Functionality
Young consumers are used to having instant access to information and services, and this affects their buying habits.
With information at their fingertips throughout their lives, every design decision made for Gen Y needs to answer the question “Why?”
A client of mine, Katherine Bardis, is not only a Millennial, but is also co-founder of Bardis Homes, a progressive Sacramento-based homebuilder poised to reimagine the industry–and she’s wicked smart. Bardis says “the industry has changed drastically from 2004 to 2014. The most important thing Gen Y buyers care about is functionality. Everything should serve a purpose. From overhead storage, to… tech hubs in the laundry room, to… a kitchen island and everything in between. Nobody wants to spend money on things they don’t use.” And they want to have confidence in the knowledge that every detail has been designed, not just done because “That’s how we’ve always done it.”
Bardis says one of the core principles in working with Gen Y is transparency. Buyers have quick access to so much information that it’s important to be completely transparent about costs and have answers to all the design decisions they’ve made.
