I have always had a deep respect for and synergistic relationship with marketing. I understand the importance of strategic positioning and believe good design is informed design. I love diving deep into the customer demographic, walking a mile in the prospective buyer's shoes, and listening intently to the salesperson's insight. But there is one thing that I find to be not only a waste of time but a buzzkill to the creative process: the focus group. Yes, the f-word. It could be redefined in the New Design Dictionary as such:

focus group n. /fŭkūs/gɹuːp/

1. A way of giving power to people who are highly motivated by: a.) a free lunch, b.) a small fee, or c.) hearing themselves speak.

2. A means of wasting countless design and strategy hours, and negating years of expertise by depending upon the opinion of people who either don't know or don't care.

3. A way of removing or shifting responsibility for the economic success or failure of any product, marketing strategy, or promotional campaign because the "focus group preferred it." See also: scapegoat

4. A highly effective way of killing any type of innovation, intuition, or creativity in a formal, costly setting versus an equally accurate alternative known as the dartboard.

5. A quick means to making a product, strategy or marketing project bland (or in some cases, worse) in order to appease all who attended or participated. Refer to example: Pontiac AZTEC

In spite of its bleak definition, the focus group can be positive and informative depending on the part of the process it informs. Focus groups are best utilized in the pre-design process and information-gathering phase. They can provide insight into who the participants are as a demographic group and what they need and desire.

But please, let the use of the f-word stop there.

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Laura Guido-Clark is an expert in the skin of consumer products--their color, materials, and finish. This is perhaps the area of industrial and textile design that requires the greatest understanding of the human heart. Laura has spent her life studying the always new and always surprising ways that human beings react to the look and feel of any given product.

Laura is the rare color and finish consultant whose expertise includes not just textiles but heavy manufacturing industries such as automotive, electronics, and major household appliances. This experience has given her vast knowledge of the raw materials and processes used in product categories across the board. Throughout her twenty-plus year career, Laura has analyzed the conscious and unconscious influences that drive buying decisions. Her ability to translate those influences into prescient forecasting and, ultimately, into concrete applications of color and finish has helped companies such as Samsung, Apple, Mattel, and Toyota design products that resonate with consumers and succeed in competitive markets.