Personality Trait Exercise

Okay, in this video we're gonna do a quick exercise 0:00 that will help you evaluate your brand personality. 0:02 So think about your website or app and the UX content you create for it. 0:06 Or, if you don't have a site, 0:11 think about the type of personality you would like to have. 0:12 Take a look at these pairs of personality traits. 0:16 Each pair represents a spectrum, and your personality could fall anywhere on it. 0:19 The left, the right, or anywhere in between. 0:24 For example, casual or formal. 0:28 When you write copy, product descriptions, 0:32 or create other UX content, would you say it's casual and conversational, 0:34 like you're talking to your best friend and you're comfortable saying whatever? 0:40 Or do you keep things more formal, on a professional level, 0:44 practicing proper grammar like you're speaking to a very important executive. 0:48 Or do you fall somewhere in between? 0:54 Take a few minutes here and consider your website and 0:57 app with each of these traits in mind. 1:00 Feel free to pause the video and download our exercise and 1:03 mark where you fall on each scale, but don't think too hard about each one. 1:06 Pick a spot that feels right and move on. 1:11 Do you like to keep things casual or strike a more formal tone? 1:15 Do you prefer to be stylish or more conservative? 1:19 Are you spontaneous or prefer to plan things out? 1:23 Is your brand fun or is it serious business? 1:27 Are you warm and friendly, or more detached from your users? 1:30 Maybe you're kinda quirky and unconventional, or 1:34 you might prefer to do things in a conventional, more familiar way. 1:37 And are you inclusive interested in including or being available to everyone? 1:41 Or are you more exclusive focusing only on a select group of users or customers? 1:47 Once you've completed this exercise, here's how you can interpret the results. 1:54 If you find you've marked yourself more towards the left hand traits, 1:59 things like casual, spontaneous, fun, and quirky, 2:03 then you have definitely got a more modern energetic kind of identity. 2:06 If you create UX content with these traits in mind, 2:11 it will probably be fun friendly and inviting for your audience. 2:14 This kind of personality is often seen with start-ups, or 2:19 newer companies, trying to appeal to younger audiences, 2:22 who, big surprise, also demonstrate these personality traits. 2:26 If your choices are more toward the right-hand traits, 2:31 more conventional, formal, and more of a planner, 2:33 then your personality is one that's more grounded and serious. 2:37 Your approach may be more conservative 2:41 because you're trying to appeal to a specific type or group of users. 2:44 Ultimately, being professional and more formal is an asset for you, 2:48 so you embrace that. 2:52 This kind of personality is used more with older, 2:54 established companies who target audiences looking for a stable, reliable brand. 2:57 It is worth noting that while some of these traits might sound negative on 3:03 the surface, it's all about perspective. 3:06 Sometimes it makes a lot of sense to be conservative to show stability and 3:09 build trust, like within the healthcare industry, or if you're trying to promote 3:13 your app to manage stocks and other financial holdings. 3:17 Other times it helps to be exclusive because you want to promote an image of 3:21 luxury or extreme high quality to a very focused niche audience. 3:25 You need to be true to who you are and who you're trying to target. 3:30 But if you find your measurements in our exercise fall in the middle of each scale, 3:35 it might signal that you're not too sure about what your personality is. 3:41 You're not exactly one trait or 3:45 the other, which means your communications probably don't show much of a personality. 3:47 UX content like that is usually boring and forgettable. 3:53 You need to resonate with your audience. 3:58 And creating an emotional response requires a strong connection 4:01 with a compatible personality. 4:05 So think about your audience and what their personalities are like. 4:07 When you interact with them, in person or on social media, 4:12 are they serious and formal, quirky and fun, snarky and 4:16 intelligent, or maybe they're passionate and direct. 4:21 Think about traits that feel natural for you, 4:26 a personality that fits you without forcing it. 4:28 And use those traits to create some UX content with a new kind of edge to it. 4:31 That content has a much better chance of resonating with your audience. 4:36 So review these ideas about a brand personality. 4:41 And go through the exercise to see where you and 4:44 your brand fall on the various spectrums of attributes. 4:47 Seeing this all mapped out can be a helpful way for 4:51 you to understand the kind of approach you should be taking with your UX content. 4:54