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Vehicle Designers Need to Remember that 'Kids Are People Too'

27 April 1999

Johnson Controls' Global Manager of Advanced Consumer Research Says Vehicle Designers Need to Remember that 'Kids Are People Too'

Leading automotive interior supplier demonstrates
how observing kids can lead to product innovation

    ORLANDO, Fla., April 26 -- One of the best ways to understand
how children interact with products and whether those products are meeting
their needs is through observation, said Susan Kennedy, global manager of
advanced consumer research for Johnson Controls .
    Kennedy spoke about Johnson Controls' "Kids 'n Cars" Project -- a research
program that observed children in their natural environments -- to more than
1,000 marketing executives at Kids Power '99 held here today.
    "Observational research -- conducted in such diverse environments as day-
care centers, homes and vehicles -- offers a window into the real world
experience of children," said Kennedy. "It offers a depth of knowledge and
insight that is difficult to achieve with conventional qualitative research
techniques -- such as focus groups."
    Johnson Controls is a leading global supplier of vehicle interior systems.
As Johnson Controls works to make vehicle interiors more "family-friendly,"
the company is using unique research techniques to understand the
unarticulated needs of kids. The supplier's designers then develop innovative
products to meet these ever-changing needs.
    In her presentation, Kennedy explained how observation studies and
conducting interviews with children and their parents can be used to identify
behavior and interaction patterns that help fuel the design ideation process.
In its in-vehicle observational studies -- conducted in August 1998 with 27
Midwest families -- Johnson Controls researchers watched how children entered
and exited vehicles; interacted with other passengers; sat in seats; and ate,
played and slept in vehicles. Johnson Controls' research also reached into
homes and day-care centers, for insight on interests and behavior patterns of
children.
    "This research will help us drive new product innovations that are
kid-friendly, like our unique PlaySeat(TM), AutoVision(R) and TravelCom(TM)
interior products," said Kennedy.
    The Plymouth, Michigan-based automotive business of Johnson Controls --
which employs more than 57,000 people at 275 facilities worldwide -- achieved
US$9.3 billion in sales for the 1998 fiscal year. In model-year 1999, it will
supply interior products for more than 22 million vehicles.
    Johnson Controls, Inc. is a global market leader in automotive systems and
facility management and control. In the automotive market, it is a major
supplier of seating and interior systems, and batteries. For non-residential
facilities, Johnson Controls provides building control systems and services,
energy management and integrated facility management. Johnson Controls
, founded in 1885, has headquarters in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Its
sales for 1998 totaled US$12.6 billion.

    CONTACT:  Dave Roznowski of Johnson Controls, 734-254-5632.
    Company News On-Call:  http://www.prnewswire.com/comp/473547.html or fax,
800-758-5804, ext. 473547.
    Web site:  http://www.johnsoncontrols.com.