Consolidation and Ideation: The Bridge to Design - Contextual Design: Evolved - page 24

represent. They pick the best stories to express this inner experience in a consumable way
to the design team.
Figure 4.6: A full Identity model for travel showing the three sections “I am”, “I plan”, and “I like”
Each identity element is given a descriptive name and a short summary, written as a
story from the point of view of the user ( Figure 4.7 ). Each identity element is also given
two ways in to understand the implications. The first is a catchphrase , written as though
spokenbytheuser,summarizingtheemotionaroundthatelement.Thesecatchphraseshelp
designers relate to the inner experience of the user. They point to a feeling the designers
may recognize in themselves and be able to resonate with. Second, we add Give Me's to
themodel.Thesearedesignideasgenerated duringconsolidation. Theymayormaynotbe
usedinthefinaldesign,butareofferedinthe“Giveme”boxtomakethelinkbetweendata
and design explicit and to act as starting points for the designer's own creativity.
Figure 4.7: One identity element from the travel Identity model. The “Give Me” design ideas act as starting
points for the team's own design thinking.
Once identified, similar identity elements are grouped together into sections. The sec-
tions vary by project, showing how the user sees themselves in relation to the activities
addressed by the project. In Figure 4.6 , “I plan” represents identity elements specific to the
planning activity; “I am” represents identity elements that reveal an overarching approach
to travel; and “I like” represents what is desired during the trip itself.
From a communication design perspective, the largest structure of the Identity model is
the sections inviting systematic exploration of a small set of identity elements; each ele-
ment represents an identity theme with a name that is evocative and is described in story
text; and the catchphrase and “Give Me's” provide a way in to start design thinking.