User research, surveys, and customer analysis

The psychological and physical well-being of people is directly related to the way their living and spatial environment is designed. This can only be comprehensively evaluated by involving the users themselves. Therefore, diverse survey and interview methods are essential aspects of our research and development work.

Together with our customers, we develop:

• requirement analyses, including the identification of strong points and problem areas, e.g. through surveys, structured interviews or design thinking workshops
• employee surveys, using pre- and post-occupancy evaluations as a basis for Workplace Change Management (WCM)
• user satisfaction assessments, analyzing needs and activities with our standardized screening questionnaires
• integral surveys on relevant aspects of building physics (acoustics, indoor climate, etc.) and non-building physics (workload, health, personality, privacy, etc.)
• economic step-by-step surveys that can be flexibly extended according to the filter principle.

Our team of experts provides comprehensive support for our customers, ranging from the conception and development of questionnaires through implementation and evaluation up to the presentation of results. It goes without saying that we always comply with current data protection standards.

Collection and interpretation of survey results

Based on systematically developed and professionally evaluated questionnaires, we deliver valid and statistically reliable results. By applying sound scientific analyses, we identify focal points and correlations and prevent any misinterpretations.

Our services include:

• the calculation of inferential statistical analyses in order to interpret survey results in a valid, application-oriented way - this enables us to identify interactions and obtain reliable information.
• the interdisciplinary consideration of the design of living spaces - psychologists, building physicists and engineers work hand-in-hand at Fraunhofer IBP.
• the adoption of a target group-specific perspective - we look at the design of living space not only from the point of view of the user, but also from the point of view of the owner or operator, in order to accommodate different needs.

Activity analyses and employee surveys

The importance of office design and the potential impact of new office concepts on employees are often underestimated. When it comes to redesigning office space, an employee survey is a useful participative instrument. Users’ needs are identified according to the specific tasks and work structure concerned. By combining this information with building physics parameters such as acoustics, room climate, light, etc., user satisfaction can thus be planned and designed.