Smart Campus Research & Positioning
My Role:
Research protocol development
Discussion guide & activity development,
Interview moderation
Positioning recommendation development
Storyboard creation
Phases: Discovery
Duration: 8 weeks
Date: April-May 2021
Background
Due to the recent surge of federal funding available to schools in response to COVID-19, Carrier identified the education vertical as a market of interest for sales of its new platform for building health, sustainability, safety, and performance.
Objective
Gain a better understanding of priority use cases for a smart building platform in an educational setting to develop product and marketing recommendations that will drive purchase among this segment.
Approach
We conducted qualitative interviews with a mix of internal SMEs, purchasers (e.g. Superintendents, Director of Facilities), and influencers (e.g. Teachers, Principals) in the K-12 and Higher Ed ecosystem to gather a range of perspectives on the current challenges and unmet needs of this segment - and synthesized inputs into actionable artifacts and recommendations with implications across product, design, and marketing teams.
Internal SME Interviews
Interviewed 3 internal SMEs to gain an initial understanding of priority use cases and unmet needs of customers in the education sector.
Purchaser & Influencer Interviews
Interviewed 5 facility managers and 4 educators to get a firsthand perspective on unmet needs / challenges and drivers of interest from key stakeholders and influencers in the purchasing decision for a smart building platform.
Synthesis
Synthesized input from interviews to inform final recommendations.
Outputs
Stakeholder Ecosystem Map
A visual representation of the various stakeholders involved in the decision to purchase a new building solution or upgrade and their level of influence in the decision-making process.
Key Finding
A complex ecosystem of stakeholders with varying levels of influence and proximity to the decision maker requires a multi-level sales strategy.
Feature & Use Case Prioritization
A ranking of priority use cases to incentivize purchase of a smart building platform in the education vertical.
Key Finding
Energy efficiency and safety & security features were key drivers of interest in a smart building platform – while building health features were de-prioritized.
Barriers to Purchase Summary
A capture of the most common barriers to purchase for a new building solutions and strategic recommendations on how to overcome these challenges.
Key Finding
The education sector lags behind others in implementing smart building technology - but a lower barrier to entry makes higher education a better target for Abound than K-12 districts.
Positioning Recommendations
A summary of findings related to the key value drivers of Abound among the education vertical and recommendations to align product positioning with the priorities of education customers.
Key Finding
Abound’s positioning should be modified to accommodate differences in priorities across K-12 and higher ed customers, while consistently emphasizing the value of the IAQ feature set in a learning environment.
Target Customer Recommendation
A recommendation on specific customer types to target within the education vertical based on barriers to purchase and alignment of priorities with Abound’s roadmap.
Key Finding
Prioritize universities as an entry point for Abound in the education vertical, given the higher barrier to entry for K-12 schools and better alignment of the product with the priorities of higher education.
Storyboard Creation
A designed storyboard and user flow to illustrate Abound’s value to potential customers in education, which can supplement a vertical specific pitch.