In categorizing trends that are significant for lifestyle products, communication, and design, a distinction is made between the following six types.

The first two types provide the necessary overall context and perspective for working with trends. The three subsequent types of change can be used as aids for a more practical approach to product development, communication, and timing. It is in these types of change that the "stories" are found and developed to form the basis for tactical or strategic initiatives. The last type of change is less manageable, a curiosity, but not entirely without significance. In addition, it is worth mentioning that every trend is fundamentally part of a larger change. For example, trends in fashion are part of a larger economic, political, cultural, and/or sociological change. In other words, trends at a general level can be viewed as relatively homogeneous changes within the framework of an even larger change.

The recipe for becoming a trend analyst is relatively simple, but still quite difficult to apply in practice and translate into something tangible. Using the right tools is a time-consuming process, and to get the most out of your research, you need to develop some fixed routines. There is no set "recipe" for how to best work with the tools—only routine and experience can bring that kind of clarity.

Reading

The world is full of data and information, and at first glance it may seem impossible to stay up to date. But by choosing sources that are both generalist and niche-oriented, it is possible. The work of finding books, magazines, trade journals, and other materials that provide both an overview and sufficient professional immersion in a niche area is very important. Once the most important sources have been found, a pattern emerges in the research that needs to be done. As in sports, interval training is important. Here, one could talk about interval reading. A particular medium comes with a rhythm that makes it possible to reflect and discuss between publications.

Listening and watching

You can listen to both speech and music. Music is in many ways a mirror of society. You can listen to mainstream music, follow the charts, and study what the avant-garde produces and listens to. Radio is actually an overlooked medium in the modern media landscape. Radio is often a fantastic channel for immersion. A scan of just Scandinavian radio stations' programming offers plenty of opportunities for immersion in society-related topics. National and international TV stations, as well as local TV stations, provide a good picture of one of the most important contradictions in modern life – local/global.

Surfing the web

The internet is fantastic, but it is a time sink. The web is full of detailed information of all kinds. Just don't think that all wisdom can be found online. In fact, the information you can find is often sectarian and/or very superficial. Rarely does it provide perspective. It would be an impossible task to refer to specific sites and closed databases, as the internet is constantly changing. However, good search engines provide reasonably easy access to many good sources. Furthermore, before using closed databases, you should be absolutely sure of the purpose of your search – not all types of information can be contained in a database.

To travel

Traveling offers two opportunities. First, the journey itself. Here you can study lifestyle behaviors up close on many levels. From the businessman with his rolling suitcase, smartphone, and suit, to the more folksy behavior of the charter tourist. Second, you can study the destination. The world's major urban centers are still important to visit regularly.

Noting differences

When you travel, diversity is one of the things that strikes you. Diversity in both behavior and attitudes is important to study because diversity and variety often open your eyes to new things that can be transferred from country to country or tribe to tribe. In fact, the seeds of many new products, sales, and marketing are hidden here. So sit down on a bench for 15 minutes and look at your surroundings, notice the deviations and differences, and make a note of them.

To ask

It is important to be able to ask the right questions. Whether it is to a search engine on the internet or to your fellow passenger on a flight to Tenerife. If you ask the right questions, you often open up a flood of thoughts, ideas, comments, and opinions. This is something you can use if you are curious and interested in other people.

Discussing and sharing knowledge

Discussion opens up new avenues, insights, and opportunities for discovering unusual angles and details. You can engage in spontaneous discussions with people you meet, but you can also stage professional discussions among other trend analysts or with focus groups.

To systematize

Once you have gathered all your impressions and knowledge, it is important to systematise everything. Systematisation is a continuous process. It could be done every quarter, every month or every Friday. The important thing is the stop-up effect, where it is possible to create a partial overview and take new steps towards further research. Some people cut articles out of newspapers and magazines and stack them by subject area. They count how much and what is written about a topic. This is the more quantitative way of doing it. The other is more qualitative, where one or more people have the job of creating a thematic or perspective overview—a kind of map of the topics.

To sort

Throwing things away or continuing to focus often requires more than just mathematical sense. Experience is probably the best skill in this situation. But you have to be careful not to throw away the wrong things, because in modern society you also have to think about so-called wild cards. But sorting is important, because not everything can be equally important.

To put into perspective

The most important thing is perspective. It is perspective that creates the opportunity for others to benefit from what you have been working on. Trend research is about taking a helicopter view and seeking an overview. Perspective is the tool. Perspective requires historical knowledge – or knowledge of where to find it. By focusing on the other nine tools, you will actually become better at putting things into perspective over time.

A final – and essential – element in the toolkit of a trend analyst is knowledge sharing. Without knowledge sharing, the overview and insight will not be translated into anything. And don't think that sending a cc email of your conclusions to your colleagues is enough. It is precisely in discussions that new, important observations often arise that can elevate the collected knowledge to a higher and more useful level.

Want to stay up to date on trends? Take a closer look at the Pej Group's magazine TID & tendenser, which keeps you up to date on trends across all lifestyle industries.

Trend researchers work to decode, analyze, and translate trends into concrete advice and guidance.

What can a trend researcher help you with?

“The future belongs to a very different kind of person with a very different kind of mind – creators and empathizers, pattern recognizers and meaning makers.”

— Daniel Pink, motivation expert and author

How does a trend researcher work? And what exactly is a trend, if they had to put it into words? Why and how does one become a trend researcher? Is it the result of carefully planned education and career planning, or is it pure coincidence? Some have a goal in mind, while for others it happens completely by itself (or via a large number of detours).

We interviewed 17 different trend researchers about their understanding of and work with trends.

Read all the interviews in the book.