Μια ωραία παρουσίαση με περηφάνια από την Utah στην οποία γίνεται σαφές ότι η Skullcandy είναι από τις εταιρείες που επενδύουν σοβαρά σε έρευνα και ανάπτυξη. (Όχι σαν κάτι άλλες που απλά κοτσάρουν λογότυπο σε Κινεζιές…)
“What if there were headphones that could seamlessly switch from music to calls? And what if those headphones actually looked as good as they worked?” From such ponderings was born the Skullcandy line of headphones—at least per the brand’s website.
The company cultivates a nonconformist persona, right down to its cadaverous logo. Marketing its headphones to a demographic “at the intersection of sport, music, youth culture, art, film and fashion,” requires considerable research to stay relevant as a brand and as an image.
Skullcandy employs just over 20 product engineers, per Sam Noertker, senior manager of product experience. To complement the brand’s product management team, “the product experience and product creative teams participate in many forms of human-centered design research.”
All of which falls into the crucial area of market research. “The main method Skullcandy uses to stay ahead of the [market intelligence] game is diving deep into research on technological trends that are going on globally,” Noertker says. “Human-centered design research helps us get a clear understanding of what really gets our consumer excited and connects with them emotionally.”
So that’s the style/fashion component. But looks don’t matter much if the product doesn’t perform. Or if it fails to keep up with the latest technological innovations. “The product team keeps a ‘technology roadmap’ that helps us track new technology in the market,” says Noertker.
Bluetooth tech is old news by now, but back when it was newer, the Skullcandy team got ahead of the implementation curve. “By understanding how Bluetooth technology was going to shape the product landscape, it gave our product team time to go out and discover the best options,” he says. Skullcandy’s prescience paid off. Bluetooth has shown remarkable staying power; no other technology has emerged as a serious contender for wireless connectivity between devices. By reading the signs correctly and taking effective action, Skullcandy now boasts “some of the top-selling Bluetooth products on the market.”