A study of urban youth classification using self-knowledge method

This paper introduced a user research case of youth in second and third-tier cities and focuses on the self-knowledge classification method implemented in the study. This case firstly studied the background, and then selected nineteen samples of users through the user funnel model. At last, researchers conducted the in-depth interviews used the self-knowledge methods. This method divided into three parts: the first part focused on the emotional connection between users and their personal belongings; The second part focused on the interaction between the user and the external environment; The third part focused on the user description of himself. In the implementation of research, the researchers stepped into the sample users´ life scenarios, and acquired a large amount of data in the interview. Through the analysis of research data, a user classification model with the dimensions of “Self-oriented/Social-involvement” and “Ideal-motivated/Task-based” was defined. It is concluded that youth in the second and third-tier cities could be classified into four major user categories, and ten users subcategories. And each subcategory has different user´s values, consumption and brand view, aesthetic preferences and other information. In the end of the study, some videos were produced to present the personas´ information. This self-knowledge classification method can be used in user research, user collaboration design and other fields.