An evaluation of the project

The day after enjoying this new clubbing experience, visitors of the club during the Milan Design Week were invited for an online interview. Recruitment for this interview happened via Twitter and the database of people invited to the opening. It were selected 24 club goers for the interviews: 16 males and eight females. At the core of the interview were three basic exercises: write a review, give the club a score, and select and rank your favorite design objects that were showcased in the club. Overall, the club got a report figure of almost 9/10 and was seen as a surprising and innovative action of Heineken. Moreover, the concept club was perceived as a different and more entertaining experience than in a regular club. Almost all reviews mentioned the link between Heineken as a brand and “design”. The interactive bar and the friendliness of the club personnel were also mentioned a lot spontaneously.

The Top 5 Design Concepts, according to the visitors, were: the interactive bar, the special editions of the award-winning “aluminium bottle” in which the beer was served, the staff’s clothing, the exit and the taxi service delivered by the concierge, next to the entrance of the club – which was giving the clubbers already a glimpse of the vibes inside.

In the post-community evaluation survey, the members gave the project a score of 8/10. For them, it was a pleasant experience that made them have impact on the future of a part of their life: going out and clubbing. They really appreciate the fact that Heineken is a brand that listens to consumers. Also based on their qualitative feedback, we may state that the project indirectly created 120 trendy and influential brand ambassadors for life.

In-depth interviews with the 19 emerging designers emphasized the connection between the interactive infographic and the end result. At the beginning of their creative process they were mainly excited about their collaboration with Heineken and the goal of developing a visionary nightclub. The design briefs – based on the phases and insights of the customer journey map – proved to be a critical success factor in structuring the process and facilitating the collaboration. Most designers perceived the community phase as the most valuable part, as the answers they generated to consumer needs in this initial phase were keys to the end result. The origami concept that arose here served as a red thread in the design vision and was applied to all elements in the club. Mark Van Itterson, Head of Global Design at Heineken, formulated it this way: “The community was our online hub, a kind of virtual creative lab. It was bridging all continents and time zones, stimulating cross fertilization. It kept the creative juices flowing through new progress, new insights, new briefs”. Heineken’s “Open Design Explorations” also changed how the emerging designers perceived the concepts of co-creation and consumer research. They are now convinced that consumer understanding is essential in their design process and is a major source of inspiration.

Date: 2016-04-22; view: 711