of Study

Understand which message is favorable and why?

Conversely, understand which is unfavorable and why?

Come away with actionable insights on the next steps.

Recruitment Process

Our team's secretary reached out to 10 potential clients to interview. All selected clients had to be certified B corporations or a 501C3(nonprofit) associated with a corporation. However, the specific focus was:

Environmental-Focused B Corporations

Female-Focused B Corps (May or may not be female-owned)

Out of the 10 clients, 3 agreed to be interviewed on weeks 2 & 3 of the project.

Sample Survey Questions

Sample Intro Questions:
1. Please tell me a little about yourself and your organization.
2. What are your organization’s missions and values?
3. How do you keep up with your Industry’s trends?

Sample Design Agency Competitor Question:
If you currently have a design team or are looking into investing in one, what has been your budget?
$1,000 - $10,000
$11,000 - 25,000
$26,000 - $50,000
$51,000 - $70,000
$80,000 - $100,000
$100,000+
I am not sure

Please read or listen to the following statement:
(Statement 1) “Beyond design, BCorp Studio is making good business, your business. By aligning with your cause, we bring personality to the mission, advocate for change, and pursue outcomes that benefit people and the planet.”

Please answer the following:

what did you think of this statement?
How did it make you feel?
What keywords or phrases stood out to you and why?
This statement aligns with my organization’s values.
Don’t know, Strongly disagree, Disagree, Neutral, Agree, Strongly agree

Style Guide

Design Ad Development

3 different functional prototype graphics were designed and submitted for review. Before option 1 was chosen for its simplicity and focus on the USP message.

High fidelity mockups and Files used for Facebook and Instagram carousel ad with 3 different USP story board messages. Used to test and determine which value message resonated best with customers.

Week 2

Launch USP Messages on Facebook & Instagram

Gather Quantitative & Qualitative data

Gather multivariate data such as click-through rates, demographic, and platform statics

Conduct 1:1 Interviews over weeks 2 & 3

Week 3

Analyze results Quantitative & Qualitative data

Affinity Mapping from interview results

Develop Personas

Synthesize research and develop a written summary

Prepare recommendations and written summaries

Berchild Agency Persona

Affinity Mapping

Week 4

Presentations of research with CEO and stakeholders

Recommendations and suggestions

Submit final documents and deliverables

Quantitative Campaign Results

On Week 4, we compiled the results from the Ad campaigns. During this campaign, it was important to note the demographic that was interacting with our ads and the location where the majority of our views came from. To measure the success of each ad, we looked at 3 major categories:

Reach: The number of people who saw your ads at least once
Impression: This is different from Reach, as this is the number of times the ads were projected on someone’s screen. This number may include multiple views of the ads by the same person.
Link Clicks: The amount of times an individual clicked the Ad and was redirected to the company’s website.

Qualitative Campaign Results

Final Recommendations

One of the goals of the project was to come away with actionable insight and possible next steps.

1) Use a shorter Message

Shorten the 1st and 3rd USP. Length may have impacted the results.
Use key words and phrases found in the UX research.

2) Consider an Ad on LinkedIn

Recommend doing a quantitative data, multivariate test with Ads on the LinkedIn platform.
There may be more clients involved with B Corps that are also using this platform and will be a good place to test the messages.

3) Different Color Palette Different Graphic Content

Recommend testing other colors.
Test shades: Purple, Blue, Black & Gold, or Black & Greens.
Dark Mode colors are trending.
Try a different graphic to attract all genders and age groups.

4) Consider photo Design Ad for Instagram

Recommend an Ad that is designed with photos and/or animation, and even possible video to tell the Ads story and to draw potential clients using this platform.