IDEO’s cognitive psychologists, anthropologists, and sociologists team up with corporate clients to understand the consumer experience. Some of IDEO’s techniques:

Shadowing Observing people using products, shopping, going to hospitals, taking the train, using their cells phones.

Behavioral MappingPhotographing people within a space, such as a hospital waiting room, over two or three days.

Consumer Journey Keeping track of all the interactions a consumer has with a product, service, or space.

Camera Journals Asking consumers to keep visual diaries of their activities and impressions relating to a product.

Extreme User Interviews Talking to people who really know—or know nothing—about a product or service, and evaluating their experience using it.

Storytelling Prompting people to tell personal stories about their consumer experiences.

Unfocus Groups Interviewing a diverse group of people: To explore ideas about sandals, IDEO gathered an artist, a bodybuilder, a podiatrist, and a shoe fetishist.