Saint-Gobain CertainTeed
Design Research
The Challenge
Our team was tasked with understanding how product visualization influences and impacts product purchases. CertainTeed is a company that specializes in the design and manufacturing of architectural materials. This project specifically focused on roofing and siding materials for residential homes.
My Role
As a Junior Design Researcher, I was responsible for the collection, analysis, and presentation of customer data and insights. I supported the Senior Researcher during in-person interviews by recording conversations, and I conducted 3 interviews myself. After careful analysis of all the data, I constructed a complex journey map which was presented to business units in a day-long design thinking workshop that I helped facilitate.
The Stakes
On the surface, this project was focused on understanding how homeowners visualize products on their home and how the ability to do so impacts product purchases. However, our challenge extended beyond capturing data.
Design thinking was new to the CertainTeed workflow. The 5 business units were originally quite siloed in their work despite a strong customer overlap. Our team was brought in to break down the walls between units and to drive the creation of product pipelines.
The business units were skeptical of design thinking and the change it would bring. So this project was an attempt to persuade them of design’s value in business.
Desktop Research & Benchmarking
We spent some time collecting research on visualization techniques and tools used in adjacent industries. Some were existing tools available to consumers at the time, others were conceptual. We transformed these techniques into “Tech Cards” which we presented to each of our interviewees. We hoped to ignite conversation about what homeowners and contractors would find useful during their renovation projects.
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![NB Kiosk]()
New Balance Kiosk
The New Balance Kiosk in New York City allows users to create, personalize, and purchase their own 574 sneaker. The kiosk contains interactive screens, material samples, laces, and sizing options.
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![Google Maps]()
Google Maps
Google Maps provides a visual for a user’s journey from one point to another. It displays a bird’s eye view, step-by-step written directions, time expectancy, and points of interest.
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![Heads Up Display]()
Head's Up Display
Information is projected onto a car’s windshield with this Head’s Up Display. The data responds to the cars velocity, location, and surroundings to present up-to-the-moment data.
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![Adobe Color]()
Adobe Color
Generating color palettes takes seconds with this tool. Users simply snap a pic and the app draws coordinating color schemes from the image.
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![Deck Designer]()
Deck Designer
This software builds a 3D model of a user’s home with the help of a single image. Once built, users can design the deck of their dreams right on the model.
Stacia, Homeowner, CA
David, Contractor, CA
Larry, Homeowner, NJ
Edward, Homeowner, PA
Deep Dive into the Data
When we weren’t meeting with interviewees, my time was dedicated to analyzing the data we had already collected. I created wireframes for every homeowner’s unique journey, complete with questions they had, thoughts and feelings that drove decisions, and consequences. The same mapping strategy was applied to the contractors’ selling process.
All of these maps became references to generate the final, complex journey map that compared the homeowner’s journey to that of the contractor.
We learned that product visualization is a key component throughout the product purchasing journey.
A homeowner who can’t visualize is a homeowner who can’t make a decision
If a homeowner cannot accurately imagine the way a material will look on their home, they get scared. Roofing and siding are a big investment, so getting the color palette wrong can mean more financial loss (to redo it) or living with an ugly home.
“I want to see it on my home.”
It wasn’t enough for homeowners to see a color palette on a random house. They were more decisive when they saw their chosen materials on their home.
An indecisive homeowner is a major risk to the contractor
When a homeowner can’t make a decision, the contractor gets worried. If they allow the homeowner to take as much time as they need to make a decision, the contractor risks losing other jobs. On the other hand, if they pressure the homeowner into making a choice they don’t like, the homeowner will give them a bad review - resulting in fewer jobs in the future.
Lighting and Context
Contractors encouraged homeowners to view sample swatches outside during different times of the day. Colors and materials appear different with variations in shadow and lighting. They also suggested comparing materials to colors in the yard or neighborhood.
Scale matters
Sample swatches are the primary visualization tool contractors use to help homeowners choose materials. Homeowners struggled to imagine how a 4”x4” swatch would look from a distance and on a large scale.
The more realistic, the better
Renderings and 3D animated models were helpful tools when the homeowner was just beginning their renovation journey. But to make a final decision, these low-fidelity visuals weren’t enough to seal the deal.
Presenting the Findings
The Senior Researcher and I facilitated a day-long design thinking workshop, during which we presented the journey map and all of our findings. We then presented the business units with “How Might We…?” prompts and asked them to solve some of the visualization problems presented in the findings.
The Beginning of the End
I collected all of the concepts from the brainstorm and began expanding on them. Each concept received an in-depth written overview along with a storyboard or illustration of how the user flow might change. All of this was done with the intention of building out the product development pipeline for the next 5-10 years.
Unfortunately, it was not to be.
CertainTeed decided to pursue other means of growth, so our project was put on hold indefinitely.
