How to Research Trends: Move Beyond Trendwatching to Kickstart Innovation

by Els Dragt

Understanding trends, the emerging values and needs of groups in society provides you with a foundation to innovate and create change. This book gives you a candid and unbiased overview of the trend research process. lt brings a structured, research-based approach to the table instead of a crystal ball.




'How to Research Trends' is practical, hands-on and offers multiple perspectives on researching trends for professionals and trend students around the globe. lt shows you that researching trends is a skill that combines the intuitive and the analytical.

This book is written for everyone interested in human-centred innovation and for everyone interested in learning more about trend research. Trend research includes so much more than just hypes, styles and the latest gadgets. It studies change and provides an analysis of emerging shifts in people’s needs and wants. These trend insights are essential during any innovation process as a foundation to create future proof concepts that improve people’s quality of life.




Based on a 3 step method, you will learn in a hands-on way to scan your environment for signs of change, analyse your trend spots and apply your trend insights to kick start innovation. This book synthesises existing theories, concepts and ideas on trend research. The interviews with experts and students will guide you on your trend journey. This will help you to innovate and create change in the short and long term and execute your own trend research.

Genres: Business, Design, Nonfiction

200 pages, Paperback

Published September 19, 2017

About the author

Hi, many thanks for your interest in my books!

I'm an independent Dutch trend explorer with a wealth of experience spanning over two decades.

With Studio Elsewhere I guide organisations and teams in integrating trends research into their work processes.

My training, research and writing style is down-to-earth, practical and a bit tongue-in-cheek.

I like to make complex information accessible to everyone.

In all of my books I share stuff that makes you go elsewhere, look elsewhere, listen elsewhere, click elsewhere, .....

My client list includes IKEA, City Football Group, Viacom, HIVOS and the Dutch government.

I'm invited as a guest lecturer at numerous universities and academies that incorporate my three-phased trend method in their study programs.

Are you ready for it? Let's start our trend journey!

Warm wishes from Amsterdam,
Els Dragt

https://www.studio-elsewhere.com

Reviews

[Xavi · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good book to start approaching the trend research discipline. I would highlight the clearness and the solidity of all ideas exposed in it. Unfortunately, a great difference with other books on this topic that I had consulted before. In the end, trends are something really intangible, symbolic and gigantic and this book has been able to make it accessible.

This clearness in part is accomplished by the structure of the book itself. It is organized as a "How to" manual, so it has a repeated structure per chapter. This fact helps the reader to be entirely focused on the content because he is familiarized with the structure.

I think it's a great book to explore and understand the basics of trend research. It explains all the important you must know to start in trend research. If you want to start getting to know the topic, this is the book. I must admit although I don't consider myself an expert of the topic, in some moments I missed some more deepness in some concepts. But the author manages to fix the issue by dedicating a section of every chapter to give references in case the reader wants to go further. Really valuable. Moreover, the book is all the time complemented by quotes of trend professionals, what gives some insights and reinforces the ideas of the book. Thanks to that, I have ended up knowing many trend firms I didn't.

If I had to say something improvable, I'd say that the book is a little disconnected with the reality of the business. I mean, it bases all the methodology in an abstract and disconnected way, like if you have all the time and money to research trends in the broadest way. The reality of the companies is quite different, first, because most of the time you are going to start the process with a client. That means necessarily that the process is going to begin by delimiting a scope and establish a focus. She dedicates a small part of the book to attack this issue, but I would have started the methodology from this point and no treating it as an isolated section.

To sum up, a really great book to understand the essence of trend research and get the big picture of the discipline.

[Clement · Rating 3 out of 5]

Decent primer for first timers. Would have appreciated it if the book got more prescriptive and got down into the weeds. Would also have been helpful if the book covered more quantitative methodologies and approaches. The sidebars with practitioners did shed more insight.

[Martine Delannoy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent concrete book for anybody starting off or wanting to perfect trend work.

[Felipe Jimenez · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great introduction to trend research.