Psychographics: The Next Step in Multifamily Development

CHICAGO—In both the office and multifamily sectors, developers have waged a quiet amenities war in the past few years. Everyone tries to top the competition by including every new-fangled amenity they can think of, all in the hopes of attracting tenants. But others have started approaching design in a more methodical way. And to predict what tenants will truly appreciate, developers need more than simple demographics on their target audience.

“You need to dig down into what they value,” Mary Cook, founder and president of Chicago-based Mary Cook Associates, a commercial interior design firm. And collecting demographic information such as educational levels, income, race and ethnicity and other factors is just the first step.

“I’ve seen so many multifamily developments with amenities that are sitting empty,” she adds. Usually, the developers simply did not take the time to fully understand who would be living there.

Cook uses so-called psychographic data to bolster the standard way of analyzing a population “and design spaces that facilitate certain types of behavior.” Unlike simple demographics, psychographic data is based on observation, and evaluates how people use or don’t use a variety of environments.

If, for example, a developer wants a community room that will encourage people to linger and perhaps form friendships with other residents, the firm examines existing environments, such as a high-end restaurant, where people already like to linger, says Josh Kassing, creative director. Elements from these spaces can then be used to help create equally appealing environments for multifamily dwellers.

A deep dive into tenants’ history can really pay off, Cook says. The firm helped design Parc at Princeton Junction, an upscale apartment community in Princeton, NJ, which caters to many residents from India and China who work in the local biomedical industry. These residents tend to do a lot of cooking, and units were designed with chef’s kitchens with non-permeable surfaces that can be easily cleaned even after heavy use.

Perhaps even more important were the special accommodations for families with children. Education is one of the chief values for these residents, and many have adopted the Kumon Method, a learning technique which encourages young people to study independently, but under the guidance of tutors. Parc at Princeton Junction has, therefore, set aside specially-designated Kumon rooms in the community area.

In addition to delving into the nitty-gritty details on how residents will use certain spaces, Cook and her colleagues also make sure a development will reinforce how its target audience wants to live. At Riverworks, a new apartment building in Phoenixville, PA, located on an old steel mill site, the mostly millennial-age renters can engage in the active lifestyle they crave. Amenities here include kayaking on the nearby Schuylkill River, hiking trails, an outdoor theater, bike paths, and a pedestrian footbridge that connects the community to downtown. “We also included a rock-climbing wall to speak directly to this demographic,” Cook says.

She believes more developers are getting on board with such strategies. Still, many just go with design firms that provide signature looks, but little deep background work on potential residents. “If you hire them they will impose that look on your property.”

Cook estimates that about 20% of their work is fixing properties designed by others. “Some end up learning the hard way.”

She says all developers and designers should, of course, do the traditional demographic studies on potential renters. “But after that, take it a step further.”