Ask yourself, 'does the way I perceive myself and act among different groups of people influence the decisions I make’?
Do patterns form? Why?
How we define ourselves is a self-representation of our culture, interests, relationships and efficacy in doing the things that matter to us. Our sense of identity and belonging is impacted by various factors, including our experiences, social context and environments.
People form social groups based on four main needs (according to what is known as'social identity theory.
- Belonging: Being part of a group creates feelings of connection and unity, giving members the sense that they’re not alone in their experiences or perspectives.
- Purpose: Group affiliations often come with shared goals or missions, informed by common values or interests, which provide direction and purpose to members.
- Self-worth: Affiliating with a group can boost self-esteem as individuals derive pride from group achievements, social status and a positive group image.
- Identity: Groups provide reference from which to understand individual identity based on shared attributes,values, or goals.
These needs not only effect the people we seek to connect with, but also:
- The places we inhabit - for example our neighbourhoods, restaurants, public squares, and holiday destinations.
- The products and services we buy - for example products that have the best design, green credentials or value for money, or services that are recommended by people we admire and trust.
- The issues we stand for - for example political,social, environmental movements, and our actions in response.
- The experiences we seek to create - for example, sport, art, community events, or education.
- The employer we choose to work with - for example, perceptions of a not-for-profit versus alarge corporation, or a care businessversus financial services.
The only way to understand how identity is understood and experienced, is to ask and observe the people in context.
- What do they see, hear, feel and think?
- What preconceived perceptions or unconscious bias is affecting their experience? How dose that effect the interaction with staff?
- Is it coherent, coalescing as a strong, well-defined and positive experience?
- To what extent is that experience undermining the quality of service and the likelihood of referral or return?
Where an identity already exists, understand it through a process of distillation via observation and participatory research. Where it doesn’t exist, use a visual and experiential process with target audiences to address intended purpose and impact.
That looks like:
- Research to understand values, influence, perceptions, and connections.
- Research to understand behaviours in social, digital and physical settings.
- Establishing a future state, and the changes in people, places, platforms and activities to get there.
- Modelling relevance, salience, and social constructs through a participatory process.
The first Identity PlaySpace is Distil Identity and it has three elements.
1. Understand perceptions and relationships.
- Research to understand values, influence,perceptions, and connections.
- Research to understand behaviours in social, digital and physical settings.
- Competitive context mapping and analysis.
- Experience observation and analysis.
2. Define the future state.
- Now/next mapping.
- Purpose setting.
- Vision setting.
- Establishing a future state, and the changes in people, places, platforms and activities to get there.
3. Explore connection.
Through a participatory design process:
- Explore emotional and functional drivers.
- Model relevance, salience, and social constructs.
- Map the relationship dynamics.
- Establish differentiation within the ecosystem and market/s.
Visit the second Identity PlaySpace, Make Connections.
