Abstract: A general design process model could include key stages as analytical, strategic, productive and evaluative. The design of research instruments from a semiotic perspective allows analyzing the configuration of the semantic fields considering the opportunity to integrate visual resources and research techniques to access the mind of consumers/users/interpreters in a non-invasive way.  The theme will be discussed from the marketing semiotic approach in the search to favor decision-making processes. There is a natural link between marketing and semiotics: the interest in consumer/interpreter knowledge.

 

Marketing semiotics is based on theories, principles, and techniques, which allow understanding the meaning processes, and getting information on consumers behavior, their contexts, and the influence factors through the analysis of their symbolic and belief system.  The design of research instruments based on semiotics and visual resources starts from on the premise: if the strategist knows the code structure around a concept it is possible to define a discursive strategy highly effective. From this perspective, semiotics has been taken as the primary focus for the development of diagnosis, research and evaluation tools. Despite semiotic-based research tools show information that other instruments cannot offer, it is recommended to combine them with other data collection tools (qualitative or quantitative) to strengthen analysis results.