DESIGNING FOR

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 What is Gen Z doing? Should we care?
What does it mean for product and
service businesses designing for and
marketing to this generation in the
coming years? Altitude set out to dig
below the surface and understand the
answers to these questions.

We spent a month getting to know over

a dozen 16 to 18 year olds with diverse
backgrounds from across the country
through a series of in-depth discussions,
video diaries, and daily interactive
exercises designed to provide a glimpse
into their lives. There has been much
research on this generation that is awash
in normative preconceptions, biases, and
stereotypes. But Gen Z deserve a fairer
shake. Our goal was to do just that and
view the world through their eyes.

2 A LTI TUDE > DE SI GN I NG FOR GEN Z

why
CARE?

This group makes up a quarter of the U.S. population

and by 2020 will account for 40 percent of all
consumers. Understanding them will be critical for
companies wanting to succeed in the next decade
and beyond.

As strategists, we synthesized this information and identities, and developing relationships with others.
created frameworks and personas to understand However, like any generation, they have distinct
the influences behind their beliefs, behaviors, and factors that shape their aspirations and how they
aspirations. As Gen Z enters young adulthood, attempt to achieve them.
theyll face the same challenges that everyone faces
in that space of life transitioning from school to
work, separating from parents, forming their own

3 A LTI TUDE > DE SI GN I NG FOR GEN Z

 Through our research we found that there are 4 main factors
that shape how Gen Z views the world and how they behave.
These factors have major design implications for the companies
that wish to serve Gen Z. We take a further look at them on the
following pages.

4 A LTI TUDE > DE SI GN I NG FOR GEN Z

4 behaviors impacting
GEN Z DESIGN
Growing up digital.
Gen Z has grown up with social media. Technology has
always been at their fingertips, so much so that the word
digital is meaningless to them because digital is the norm.
But that doesnt mean they trust it. There is a conscious
desire to keep technology at arms length. The access and
connection that comes with technology and social media
has created a number of new concerns around how Gen Z
manage their time, connections, and reputations.
Working through uncertainty.
Gen Z has few memories before 911 and none before
the Oklahoma City bombing. Columbine happened as they
were born, but school shootings and high-profile
cyberbullying cases have been regular occurrences.
They grew up during the financial crisis of 2008.
Theyve seen the unthinkable happen, time and time
again. Throughout Gen Zs existence, the past has been
a very poor predictor of the future, and their sense of
safety has been repeatedly shaken. As a result, they
crave clarity, control, and predictability.
5 A LTI TUDE > DE SI GN I NG FOR GEN Z
Building a social media presence.
Gen Z spends a lot of time online in social, yet Gen Z are
under immense pressure to simultaneously manage their
personal and professional brands to help them fit in while
also standing out. Given Gen Zs self reliance and competi-
tive streak, social media may evolve away from sharing into
more of a system of rankings and leaderboards. But under-
standing this way of thinking is important to the designer
who wants to build and market to Gen Z successfully.
Growing up with Gen X parents.
The majority of Gen Zs parents are from Gen X. Gen X
lived through the ambiguity of the Vietnam War and the
recessions of the early 80s and early 90s, and now theyve
passed on the lessons they learned from their own experi-
ences to their children. As a result, many of Gen Zs behav-
iors are driven by a similar desire to seek safety, security,
and self-reliance. The latter being a huge differentiator
from Gen Y (Millennials).
Now lets delve further into these four influences and how
they impact how you design for this generation.
 Growing up digital.
8-second filter
A study from the National
Center for Biotechnology
Information suggests
that Gen Z attention
spans have shrunk to
8 seconds, and that
theyre unable to focus
for extended amounts of
time. However, we found
that Gen Z actually have
what were calling highly
evolved 8-second filters.
6 A LTI TUDE > DE SI GN I NG FOR GEN Z
Theyve grown up in a world where their
options are limitless, but their time is not.
As such, Gen Z have adapted to quickly
sorting through and assessing enormous
amounts of information. I have limited
time, so I need to make the most of
it, says Sneha, a 16-year-old from
Arizona, describing the anxiety
she feels about keeping up with
her networks and the content they
serve up.
Theyre also a very visual generation
and communicate more visually
than previous generations. They use
emojis as often as they use words to
communicate. And they expect you to
be fluent in that language as well. They also
frequently use SnapChat and Instagram.
 Growing up digital.

Theyre also surprisingly consistent. Once something

has demonstrated attention-worthiness, Gen Z become
intensely committed and focused. Laura, a 17-year-
old from South Dakota, told us that, If my peers enjoy
something, theyll work hard at it. Gen Z have come of
age on an Internet thats allowed them to go deep on any
topic of their choosing and learn from like-minded fans.

Marcus, a 17-year-old from Connecticut,

spent years exploring the corners of vintage
Every 60 sneaker culture online, eventually becoming
Seconds somewhat of a sneaker head. During his
freshman year in college, he realized he
could leverage this knowledge and started a
side business flipping rare shoes. One year,
18.3M I ran a sneaker enthusiast convention, says
megabytes
of wireless
Marcus, I even had a table with exclusives,
data sent and I made a $3000 profit.

Gen Z have a carefully tuned radar for

being sold to and a limited amount of time
Siri answers and energy to spend assessing whether
99.2K
requests
somethings worth their time. If Im not
doing something that I like, I wont give
100 percent, says Sneha. Getting past
these filters and winning Gen Zs attention
3.6M text
will mean providing them with engaging
messages
sent and immediately beneficial experiences.
One-way messaging alone will likely get
Source: drowned out in the noise.
Data Never
Sleeps 2.0,
DOMO
June 2016
7 A LTI TUDE > DE SI GN I NG FOR GEN Z
 Growing up digital.

design implications

1 As marketers attempt to
start a conversation,

2
its critical to remember that
Gen Z are seeking meaningful It is important to speak
and relevant experiences. To be to Gen Z in their visual
successful, companies have to language and keep pace with the
connect with Gen Z by doing changes. This is key to creating
things for them rather than and maintaining a long-term
marketing at them. relationship with them.

3 Gen Z have a carefully

tuned radar for being sold
to and a limited amount of time
and energy to spend assessing
whether somethings worth their
time. Getting past these filters and
winning Gen Zs attention will mean
providing them with engaging and
immediately beneficial experiences.
One-way messaging alone will likely
get drowned out in the noise.

8 A LTI TUDE > DE SI GN I NG FOR GEN Z

 Working through uncertainty.

echo chamber

Globalization has made the world

seem larger and more connected,
Unlike Millennials, but it has also increased Gen Zs
Gen Z take comfort desire to surround themselves with
friends, family, and other sources
in the familiar, of validation. I want to keep my
rather than actively family close, says Marcus. They
give you the motivation that
seeking out new you need, that pat on the back.
experiences. These And Gen Zs digital habits reflect
the same desire for familiarity
consumers are not your and control. As a result, they tend
early adopters. to only seek out information thats
confirmed by their social circles,
creating an echo chamber.

9 A LTI TUDE > DE SI GN I NG FOR GEN Z

 Working through uncertainty.

At the same time, Gen Z remain proud

of their open-mindedness and respect
for the opinions of others. But they
place great emphasis on avoiding
direct conflict or disagreement. This
disposition leads to a sort of libertarian,
do what makes you happy tolerance,
where its better to accept differences
of opinion and move on, rather than
...We
attempting to awkwardly engage
and debate. dont
actually
While this is admirable, it makes
it difficult to gauge interests explore
outside of established norms. And
beyond
correspondingly, creating new
experiences for them requires our own
exceptional insight. They are more
averse to risk than Millennials. And if
territory
they see something new, in order to even though the
really see it, there needs to be a very
specific value add to their lives.
point is to figure
ourselves out.

Ankit Shah, Founder of Tea with

Strangers, TEDx Teen

10 A LTI TUDE > DE SI GN I NG FOR GEN Z

 Working through uncertainty.
design implications
1 Gen Z may not adopt
radically new ideas as
eagerly and readily as prior
generations. Successful innovation
might need to become more
incremental in nature or provide
breadcrumbs to the past, more
familiar experiences, in order to
gain traction in this conservative,
risk-averse group.
11 A LTI TUDE > DE SI GN I NG FOR GEN Z
2 It is important to
remember that youll
need to find THEM, as they will
not be spending lots of time
searching for you. The exception
being if theyve heard of you from
others in their echo chamber.
3 Learning how to effectively
collaborate and mediate
substantive disagreements will be
of particularly great value to
Gen Z and to businesses seeking
to capture their attention. Helping
them overcome these hurdles, and
just being aware of these hurdles,
will be important when designing
for them.
 Building a social media presence.
digital catch-22
The media has often
painted Gen Z as a group
of socially-inept netizens.
Older generations struggle to
understand why they spend so
much time online. In reality, Gen
Z are under immense pressure
to simultaneously manage
their personal and professional
brands to help them fit in while
also standing out.
12 A LTI TUDE > DE SI GN I NG FOR GEN Z
On a personal level, Gen Z seek immediate
validation and acceptance through social
media, since thats where all their peers
are and where many of the important
conversations happen. They curate different
social media personas in order to please each
audience and minimize conflict, controversy,
and trouble. In fact, judgments from peers
trigger most of their day-to-day anxieties:
We filter out whatever flaws we have to
create the ideal image, says Sneha.
In addition, Gen Z have been constantly
reminded that online content lives on in
perpetuity. Twitter is out there for anyone
to see, says Marcus. Future employers will
go through my tweets, so I re-read them
all before sending to make sure theres
nothing bad.
 Building a social media presence.

The majority of the people in our study said

that their ability to communicate clearly in
person, specifically with older adults, was
the number one skill that would ensure their
future success. I need to be able to look
adults in the eye, give them a firm handshake,
and ask them how theyre doing, says Liam,
an 18yearold college freshmen in Ohio.

Many teens work towards gaining these

people skills by joining debate teams,
attending seminars, and befriending older
adults. Gen Z understand that many of
todays jobs will eventually be automated
out of existence, and the jobs that remain
will require the ability to work with others
and quickly develop meaningful human
connections. You have to be able to talk to
people and be openpick up on non-verbal
cues, says Marcus. These are integrated into
my skill set.

13 A LTI TUDE > DE SI GN I NG FOR GEN Z

 Building a social media presence. Every 60
Seconds

Gen Z feel torn: They need social media to build

their personal brands but resist being defined 6.9M
by technology. They seek social validation videos
watched
and inclusion but are looking to differentiate
themselves professionally. Companies that
understand this tension will design the tools,
products and services that Gen Z needs so they
can reconcile and better manage their personal 9,678 emoji-
filled tweets
and professional brands online to support (rather sent
than hurt) professional opportunities offline.

Connecting with them online will require

keeping pace with the speed of social and the 100 hours of
video shared
platforms they find appealing in the moment.
Doing this effectively will require constant
innovation and keeping the latest technology
Source:
top-of-mind, as this generation, more than Data Never
Sleeps 2.0,
any before, is a generation of early adopters.
DOMO June
Simulated environments are front and center 2016
for them right now. This is important to note,
because this technology may NOT be on your
radar yet and it needs to be.

Gen Z finds touch and feel extremely important,

57%
and this makes simulated environments desirable
to this generation. And designing for Gen Z
successfully and being heard by them means
meeting them where they are, in the way that
they can relate to. The balance will be delicate of teens have decided not to post
technologically savvy, yet not too intrusive. And content online over reputation concerns.
professionally beneficial, for sure.
Source: Teens, Social Media and Privacy, Pew Research
14 A LTI TUDE > DE SI GN I NG FOR GEN Z
 Building a social media presence.

design implications

1 Gen Z need to feel safe

enough to truly engage
on their social platforms.

2
Mainstream social media like
Twitter or Facebook may have to Given Gen Zs self
provide alternative options that reliance and competitive
mimic the anonymity of Yik-Yak or streak, social media may evolve
the temporary nature of SnapChat. away from sharing into more
of a system of rankings and
leaderboards. Businesses offering
relevant success metrics will find
themselves more attractive to Gen

3
Z than competitors.
Creating and having
a professional brand
persona is important to Gen Z.
When Gen Z reach employment
age, successful employers can
differentiate themselves by
allowing or encouraging Gen Z
to develop their own professional
brands at work even designing
work environments that allow Gen
Z some fluidity to represent them-
selves how they want to be known.

15 A LTI TUDE > DE SI GN I NG FOR GEN Z

 Growing up with Gen X parents.

contingency plans
Like their parents, Gen Z are extremely practical. They have
come of age witnessing the unimaginable: The 2008
financial crisis, the collapse of the housing market,
and even their own parents losing their jobs.
They understand that they have entered an
On a professional level, Gen Z are unstable worldeconomically, politically,
hyperaware of the negative and academicallyand dont want to be
caught unprepared.
stereotypes that have
plagued Millennials. As Whereas Boomers raised
Millennials to believe they
a result, they want to could do anything, Gen X have
taught their children pragmatism
be known for their ability
encouraging them to work and think
to work hard and persevere strategically, build practical skills, and
get comfortable making trade-offs. As a
through adversity offline.
result, Gen Z have become adept at building
contingency plans so nothing is left to chance.
I know that failure is inevitable and thats what Im
worried about, says Sneha. I know that when it comes
around, I wont be ready for it. And I want to be prepared.

16 A LTI TUDE > DE SI GN I NG FOR GEN Z

 Growing up with Gen X parents.
Thinking about the future
Gen Z think longer term about their future. Theyre aware of the
perception of their Millennial predecessors as entitled, andtheyre
committed to proving that Gen Z are different. I think adults
believe that we are not dedicated and too laid back. We havent
ever had to fight for anything like they have, says Laura. But
my parents brought me up with a good work ethic. If theres
something that needs to be done, you get it done. You dont
put it off.
Everyone we spoke to was already thinking far into their future
about issues like marriage, family, and retirement. I have my
next five years planned out, says Nayou, an 18-year-old college
freshman in New Hampshire. Nayou plans to increase his course
load to graduate a year early, pushing out his dreaded loan
repayment plan for an additional 18 months.
17 A LTI TUDE > DE SI GN I NG FOR GEN Z
Understanding consequences of actions
Gen Z are especially intent on understanding the consequencesof
their actions and want to clearly weigh the risks and benefitsof
each choice to ensure they are not shutting out options further
down the road. Even if business school doesnt work out, I can still
go into economics, says Marcus. Its still a good career.
Despite their fiscal conservatism, a college degree is still seen as
the best way to adapt to the challenges Gen Z will encounter in
their lives: My dad said that college is a great thing to fall back
on because even if you lose your job, youll still have that degree,
says Laura. In another nod to practicality, the majority of those in
our study said they are basing their career moves around the key
growth industries, such as education, medicine, and sales.
Hard work beats talent when
talent doesnt work hard.
 Growing up with Gen X parents.
Gen Z are determined to persevere
The teens in our study described their grit,
tenacity, and perseverance as their strongest
assets. And a recent study by the Intelligence
Group showed that four out of five Gen Z
believe they are actually more driven than
their peers. I want to be known as a
hardworking person who will do whatever it
takes to achieve her dreams, says Laura.
Nowhere is this drive more apparent thanin
their focus on getting a job. They expect
the job search to be extremely difficult and
competitive, especially in the first few years
after college. Fun isnt high on my agenda,
says Nayou. I tell myself, I can. I will. I must.
18 A LTI TUDE > DE SI GN I NG FOR GEN Z
As such, Gen Z are consumed with trying to
get a healthy head start by doing things like
early internships or joining clubs to start the
networking process and build the necessary
expertise to land a job.
Fiscally aware and debt-adverse
Sixty two percent of Gen Z claim they
know a lot about their familys financial
situation, according to a study by JWT
Intelligence. Some spoke of the trauma
of watching their parents lose jobs,
put off retirement plans, or lose their
lifetime financial investments. As
such, they are highly debt-averse and
completely consumed with the biggest
expense looming in their lives: college.
Gen Z understand that future financial
stabilitywill require making sacrifices and
conservative budgeting.
A study by TD Ameritrade reports that
eighty three percent of Gen Z feel that saving
money is important at this stage of their life.
TheGen Z we spoke to are constantly thinking
about saving and making sure they are being
responsible with their money. When you grow
up, you have to be able to handle your money
or else you go broke, says Yasmine.
 Growing up with Gen X parents.

4 in 10 50%
78%
When you grow
Gen Z have taken a class
up, you have to
of Gen Z students are
about money; saving or be able to handle doing internships in high
investing. your money or else of Gen Z are worried school to advance them-
you go broke. there wont be good selves professionally.
Source: Gen Z and Money, jobs when they graduate. Source: High School Careers
- Yasmine, Indiana
TD Ameritrade
Study, Millennial Branding

83%
74%
I want to be known

4 in 5
as a hardworking
of Gen Z feel that saving
person who will
money is important at this
stage of their life. teens believe they are more do whatever it
of Gen Z are very trusting
driven than their peers.
or somewhat trusting of takes to achieve
Source: Gen Z and Money, financial institutions. her dreams.
TD Ameritrade
- Laura

19 A LTI TUDE > DE SI GN I NG FOR GEN Z

 Growing up with Gen X parents.

design implications

1 In design, helping Gen Z

resolve its desire to develop
deep expertise in one area while
also maintaining multiple contin-
gency plans will be a challenge, but
a necessary hurdle to overcome.
Designing an offering with some tan-
gible value add that takes consumers
beyond the norm in a meaningful, rel-
3 Gen Z will value education
that offers transferable skills
over industry-specific or purely
academic knowledge. The institutions
that emphasize broadly applicable,
in-demand skills will be the most
successful.

4
evant way will be attractive to Gen Z.
When designing any type
of learning applications
or services for this generation,

2
getting to the point and avoiding
Gen Z prefer to retain
fluff is crucial. 69% believe ads are
control and leave their
disruptive and 41% are using ad
options open: companies that rely
blockers. So it is even more import-
on long-term contracts, such as
ant that when you reach them, your
mobile service providers, will likely
message and design is valuable
be forced to change. Financing
and interesting to Gen Z.
packages for big-ticket items, such
as homes and cars, will be ripe for
disruption, given Gen Zs aversion
to large amounts of debt and their
desire for greater transparency and
financial simplicity.
20 A LTI TUDE > DE SI GN I NG FOR GEN Z
about

ALTITUDE
Altitude, an award-winning design and inno-
vation consulting firm, creates breakthrough
products and experiences that deeply resonate
with users and build lasting business success for
clients. We believe that true innovation arises
when talent and spirited intellectual engage-
ment meet business acumen and a deep under-
standing of consumer needs and desires. With
expertise in strategy, design, and technology,
Altitude uncovers powerful opportunities and
transforms them into solutions in the market
that move business forward. Since 1992, Altitude
has worked with companies worldwide, includ-
ing Bose, Black & Decker, Briggs & Stratton,
Colgate, DeWalt, Margaritaville, Nike, Thermo
Scientific, and Under Armour.

ALTITUDEINC.COM CONTACT US
617.623.7600

21 A LTI TUDE > DE SI GN I NG FOR GEN Z