The Power of User Perspectives

In our long-standing collaboration with Sennheiser, we have already used various user research methods to examine people's behavior, needs, and motivation in relation to their user and customer journey. In this way, we gain insights for targeted development together.

In some projects, we work with fixed user groups, which we accompany over several phases. In recent projects for Sennheiser devices, we have used contextual interviews, concept tests, and co-creation to obtain decision-making aids for the development process.

We started with contextual interviews with a fixed group of users: we wanted to hear not only what users do, but also why—and what processes, conditions, and ways of thinking determine their everyday lives. Based on these conversations, we developed initial sketches and conceptual approaches, which we then presented back to the group. During early concept testing, we discussed application ideas, reviewed assumptions, and validated initial directions. Our proximity to the target group allowed us to ask questions flexibly and deepen our insights in a targeted manner—a continuous dialogue that had a decisive influence on product development.

With the help of this approach, realistic application scenarios became clearly recognizable early on in the project. Unnecessary features could be eliminated right away. This saved development time and created space for targeted further development.

Another project showed how much energy is generated when users are actively involved in the design process. Together with Sennheiser, we developed a new product—not behind closed doors, but in an interdisciplinary co-creation workshop in which a selected user also participated. Their perspective was not only incorporated at the end, but directly into the brainstorming process. Hypotheses could be discussed immediately and usage contexts could be compared directly. The direct feedback in the workshop setting revealed many implicit expectations – and ensured that the next development steps were given high priority.

The result: ideas and promising approaches that were viable from both the user and company perspectives – and a team that was able to agree on common goals during the process.

What characterizes our collaboration with Sennheiser is a shared understanding: UX research is not an add-on, but a central element in the design process. It helps to make complex issues tangible—and ensures that teams can make bold but informed decisions.