Competition in the market of interior design during the last several years has drastically increased. The consumers of today are very conscious about what the market can offer and therefore they have high demands on the products. It is not only the function of the product that matters but also the design that makes a difference. Companies are becoming more aware of this and as a result they have to find a way to set themselves apart in order to attract customers. This realization has led designers and economists to cooperate in a different way than before. It is important that they are able to communicate with each other to reach a successful goal.

The purpose of this study is to deeply analyze a product development process within a large departement store and to look into how the different parts cooperate and communicate with each other. The exam has been done through a qualitative method. Three personal interviews where held within the departement store with the design director, purchaser staff and designer. The theories of communication, design process as well as the value theory aim to serve as tools in the analysis of the evaluation problem. The study focused on cooperation, communication and feedback in the product development process.

The conclusion we came to is that there is a conflict in communication between the purchasing staff and designers to company X because the communication has only been one way. The designer believes that communication is inadequate because it is not sufficiently structured and collaborative. The designer would like more feedback to be given. Having shared communication where the parties exchange ideas and being able to understand each other provides a more effective communication which can influence the collaboration between them in a positive way. Our conclusion is that feedback is a very important factor in communication and cooperation between the parties. Work in the product development process would be even more effective if they would make use of project planning.