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Gen Z, information, & design
First, some caveats: as a member of the much-maligned Millennial cohort, I’m a bit leery of generational research findings — at least the ones that get the most press attention. This is my attempt to parse the research on Gen Z, and share what I’ve found helpful to think about for information services and design.
Who are we talking about?
Researchers disagree on the exact years, but generally, Gen Z is the cohort of folks born between 1997–2012. They now make up the traditional-age college population, with older members representing the first wave of the new workforce.
Some researchers, like Dr. Corey Seemiller, also identify “micro-generations,” splitting the groups into “Big Zs” (1995–2002) and “Little Zs” (2003–2010), arguing that today’s incredible pace of change will make these groups look different from each other in significant ways.
What are some broad themes?
There’s always diversity within generational experiences, so these are broad sweeps at best — think of it like a 10,000 ft view, not an individual profile.
