Knowing Yourselves

We have all been in situations in which we don't quite feel like ourselves, it's almost as if someone else looks out through our eyes and takes over for a short while. Our friends notice and exclaim that we don't appear to be ourselves. Of course nothing really changes from our point of view we just respond to our environment and play the role that we think best suits that moment. Many thing can trigger this from work to anger from parties to gambling can release alternate versions of ourselves. It's almost as if we have multiple personalities within us.

Rita Carter in her book "Multiplicity", puts forward this very idea that within each of us are these multiple personalities and how they can affect and influence each other, sometimes in good ways and at other times in negative ways. She suggests that by better understanding ourselves and these alternate selves we can begin to affect how we feel and act. We can no longer think of ourselves as a single person or character but as summation of many selves working inside us.

First thing to make clear is that she is not talking about the mental illness of multiple personality disorder, where you have little control or consciousness over the people within you. She is suggesting that we are complex individuals with the capacity to behave differently in different situations and under different conditions. Her books helps you recognize and discover these personalities within and start to map them to better understand how they influence you in your choices and decision making. She argues that nobody is a single personality but is in fact made up of multiple characters within us, the important thing to do is recognize those that influence you in a positive way and those that do not and start to control which you wish to grow and those you wish to squash.

Her suggestion, is that most people have a few major personalities with many supporting minor personalities. The major personalities are those that guide a majority of our decision making, and whom we may most closely relate to, the minor personalities add to these cast members with less seen but equally important aspects of our character. It is very comparable to acting and playing parts within our lives all with the same shared life and knowledge.

She explains how these personalities can be mapped using the concepts of the OCEAN big 5 personality traits approach to mapping character. OCEAN is an acronym for:

Openness
Conscientiousness
Extroversion
Agreeableness
Neuroticism

This framework is a robust way for people to measure their personality type against. In Rita's book she maps these onto to a circular diagram with the opposing traits around the circle. Then through a series of questions you can begin to map your various personalities on the disgram to better understand their role in your mind.

The concept Rita puts forward is a fair idea and certainly it is consistent with new discoveries in science and psychology that she supports her argument with. It raises many intriguing questions. How well we can control these personality types is questionable, but at the very least recognizing them is a start in allowing you be aware when you might be behaving differently than your usual self. Equally interesting for me is the insight it gives to understanding ourselves and others and why people can appear inconsistent in some circumstances. It suggest that interviewing people for market research or using any kind of people study is going to only give a small insight to the complete domain of peoples thoughts and actions. As this area of study expands and gains insights it is going to go along way to explain many of the choices and decisions we make. Rita Carters book is a great introduction to these new ideas of the many selves within us.

Lewin's Equation for Behavior and The Social Web

Kurt Lewin, a german behavioral psychologist proposed a new notion for human behavior back in 1933, that challenged the popularly held belief at the time that we act according to our personality. It was believed that our intrinsic motivations dictate our behavior. Lewin proposed instead that our behavior was a result of both our personality and our environment together. He express this idea in an equation

B=f(P,E)

This concept unlike the previously held notion does not require you to take sides in a nature versus nurture debate. It instead allows for the person and their environment to have influence on their behavior in complex and profound ways.

The environment is everything that isn't us, it can be the physical environment, which has an effect on what we do. It can also be other people, and what can be called our social environment. We are strongly influenced by other people and the social groups we join.

Our personality is of course a whole area of study and many theories and methods have been proposed to address how we can judge our personality type.

Most interesting for me as a user experience architect is how this concept applies to social software and social interfaces. In software design the interface can be thought of as an environment. Joshua Porter, suggests that the software interface is an environment that we play and work with on the web. He suggests that our behavior is greatly determined by the interfaces we use for these interactions. Social software he states should support the users personality, as well as, social environments and groups they are part of.

Joshua Porter outlines 10 key aspects of social behavior that need to be considered when building a social application or experience.

1. Humans are complex social animals, we interact for all reasons as outlined by Maslow's Hierarchy
2. Humans organize themselves into groups
3. Groups can be small and large, and for any purpose
4. Groups can be made of family, friends or anyone with something in common
5. Humans act as both group members and individuals at the same time
6. People behave differently in groups than as individuals
7. Humans play different roles in different parts of their lives
8. When humans are uncertain they rely on social connections to help them
9. People usually compare themselves to those in their social group
10. The people we know affect how we act
11. Sometimes being self-interested means to support the group, and sometimes it means to focus on oneself.
12. Humans are not always rational, but are usually self-interested
13. Unpredictable behavior emerges in groups over time
14. People derive value form social interaction, that cannot be described in monetary terms.

Jung, Archetypes and Branding

Carl Jung, conceived of the concept of unconscious personality types that drive and ultimately become manifestation of ourselves to others in the early 1900's. He perceived of many of these archetypes in the unconscious that represent us metaphorically. I am interested in 12 of the most notable, that are useful when thinking about branding and any kind of product development that goes beyond just functionality but need to connect at an emotional level. The work of Dr. Carol S. Pearson, has formulated these ideas into 12 easy to digest archetypes that fit nicely in the field of personifying brands and consumers.

Branding benefits from these insights by framing the product and service as an extension of these types of personalities. These archetypes can be the foundation on which you build a community of followers or loyal consumers, knowing your target you can better tailor your product and messaging. The most fun part of reading these archetypes I have found is that it easy to begin to think of people you may know that fit one or more of these descriptions and then begin to see think about the products or lifestyles they like to surround themselves with.

Here are the 12 archetypes as outlined by Dr Pearson.

1. The Child - Innocent 

Motivation: Independence & Fulfillment

Motto: Free to be you and me

Goal: To experience paradise

Person: Dolly Parton, Dorthy(Wizard of Oz), Forest Gump, Betty Boop, Ronald Regan

Company: Disney, Coca Cola, McDonalds


Description: Innocent individuals are most fulfilled when their lives are based on their deeply held values and beliefs. Naturally idealistic, optimistic, and hopeful, they often demonstrate perseverance in the face of obstacles and motivate others to trust that everything will turn out well in the end. They’re most excited and challenged by opportunities to put their personal values into action.

Innocent organizations often are successful at ignoring and moving through barriers that would stop others; seeing what’s right in almost any situation; and maintaining faith in their ideals.

Innocent types need to make sure they’re not in denial about real problems that need to be faced, resistant to change/innovation, or too loyal when loyalty is not deserved.

Subtypes include:

•	Idealist/utopian: Lives through belief in the perfect world or a set of ideals
•	Traditionalist: Remains loyal to and maintains faith in simple values and virtues
•	Perseverer: Stays the course and goes “where angels fear to tread”
•	Optimist: Believes in the power of positive thinking
•	Cheerleader: Encourages and cheers on others

2. The Hero

Motivation: Risk & Mastery

Motto: Where there's a will there's a way

Goal: To prove worth, through courage and over coming obstacles.

Person: Lone Ranger, Superman, Michael Jordan

Company: Nike, Fed Ex


Description: Hero individuals are most fulfilled when they can rise to and overcome a challenge. Naturally determined, achievement-oriented, and focused, they enjoy demonstrating a winning attitude and often can motivate others to achieve their goals. They’re usually excited and challenged by the opportunity to prevail against the odds.

Hero organizations normally are very successful at producing consistent results; creating teams and systems that fulfill objectives; and giving their all to achieve a goal.

Hero types need to be careful about seeing others as enemies; responding to stress by working harder and harder; and rushing to action instead of thinking things through.

Subtypes include:

•	Competitor/winner: Energized by overcoming obstacles and competing with others
•	Dragon slayer: Energized by besting adversaries
•	Crusader/rescuer: Emphasizes making a difference for others
•	Achiever: Consistently produces results and succeeds through discipline/focus
•	Coach: Shapes individual or team performance by bringing out the best in others

3. Every Person

Motivation: Belonging & Enjoyment

Motto: All men and woman are created equal

Goal: Connection with Others

Person: Jimmy Carter, Al Gore, Oliver Twist

Company: Gap, Wrangler, Saturn, Wendys


Description: Everyperson individuals are most fulfilled by helping others belong and fit in to the group. Naturally empathetic, unpretentious, and resilient, they often demonstrate their common touch and can motivate others to try hard to do their best. They’re usually excited and challenged when everyone needs to pitch in and solve a problem.

Everyperson organizations often are very successful at providing a sense of belonging and human dignity to others; creating hard-working teams that take pride in their work; and fostering real camaraderie among employees.

Everyperson types need to be careful about playing the victim, becoming cynical and negative, creating an “us vs. them” mentality, and being too protective of their own turf.

Subtypes include:

•	Egalitarian: Believes in the inherent worth and dignity of all
•	Realist: Tries to face the facts as they are, not as she or he wishes they were
•	Communitarian: Seeks and builds community in all situations
•	Comrade/pal: Likes to be one of the gang
•	Democrat: Believes in the concept of “all for one and one for all”

4. The Great Mother - Caregiver

Motivation: Stability & Control

Motto: Love thy Neighbor, as yourself

Goal: Protect people from harm

Person: Mother Teresa, Princess Diana

Company: Campbell's Soup, All State Insurance


Description: Caregiver individuals are most fulfilled when they can make a difference for someone else. Naturally compassionate, nurturing, and dedicated, they enjoy demonstrating their supportiveness and can motivate others to provide better service or care. They’re usually excited and challenged by responding to needs.

Caregiver organizations often are most successful at providing consistent, high-quality service or care; creating stable and nurturing environments; and advocating for others at a very high level.

Caregiver types need to watch their tendencies toward martyrdom and enabling others, and to burn themselves out while always putting others first.

Subtypes include:

•	Supporter/advisor: Lends a helping hand, support, or counsel to others
•	Advocate: Stands up to others on behalf of those in need
•	Nurturer: Provides comfort, kindness, and compassion to others
•	Service provider: Provides consistent, high-quality service or support
•	Altruist: Gives selflessly to make a difference for others

5. Explorer

Motivation: Independence & Fulfillment

Motto: Don't fence me in

Goal: Freedom to find out who you are through travel

Person: Amelia Earhart, Indiana Jones, Christopher Columbus

Company: Starbucks, REI, Jeep


Description: Explorer individuals are most fulfilled when they can seek out new approaches and perspectives. Naturally independent, authentic, and curious, they’re able to follow unique paths and motivate others to explore uncharted territory. They’re usually excited and challenged by the opportunity to blaze a new trail.

Explorer organizations often are very successful at staying current with trends, encouraging individual initiative, and providing others with the opportunity to learn and grow.

Explorer types need to avoid being unwilling to settle down or commit to a course of action; forgetting to coordinate with others; and overlooking the needs of others.

Subtypes include:

•	Trailblazer/pioneer: Sees or scouts for new opportunities/possibilities
•	Adventurer: Emphasizes adventure and/or new experiences
•	Seeker/wanderer: Searches for a unique identity, path, or solution
•	Iconoclast: Places great value on being different and/or independent
•	Individualist: Maintains personal integrity and authenticity in all endeavors

6. Sage

Motivation: Independence & Fulfillment

Motto: The truth will set you free

Goal: Discovery of the truth

Person: Carl Jung, Oprah, Albert Einstein

Company: Discovery Channel, Oprah Show


Description: Sage individuals are most fulfilled by finding the answers to great questions. Naturally intelligent, knowledgeable, and reflective, they demonstrate the value of thinking things through and motivate others to seek the truth. They’re usually excited and challenged by situations and problems that need to be better understood.

Sage organizations often are very successful at developing significant expertise; gathering and analyzing information so that it’s useful to others; and contributing knowledge to almost any situation.

Sage types need to be wary of ivory tower thinking, dogmatism, and coming across as lacking feeling/empathy.

Subtypes include:

•	Expert/guru: Develops own knowledge and expertise to the highest level
•	Philosopher/contemplative: Uses deep thinking to seek and create clarity
•	Mentor/teacher: Shares wisdom with the world
•	Investigator: Researches and gathers information
•	Analyst: Thinks things through and synthesizes learning

7. Lover

Motivation: Belonging & Enjoyment

Motto: Only have eyes for you

Goal: Intimacy and experience sexual pleasure

Person: Rudolph Valentino, Bill Clinton, Klimt

Company: Victoria's Secret, Calvin Klein


Description: Lover individuals are most fulfilled by building relationships. Naturally appreciative, passionate, and committed, they enjoy creating consensus and motivating others to see and utilize their own special gifts. They’re usually excited and challenged by opportunities to enjoy the richness and fullness of life.

Lover organizations often are very successful at building real partnerships among employees and clients; seeing the possibilities for greater quality of life inside and outside of the workplace; and establishing harmonious ways of working together.

Lover types need to be careful about cliquishness, emotional intrigue/drama, and conflict avoidance.

Subtypes include:

•	Partner/intimate: Forms close bonds; finds ways to make others feel special
•	Harmonizer: Ensures that relationships are harmonious and pleasurable
•	Connector/matchmaker: Brings together people/groups who are well suited for each other
•	Aesthete: Appreciates/creates beauty and beautiful environments
•	Bon vivant: Lives life with passion and enthusiasm

8. Trickster - The Fox -Jester

Motivation: Belonging & Enjoyment

Motto: If I can't enjoy myself I don't want to be part of the revolution

Goal: Live in the moment with full enjoyment

Person: Tina Fey, Charlie Chaplin, Robin Williams

Company: Ben & Jerry's, Geico


Description: Jesters are most fulfilled when they can use their ingenuity and wit. Naturally playful, spontaneous, and humorous, they enjoy light-hearted truth-telling and can motivate others to see the value of fun. They’re usually excited and challenged by opportunities to lighten up stressful situations.

Jester organizations usually are successful at brainstorming and thinking outside the box; finding clever ways around obstacles; and having fun while getting work done.

Jesters need to be careful to stay on task when getting routine work done; avoid using humor in hurtful ways; and not come across as being unable to take anything seriously.

Subtypes include:

•	Entertainer: Helps others have fun or a good time
•	Wit: Uses ingenuity and resourcefulness; lives by his/her wits
•	Wise fool: Sees the absurdity/hypocrisy of life and rises above it
•	Holy fool: Emphasizes living life in the now in a Zen way
•	Jovial truth-teller: Satirizes or parodies current thinking

9. Devil - Outlaw - Revolutionary

Motivation: Risk & Mastery

Motto: Rules are meant to be broken

Goal: Revenge or Revolution

Person: Che Guevara, James Dean

Company: Apple, Harley Davidson


Description: Revolutionary individuals are most fulfilled when they can change something that they feel needs to be changed. Often unconventional thinkers who can develop new, cutting-edge approaches, they enjoy challenging the status quo and motivating others to think differently. They’re usually excited and challenged when they can take on tried-and-true methods or ways.

Revolutionary organizations often are very successful at developing truly radical ideas, products, and services; leading reform of all kinds; and/or serving as the contrarian voice in debates.

Revolutionary types need to be careful about coming across as reckless, shaking things up endlessly/needlessly, and becoming stubbornly oppositional.

Subtypes include:

•	Troubleshooter: Sees problems/drawbacks/defects in current ways of doing things and determines how to improve them
•	Radical/rebel: Lives/thinks outside the bounds of conventions and/or takes action or risk without waiting for others to agree/catch up
•	Challenger/contrarian: Questions the tried and true; presents opposing points of view
•	Populist: Believes in the premise of giving “power to the people”
•	Game-changer: Initiates radical innovations that change the rules of the game or the realities of the marketplace

10. Magician

Motivation: Risk & Mastery

Motto: It can happen!

Goal: Knowledge of the fundamental laws of the Universe, how things work

Person: Martin Luther King, Escher

Company: Calgon, Mastercard


Description: Magician individuals are most fulfilled when they can see a vision realized. Naturally intuitive, insightful, and inspiring, they’re able to perceive and appreciate multiple perspectives and motivate others to believe that anything is possible. They’re usually excited and challenged in times of great transformation and turmoil.

Magician organizations often are very successful serving as catalysts for change; turning problems into opportunities; reframing difficulties; empowering people, teams, and networks; and creating flexible, win/win solutions for all involved in a situation.

Magician types need to ensure they don’t use power manipulatively, don't expect miracles to save them when things get rough, and lose patience with those who aren’t as visionary as they are.

Subtypes include:

•	Catalyst/change agent: Sees opportunities for change or provides impetus for innovative transformation
•	Envisioner: Sees possibilities and develops a clear vision of the future
•	Healer: Effects individual or group healing
•	Intuitive: Uses synchronicities/hunches/serendipity to set a course
•	Wizard: Has a talent for unexpected, serendipitous results

11. Ruler

Motivation: Stability & Control

Motto: Power is all that matters

Goal: Control

Person: Alan Greenspan, Queen Elizabeth I, Hilary Clinton

Company: Microsoft, Mercedes, American Express

Description: Ruler individuals are most fulfilled when they can demonstrate leadership, orchestrate complex situations, and/or use their influence to make things work better. Naturally confident, competent, and responsible, they enjoy demonstrating their savvy and motivating others to maintain high standards. They’re usually excited and challenged by opportunities to take charge of a situation.

Ruler organizations often are most successful when they can make decisions that benefit others, use power to create positive outcomes, and make order out of chaos.

Ruler types need to be careful about dominating others, getting bogged down in policies and procedures, and becoming overly hierarchical or political.

Subtypes include:

•	Leader: Takes charge of people/situations; takes responsibility for the good of others
•	Powerbroker: Uses power/influence to get things done
•	Conductor/orchestrator: Directs complex systems/processes/structures and/or creates order
•	Role model: Sets standards for others to follow
•	Peacemaker: Finds common ground among disparate individuals and/or groups

12. Creator

Motivation: Stability & Control

Motto: If you can imagine it it can be created

Goal: Creating something of value

Person: Martha Stewart, Edison, Leonardo Di Vinci

Company: Crayola, Lego


Description: Creator individuals are most fulfilled by seeing new ideas take shape. Naturally expressive, original, and imaginative, they enjoy demonstrating their inventiveness and often are able to motivate creative thinking in others. They’re usually excited and challenged by opportunities to express themselves or advance new ideas. 

Creator organizations often are most successful at developing distinctive, original products and services and/or innovating new solutions or expressive means.

Creator types need to be careful about overloading themselves with constant new projects and a tendency toward perfectionism. 

Subtypes include:

•	Artisan: Gives expression to visions/thoughts/ideas
•	Innovator: Generates ideas for new approaches
•	Inventor: Devises objects or ideas that perform new functions
•	Builder/designer: Makes new forms/objects/processes/structures
•	Dreamer: Envisions ideas and sees the world through an imaginative lens

Personality Traits

When working on a project it is not uncommon to produce a persona, a persona is like a generalization of a group of people that can be reflected into one character that exhibits those common traits. It is often the result of user research. that looks at many working individuals in a specific task and considers what is common to them all. What things they share in motivation and emotional feeling in performing a task is important for user experience design. This can be very useful for planning next steps, for product or software development, as it helps to evaluate a feature or service against a list of people that might use the system. It can also help when rationalizing user experience design concepts, and bring the designs empathetic mind inline with the target user, when creatively conceptualizing. Personas are a very useful tool in the discovery stage of a project, especially if the project is going to move into the hands of a creative type that will need to empathize with a potential consumer or user.

When working on a persona, and when studying people for projects it is useful to think about personality traits and psychology has produce many fascinating studies in this area, that give a good foundation of knowledge to have in mind when working on products and concepts for people. Personality can greatly influence the way you might approach the problem. For example, making a product for an extrovert is vastly different than an introvert personality type, and if something requires any social interaction, then care must be taken to cater to the right crowd of personalities. The level of public display and private information people are willing to share and talk about will differ depending on target users and what the goal of the service or application is. People and their personalities are valuable information for any designer to understand.

A couple of my favorite summaries of personality include Myers-Briggs and OCEAN(the big 5).

Myers-Briggs breaks people's personalities up as follows:

Extraversion (E) -	(I) Introversion
Sensing (S) -	(N) Intuition
Thinking (T) -	(F) Feeling
Judgement (J) -	(P) Perception

These types can be combined into 16 possible combinations. Each would exhibit different personality traits and reflect a different type of person.

The other is the OCEAN, which stands for openness, conscientiousness, extroversion, agreeableness and neuroticism.

The idea behind each of these classifications is that most people can be evaluated against these traits and from that you can make assumptions about how that person may behave under certain conditions and in in certain situations. Narcissists and extroverted people are good examples of extreme cases of personality types, that can be designed against.

Each of these classifications covers a broad set of people and all though of course everyone is an individual and will respond in context and situations differently, these documented personality types real help form a good impression of key personality types and help designers empathize with someone whom might be using their design.

These are only tools and in design of course we don't always want to restrict our end design to one type of person, but if you are looking for insight into behavior and characteristics then these two evaluation approaches really help.

For example, lets say we are designing for an extroverted personality type then here are some of the key characteristics they might portray versus an introverted personality.

• Extraverts are action oriented, while introverts are thought oriented.
• Extraverts seek breadth of knowledge and influence, while introverts seek depth of knowledge and influence.
• Extraverts often prefer more frequent interaction, while introverts prefer more substantial interaction.
• Extraverts recharge and get their energy from spending time with people, while introverts recharge and get their energy from spending time alone.

extraverted people tend to think and say things like

• I am the life of the party.
• I don't mind being the center of attention.
• I feel comfortable around people.
• I start conversations.
• I talk to a lot of different people at parties.

These notes would be very helpful in designing a product or service for people that exhibit very extroverted personalities. Or if you wanted to encourage more extroverted behavior from people then these would be important features to add to the experience to enhance those types of experience and personality types.