Facing challenges is easier when you explore from the heart on a deeper level first. This is where great ideas are truly generated. Our process is meant to purposefully slow down and let the heart guide innovation. This intentionality produces more sustainable results over time due to greater inspiration and a deeper connection with yourself, your team, and your audience.
“I can count on you to:
a) help me design the best methodology to answer my questions
b) manage all the details so the research is seamless for my team and
c) deliver actionable findings.
Thanks for all that you do!”
“After outstanding results from a one-time research project this summer, April Bell Research has become an intrinsic part of our marketing team, helping us strategically grow our vision to better understand our customers and the market.”
“In conducting qualitative research for a new packaging concept, April’s knowledge of the research process and overall consumer insights was invaluable. I look forward to working with her again in the future.”
“She came up to speed so quickly on my products, my issues, and our objectives. She was also incredibly flexible in terms of my continually changing priorities and always remained incredibly professional. And the best part – not only is she very talented and an expert in her field, she is absolutely fun to work with – I would partner with her on another project in a heartbeat!”
Most decisions are made logically, which feels safe. However, logical thinking, when trying to innovate, is actually unsafe and will only keep you repeating the same mistakes both within your organization and within your personal life. Learn to use empathy as the foundation of your discovery process when innovating to gain the courage to take safe risks along the way and develop greater connectivity with others.
Explore on a deeper level to generate new possibilities for your users, each other, and yourselves.
*Note: Due to confidentiality concerns, specific brand names have been removed.
When a salty snack brand wanted to co-create with a quick serve restaurant, they had to build a completely innovative product. Two teams had to align to create a win/win solution for their target audience. The result: the creation of a novelty taco with the brand’s well-known seasoning experience, becoming an immediate customer favorite and selling more than a billion tacos the year it launched.
When a face care brand needed to reposition themselves for a new target audience using existing technology, the team needed to gain a better understanding of their target audience before they could successfully move forward. The result: 200% year over year market share increase, resulting in it becoming the fastest growing brand in the global corporation’s skincare portfolio.
When a casual dining restaurant needed to solve a supply chain issue for an ingredient no longer readily available due to COVID, they had to ensure the quality and taste experience for consumers was maintained while holding margins firm as they sourced the new ingredient. The result: they discovered a new ingredient that improved experience and created a more profitable bottom line, saving the company millions in the first year alone.
When products produced at multiple manufacturing plants needed guardrails to maintain consistency based on consumer desires, they had to innovate an existing product to maintain the most important attributes, ensuring products across each system were coherent. The result: Individual manufacturing facilities collaborated to create a systemized, balanced approach for manufacturing based on consumer preference.
When the beliefs about what small business owners needed had not been refreshed in years, sales to the target audience had decreased over time. The team needed to understand the current desires, behaviors, and habits of this target audience to develop a new service for small, business-specific needs. The result: a new, sustainable solution was created using current capabilities, saving the company money while increasing sales by 25% the following year.
“My mission is to fuel inspiration and solutions by providing a fresh perspective on how empathy can ignite creativity and peaceful prosperity for the greater good.”
Facing challenges is easier when you explore from the heart on a deeper level first–this is where great ideas are truly generated. Our process is meant to purposefully slow down and let the heart guide innovation. This intentionality produces more sustainable results over time due to greater inspiration and a deeper connection with yourself, your team, and your audience.
I have used my experience and education to help build brands and innovate products for Fortune 500 companies for nearly two decades. This publication has been inspired by my observations on the impact of empathy to impact personal and organizational transformation. My book discusses the importance of empathy in solving big problems while addressing the struggle to successfully innovate both personally and professionally.
Click here to take the quiz developed from 18 years observing and facilitating collaborative innovation with the world’s leading brands and teams.
“Our project involved many stakeholders - April and her team were able to not only help us navigate through complex research objectives but also facilitate the dynamics of multiple teams working together successfully!”
“I have used her services on many occasions and she has always performed beyond my expectations. A top-notch resource and a great person as well!”
“April has been an outstanding partner over the years from providing strategic input on key projects to helping guide insights. April is very adept at creating a space where people feel comfortable brainstorming to lead to productive ideas. It is always a pleasure to work with April Bell and her team!”
“From the recruit, pre-briefs, making sure respondents were all ready and able to do all the interviews, being flexible from day to day, and guiding the team through valuable learning, April Bell Research is always a delight to work with. The quality of respondents, especially on Day 1, were fantastic! We also had great show rates throughout!”
Create based on heard-led clarity
Expand knowledge by listening to learn from the heart
Connect dots to see emotional patterns for design inspiration
Ideate and create passion-led possibilities
Determine direction from a holistic understanding