It’s back to school for me as my final semester in my data science master’s program ramped up a couple of weeks ago. It was a nice holiday break, but it’s not hard to get motivated for my final semester with classes that are interesting.
One of my two classes this semester focuses on strategic decision making (DS 780). Week 1 introduced us to four archetypes of the digital culture: natives, aliens, immigrants, and integrators. Here’s a synopsis of each per our text, Digital Marketing: Integrating Strategy and Tactics with Values.
Natives have grown up with digital technology available and use it in nearly all aspects of their lives. A lack of awareness may make it a challenge for a native to understand how to apply digital concepts to the business world.
At the other extreme are digital aliens who started their careers before the digital revolution. While aliens might have basic computer skills, they avoid social media and other means for an online presence. Even with a grasp of business strategy, understanding the relevance of digital technologies for business may be a challenge for aliens.
In the middle are the digital immigrants. An immigrant didn’t grow up with digital technology. An interesting litmus test proposed by one of my classmates is whether you remember when a phone hung on a wall and was used for talking only (since I remember that time AND that phones used to have dials instead of numbers, I’m clearly not a native!). While immigrants likely have an active online presence and a basic understanding of how to apply digital concepts for the business, it may not come naturally.
The last archetype is the digital integrator. Integrators are the “innovators and early adopters of the digital mindset”. They have a strategic perspective. Per our discussion board, the perspective of an immigrant is likely helpful in the transition to become an integrator. That said, digital natives may also become integrators as they broaden their perspective to apply their digital mindset to business strategy.
As the title of our text indicates, it is a marketing book so the context of the archetypes is marketing focused. But they are also useful for product development discussions. For example, I was involved in a discussion about the usability of our cloud based ERP solution in a partner workshop last week. I made the comment that the usability reference points for many of our users were consumer applications that they use on a daily basis. That led to a discussion about whether that was a fair comparison for a complex business application.
Whether it’s fair or not, it’s a reality that digital natives expect rich experiences in all applications. Bringing that perspective into the user experience designs is something that is a top priority for our team. Diverse participants from the digital archetypes and a digital integrator viewpoint are essential for successful designs.
This also ties back to my last post, Data Storytelling Challenges. Knowing your audience is the first and most important piece of advice for presentations. Understanding the digital archetype makeup of the audience is a factor in how you tailor the presentation’s terminology, graphics, and other aspects.
Picture details: Moon over Lida fish house, Canon PowerShot SD4000, F/5, 1/250, ISO-1600, –1.3 step