Rigorous 2-hour interviews (usually in a research facility) illuminate the value sets that drive consumer behaviors. Each step up the emotional "ladder" is a step into the human psyche, based on techniques founded in clinical psychology. In brief, laddering uncovers the organizing principles that explain how and why customers make choices in their lives, including emotional responses as well as rational thought. Laddering reports are reported as a "perceptual map", along with coded respondent verbatims, systems diagrams, and a written report.