By studying the environment and seeing the full context—what people do, how they do it, and why – it creates a solid foundation for new ideas. But facts and research alone are not enough. True innovation also requires empathy for the user—the drive that keeps you going until you find the best solution.
In a large global organization like IKEA, where I have spent most of my career, it’s vital to understand customers’ everyday needs and aspirations. Product development happens in only a few locations, yet the products are used in homes worldwide. How can teams know how people dry laundry in Madrid or clean kitchens in Bangalore? The answer is through home visits. Since the 1970s, IKEA has visited people at home to learn about their daily lives, though these insights were once only kept locally.
A few years ago, I was given the exciting challenge of creating a shared platform where everyone could access interviews and photos from people’s homes. We quickly built a prototype inspired by Gapminder’s excellent “Dollar Street” tool and tested it with product development teams. They loved it! After many iterations, mistakes, and challenging conversations with legal teams in different markets, we launched a global platform called Open Home. Here, you can see how daily activities are carried out in various markets and types of households.
Most visits are conducted by non-professional researchers—sales or communication staff who meet customers daily in stores. These are the people who sit down at peoples kitchen tables, listening to the real challenges people face. The countless stories they gather, and the emotional connection they create, provide the extra inspiration that drives development teams to innovate.
Like many others, I am excited about the possibilities of generative AI. It can free researchers from repetitive tasks, support thematic analysis, and quickly summarize findings. However, we must approach its use carefully. I follow the research closely to find the best opportunities for collaboration between humans and AI. How can we still build the same emotional connection with real people behind the data, even when speaking to an AI-generated avatar? How do we create trust between moderators, respondents, and the environment? I will keep advocating that empathy is our super power to innovate, and it comes from genuine human connections.
