Customer Behavior is one of the most telling truths in business, and one of the best ways to learn about your customers is to watch them and listen to them!
From Steve Yastrow's book, Brand Harmony (page 54-55).
"Jerry Hirschberg, president of Nissan Design, tells a great story about how his team determined the best colors for a line of children's furniture in 2001. The tendency, of course, is for adults to think that kids want things in big, bold primary colors. While observing children at play in a day care cent, one of Jerry's designers got down on the floor and asked one of the children if she could see his box of crayons. She poured the crayons out and looked for those that were the shortest, i.e., the most used. Those colors did not happen to be the bold, primary colors that most would have guessed they would be. The result was a line of children's furniture in earth tones. Most of your customers aren't as forthcoming and honest as children; they may not tell you their favorite color, but you certainly can look for their shortest crayons."
