What is Perspective Analysis?

We've all heard the phrase "walk a mile in someone else's shoes," but how often do we actually put it into practice? Most of us probably never have. 

One way or another, we might have been stuck in an argument with a friend or someone because we have a different set of opinions. 

The subject of the argument could be anything — it could be over a political issue with a friend, or you are upset that your significant other can't understand your side of a story. These situations can be frustrating, but because of these negative experiences, we can understand the importance of perspective analysis. 

Perspective analysis is like putting on a pair of glasses that help you see things from multiple angles. A process of stepping into someone else's perspective to gain a deeper understanding of their experiences and viewpoints. 

The goal is to gain a more well-rounded understanding of a situation and to be able to make more informed decisions as a result.

Perspective Analysis: A detailed breakdown 

We all have our own perspectives, which are shaped by a variety of factors, such as our upbringing, our cultural background, and our personal experiences. The result is two people looking at the same situation, at the same time, with the same variables and factors at play, but they see it in completely different ways and draw different conclusions.

The importance of perspective analysis lies in the fact that understanding different perspectives can help you to solve problems in the business world and make better decisions. Whether you're launching a new product or trying to solve a complex problem, seeing things from multiple angles can help you make better decisions and create more effective solutions. Understanding different perspectives might involve talking to your employees, customers, or other stakeholders to gather information and insights.

Executing Perspective Analysis

Market Analysis 

Let’s say you’ve launched an organic popcorn business. You want to promote it as a  healthy snack. But have you conducted market research for that? Which age group might prefer having popcorn as their evening snack? 

First, you conduct research on a small group of people who are your potential customers. You might ask them different questions like their preferences for a healthy snack, or if they like having organic snacks and are willing to pay more for premium quality snacks. 

Your targeted audience might get confused if they are not familiar with organic popcorn. To understand their concerns, you need to first ask them what their queries are and why your product is the right choice for them if they did choose it. You need to gain valuable insights into their buying behaviours (it could be the case that they are actually looking for a snack for their kids, not themselves, for example) and why they will choose your product over others in the market.

You need to have a thorough analysis and might also consider the perspectives of other stakeholders, such as retailers who carry your product or suppliers who provide you with the ingredients. By understanding their perspectives, you can identify potential challenges and opportunities in bringing your product to the market.

For example, if your retailer says they don't want organic popcorn because it doesn't sell well in their area or among different groups, you might need to address their concerns by providing marketing materials or offering incentives to carry your product. By considering their perspective, you can develop a more effective strategy so your product goes into the hands of consumers.

By understanding the needs, wants, and preferences of their customers, you can create products that are more likely to be successful and help you ‌stand out in the market.

Listening to Your Team

Let's say that you have developed a new software tool for managing customer data. Your development team has been working on the product for months now, and they believe that they have created a tool that is easy to use. However, before launching the product, they decided to get feedback from employees of the customer service department, who will be using this tool on a daily basis.

During the feedback, employees shared their thoughts on the product, and it became clear that there are some major issues that they might face in the future. For example, some of your employees find the interface very confusing, while others have issues navigating between different sections of the tool. Also, few of them believe that certain features are missing that being included would have made their jobs easier.

After this, the development team goes back to make several changes to the product, including changes in the interface, adding new features, and improving the navigation. They work closely with the customer service department to make sure that the product meets their needs and is easy to use.

Diversity and Inclusion

Let's say you want different public opinions on new beauty products and your marketing team is working on a marketing campaign to promote that line of beauty products. Your team has created a concept for the campaign, which they believe will resonate with their target audience. Before launching the campaign, your team will conduct a diversity and inclusion perspective analysis to ensure that the campaign is inclusive and sensitive to all age groups of people.

During the analysis, the team realises that the campaign concept basically features white models and doesn't reflect the diversity of their customer base (customers of different skin tones). Also, some of the language used in the campaign could be interpreted as insensitive or offensive to certain groups.

After this, your team changes the campaign to diversify the models and create content that is more inclusive and sensitive to all groups. 

Now, your campaign resonates with a wider range of customers. Thanks to focusing on diversity and inclusion, you were able to identify and address key issues before launching the campaign, leading to a more successful marketing campaign.

Creative Solutions

Let’s say you have a company that produces a line of smartphones. After launching a new model, you have started receiving a significant number of customer complaints about the battery life. Your team starts investigating the issue urgently, but they are unable to identify the root cause of the problem.

To get to the bottom of the issue, you decide to take different opinions. You gather feedback from customers, customer service representatives, and technicians who have worked on these devices. Through this process, you identify several perspectives on the issue, including:

• Some customers believe that the battery drains too quickly even when they're not actively using the phone.
• Other customers report that ‌battery life decreases rapidly when using certain apps or features.
• Technicians have noticed that some phones have faulty batteries, while others are fine.

By analysing these different perspectives, you are able to pinpoint the root cause of the battery problem. You discover that there are actually two separate problems: faulty batteries in some devices, and a software issue that is causing excessive battery drain.

With this information in hand, your development team is able to create a plan to address the issue. They recall ‌devices with faulty batteries, and they release a software update that addresses the battery drain issue. Now, you can identify and solve the problem, leading to happier customers and a better product.

Final Thoughts

We might not be able to get a full picture of one’s perspective, but with the help of perspective analysis, we can, as it allows us to step outside of our own viewpoint and see things from different angles. By understanding the perspectives of your employees, customers, and stakeholders, you can identify new opportunities for growth and improve overall performance. So, whether you're launching a new product or trying to solve a complex problem, don't underestimate the power of perspective analysis.

Want to know more about perspective analysis? Or want to implement it in your business. Just get in touch with us. We’re here to help.