Intrigue was one of the main reasons I invited complete strangers to come into my house and ask me lots of personal questions about my living habits, all in the name of research; Ikea research that is. Because when it comes to Ikea, I'm willing to put anything on the line.
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Two incredibly friendly Ikea women turned up at my door, and were quick to compliment my apartment furnishings, which are akin to having had Ikea vomit all over the apartment.
They warned me some of the questions were a bit "Swedish", and then embarked on the research.
We started in the dining room, then moved onto the kitchen, balcony and then bathroom. In each space they went through a series of questions, asking how I used the space and what exactly I did in the area, recording all of the answers in an iPad app.
Regardless of the particular room, in each space they asked more specific questions like if I ate in there, relaxed in there, got dressed and did my makeup, folded and sorted laundry, used technology or watched movies, played board games, did any craft or similar activity, or slept in there.
There were also questions about what I liked and disliked about in each space, giving me adequate room to vent about my tiny bathroom bench (what the builders were thinking, I will never know).
Apparently they've been surprised with some of the answers, with quite a few Canberrans stating that they brush their teeth in the kitchen sink, and one lady admitting she slept in the kitchen after a big night out.
The Ikea team will now put all of this data together to determine how best to lay out our new store. So don't be surprised if the toothbrush holders are in the kitchen section.
