The Design Research Difference

Design Research is the only data driven consulting firm with decades of experience identifying unmet consumer needs for designers, product developers, and marketers; and in testing new designs to assess how well they will perform in the marketplace. A boutique agency, we are strategic-minded industry veterans whose experience revolves around solving problems. We use time tested proprietary approaches to gather and interpret data and turn it into actionable insights that lead to greater new product acceptance and sales. 80% of all new products fail, yet the success rate of products we test and recommend exceeds 90%. Think of the bottom line impact of swinging your success rate from 20% to 90% with only slight modifications to your new product development program. Increase your success rate. Identify missed opportunities. See increased sales, bottom line gains, new consumer acquisition and open doors to new segments, products, designs and opportunities. Large enough to handle any engagement, we are also small enough that only senior executives lead and manage every aspect of your project. Easy to work with, our experts are both trend specialists and data driven insight providers, bringing you great value from custom reports, and becoming your strategic partner by understanding how to satisfy the demands of your target audience. No guesswork. No luck. Just meaningful information you can use. Inspiring your design with data driven insights.

Our Senior Team

Richard Babick

Richard Babick

President and Founder

Janine Michalek

Janine Michalek

Vice President of Market Intelligence

Elaine Weigle

Elaine Weigle

Director of Information Services

Gordon Chin

Gordon Chin

Information Systems Reporting Specialist

Our Clients

It is said that the company we keep speaks worlds about us. We couldn't be prouder of our client list. We deeply appreciate the trust and confidence that these great brands and companies have accorded us. We believe our list of distinguished clients speaks volumes to both our experience and the quality of our work.

We are proud to report 80%+ of our first-time clients have become repeat customers. In fact, we have been working with many for over a decade now.

Our Story

A long time ago a young man with a strong background in research was excited to take a new job with a consumer products company called Lenox China and Crystal. During his orientation he was shown the “market research” conference room where the walls were lined with shelves that held samples of the top 50 fine china dinnerware patterns, the top 50 casual dinnerware patterns and the top 50 fine crystal stemware patterns. He learned that he was going to have to understand what it was about these designs that made them top sellers. “How hard can this be” he thought when he settled into the conference room with a blank pad and the intention to find the commonalities that lead to sales success through simple, logical analysis.

Many frustrating hours later that young man – Rick Babick, of course – found himself with a new thought: “what have I gotten myself into?” I couldn’t find any rhyme or reason to those top selling designs. There were some commonalities, of course, but they were simplistic at best. I needed to go much further. So I decided that I needed to talk to decision-makers – women who had recently purchased the category.

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Our Partners

Smart companies understand that design and research go hand in hand.  Designers can't develop good products without first understanding end-users' needs.  The best companies and designers use formal research to identify those needs.  They also use research to evaluate and refine products throughout the development process so that the end result is a smart product with strong potential for consumer demand. 

We at Design Research are very pleased to have a working relationship with Cozzolino Studio - an award-winning design firm that consistently produces great products.  We have had the pleasure of working together on numerous projects for many clients and the results have always surpassed client expectations.