Strategic
Design
2° MODULE - UNDERSTAND
Designing Meaningful Products,
Brands and Stories
MARCH 2026
ANATOMY of aN ICONIC PRODUCT
1 2 3 4
Intuition Knowledge Execution Culture
Reading the spirit
Deep understanding
Transforming insight Transforming
of the time. of the domain. into innovation. products into cultural
symbols.
Timing
Passion/love
Solution
Imaginary
Trends
Experience
Innovation
Symbols
Problems Learning Evolution Promise
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I2I Framework
INTUItion KNOWLEDGE STRATEGY EXECUTION CULTURE
SENSE UNDERSTAND PLAN BUILD MEAN
ICON
IDEA
1. 2. 3. 4. 5.
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I2I Framework
Timing matters
INTUItion Sensing trends
is fundamental
SENSE Iconic products don’t
1.
start with great ideas.
ICON
IDEA
They start with real
problems.
How to identify
real problems
SENSE = SEE TRENDS +
FIND PROBLEMS
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I2I Framework
INUItin KNOWLEDGE RAEGY EECUION CULURE
SENSE UNDERSTAND AN UD EAN
. 2. . . .
ICON
IDEA
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Understand
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Understand I2I Framework
Knowledge
Passion/Love
Deep understanding
of the domain.
& experience
Passion/love
Experience
Learning
12
UNDERSTAND
Start from what you love.
Learn what you don’t know.
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UNDERSTAND
You do better
when you care more
You sense more
You understand more
You make better choices
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UNDERSTAND
Without care,
passion and soul,
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UNDERSTAND
Without care,
passion and soul,
everything becomes
generic
If you don’t have a real connection with that world,
you risk creating:
copies
superficial ideas
trend chasing
cold solutions
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UNDERSTAND
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UNDERSTAND
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UNDERSTAND
Love makes you see
problems.
Passion makes you
solve them.
Great products often start with a personal
passion for solving a problem.
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Great BRANDS STARTED FROM LOVE
Patagonia was born from the world of climbing:
Yvon Chouinard was a climber and began by
making gear for the style of free climbing he
practiced, aiming not to “harm the mountain.”
The brand later maintained a mission strongly
aligned with protecting nature.
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Great BRANDS STARTED FROM LOVE
1%
Patagonia was born from the world of climbing:
Yvon Chouinard was a climber and began by
making gear for the style of free climbing he
practiced, aiming not to “harm the mountain.”
The brand later maintained a mission strongly
aligned with protecting nature.
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Great BRANDS STARTED FROM LOVE
Apple started from a passion and frustration.
Computers were:
difficult
technical
made only for engineers
Steve Jobs wanted something different:
A computer for humans.
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Understand I2I Framework
Knowledge Learning
Deep understanding
of the domain.
Passion/love
Experience
Learning
18
UNDERSTAND
Start from what you love.
Learn what you don’t know.
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UNDERSTAND
Start from what you love.
Learn what you don’t know.
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UNDERSTAND
Did you start from a passion?
Great!
Did you spot a trend?
Good!
Did you perceive a problem?
Perfect!
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Now you need
to immerse yourself
in everything
related to:
Market
How it is solved today
How many people have this problem.
What people say, complain, love, or hate.
Competition
Who and how it is solving it
What is still missing
Early Adopter
People who live with that problem
You must know the landscape
better than anyone else.
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MARKET
A market is not numbers.
A market is people behaving.
Online research
Social media
Analytics
Reviews
Forums
Keywords & trends
Real world research
Observation
Interviews
Experts
Online tells you what people say.
Reality shows you what people do.
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MARKET
Online Research
What are you really looking for:
Language → how people talk
Frustrations → what annoys them
Patterns → what repeats
Examples:
Amazon reviews → real problems
TikTok → emerging behaviors
Reddit → unfiltered truth
Online tells you what people say.
Reality shows you what people do.
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MARKET
Real World Research
This is where the magic happens.
you observe without filters
you discover the gap between “saying”
and “doing”
you find deep insights
People don’t lie.
But what they say ≠ what they do.
Your job is to observe behavior,
not just listen to words.
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COMPETITORS
Competition
Who and how it is solving it
What is still missing
A competitor is not only
someone who sells the same
product.
A competitor is anyone who
satisfies the same need.
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COMPETITORS
Don’t make stupid
assumptions.
If there is a market,
there are competitors.
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COMPETITORS
A competitor is not only
someone who sells the same
product.
A competitor is anyone who
satisfies the same need.
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COMPETITORS
A competitor is not only
someone who sells the same
product.
A competitor is anyone who
satisfies the same need.
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COMPETITORS
A competitor is not only
someone who sells the same
product.
A competitor is anyone who
satisfies the same need.
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COMPETITORS
A competitor is not only
someone who sells the same
product.
A competitor is anyone who
satisfies the same need.
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COMPETITORS
Analyze the competition
What they offer
What problem are they solving?
What is their product or service?
What works well
Why do people use it?
What is convenient or valuable?
What is missing
What frustrates users?
What could be improved?
What opportunity is still open?
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COMPETITORS
Early Adopter
Early adopters are the first
people who take your
product seriously and use it.
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PERSONAS & Early adopter
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PERSONAS & Early adopter
Join when
it is new
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PERSONAS & Early adopter
Join when
they perceive
a benefit
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PERSONAS & Early adopter
Join when
there is a
productivity
gain
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PERSONAS & Early adopter
Join when
there is plenty
of help and
support
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PERSONAS & Early adopter
Join
when they
have to
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PERSONAS & Early adopter
Every innovation begins fragile.
Join when
Early adopters are the first people who
they perceive
take it seriously, before it becomes
a benefit fashionable. They don’t just buy a
product — they embrace a vision.
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PERSONAS & Early adopter
Early Adopter
He is an expert with the problem you are
trying to solve, but he does not yet know
how to solve it.
willing to experiment with
new solutions
tolerant of imperfections or
early-stage products
influential in shaping
opinions and trends
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PERSONAS & Early adopter
Word of mouth
is the
most powerful
Marketing
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1966 – Custom-made shoes
unique and personalized.
A small shop-factory called
the Van Doren Rubber Company.
The business model was simple but
brilliant:
Customers walked into the store
They chose the model and the color
The shoes were produced on the spot
They came back later the same day to
pick them up Paul Van Doren
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1970 – The sole that “grips.”
Californian skateboarders discover
these shoes.
Why do they love them?
The sole grips the board perfectly
The canvas is durable
The price is accessible
The look is simple and customizable
they are not professional athletes —
they are teenagers reinventing the
sport. Vans recognizes the power of
the group and co-designs with them.
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Early adopters often use a
product in unexpected ways.
Instead of defending your
original idea, listen to them
and follow the real usage.
The community can become
your R&D department.
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Understanding your PEOPLE
?
If you want to find the
early adopter?
Ask your self
Who has this problem?
How do they solve it today?
What frustrates them?
What do they pay for?
Where do I find them?
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TAKE AWAY
Start with Then
a real study it
passion, rigorously.
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Thank you!