Designers must consider the market when targeting their product, service or system. The smaller the sector, the more the target audience will have in common. Companies may decide to compete in the whole market or only in segments that are attractive and/or familiar. A designer’s understanding of the identified market is essential.

• Categories of market sectors

• The influence of market sectors

• Classifications of consumer market segments: income, profession, age, family, values, behaviour

• The development of a product family

• Broad categories of market sectors include geographical sectors focusing on values, culture and characteristics of purchasers in a particular region and purchasing power; client-based sectors focusing on consumers, industrial, public sector and commercial

• How companies take into account market sectors in the design and manufacture of products

• Examples of products designed for only one sector and products designed to be sold to more than one sector

• How the needs of the markets segments listed impact the design of products and scale of production

• Examples of product families

By identifying the market sectors and segments a product will be designed for,

a designer can gain data directly from the perspective of the potential consumer.