Editor's note: Susana La Luz-Hawkins leads design research projects for Lextant, a Columbus, Ohio, qualitative research firm.

When you spend time with people, listening to what they think and how they feel, you can get rich, meaningful insights into what makes them tick. To be able to help our clients better understand Millennials, we wanted to take a more personal, emotional approach and look at Millennials through their own eyes.

Lextant conducted qualitative research, using its Connect.Dream.Create methodology, with 27 participants aged 20-30 in Columbus, Ohio. Participants were at varying stages of life, from students to parents and professionals. This methodology is designed to allow participants to become more conscious of current experiences and uses a stimulus-language that allows them to express desired experiences and the characteristic attributes of made objects and services that would deliver on those aspirations. The goal is to take participants on a self-expressive journey, while allowing analysis of the entire sample for commonalities.

Participants were asked to keep a journal of meaningful, current “work,” “live” and “play” experiences. These life moments were captured using online tools over several weeks and served as a springboard from which respondents could articulate desired experiences during a one-on-one interview. Using a stimulus set of words and images to allow participants to express desired experiences, this co-creation approach is based in projective psychology, allowing participants to tap into and express their emotional desires and aspirations. As a foundation, it was first important to understand life-level drivers. These exercises enabled deeper articulation of what fundamentally motivates the desires of young people.

After gaining a solid grounding in current experiences and a clear understanding of desires and aspirations, we then wanted to enable participants to connect their desires to the kinds of experiences they want to have in life. Using a stimulus-language comprised of words and images, respondents could express at a high level the ideal characteristics or attributes of designed experiences that surround them in everyday life.

After normalizing the data and finding the high-frequency and co-occurring patterns, we were able to develop an ideal experience model. As a life-level study, this model provides a framework that can be operationalized in any industry to develop of specific products and services resonant with Millennials.

Our focus was on understanding Millennials as they see themselves, without comparing them to other generations. Millennials have many things in common with other generations, however, as you compare insights in this article to what we know about other generations, you will spot aspects that make Millennials special and unique.

Our analysis identified “feeling extraordinary” as the heart of the Millennials generation. Surrounding the core are three main drivers in life: “live,” “love” and “do.” Seven key values support the drivers and are brought to life through Millennial attitudes and behaviors: enjoyment, independence, discovery, giving to others, meaningful relationships, accomplishment and involvement. At the base of the framework are four enablers necessary to maintain the Millennial values: money, health, time and technology.

I want to feel extraordinary
No matter what Millennials are doing, they want to stand out and be admired. When people listen to them and show appreciation for their contributions, they feel respected and like they matter. Millennials want to feel extraordinary in everything that they live, love and do.

I want to live
Living is about embracing new experiences and having fun as often as possible. Not only do Millennials want to feel smart, they want to be smart. They want to experience everything life has to offer firsthand, to truly develop their own authentic perspective. Millennials strive for independence; they seek to break away from conformity and engage in creative self-expression.

I value enjoyment
I go on adventures. I’m always looking for ways to break out of my typical routine. I never want to feel trapped or like I’m tied down to a schedule. I crave bold, new experiences. I want to see the world.

I seek excitement. I crave exhilaration and seek out high-energy activities for stimulation.

I do fun stuff. Whether I’m by myself or with others, it’s always nice to do something just for the fun of it. I find ways to leisurely entertain myself.

I hang out. There’s always something going on in my social life and I love taking time to just be with my friends. It doesn’t have to be anything special.

I express myself. I want to express myself through things such as art, music and cooking. I enjoy things that give me the opportunity to think outside the box.

However, today … fun can be expensive and sometimes it doesn’t work for my budget and I often feel forced into a routine, especially when it comes to my job.

I value independence
I do what I want. I am independent. I have the freedom to make my own decisions without relying on anyone else. I want to be self-sufficient and financially independent so I can do anything I want.

I think for myself. I am unique and authentic. I have my own opinions and seek out firsthand experiences so I can bring my own perspective, rather than just following the crowd. I am original.

However, today … my funds are limited and I feel like no one is listening.

I value discovery
I seek out new experiences. Any new experience is an opportunity to learn and grow. I want to learn from others, try new things so I can broaden my thinking and keep life from getting boring. Technology is an exciting part of this.

I never stop learning. Learning is something I truly enjoy. I want to continually expand my education and increase my overall awareness because it’s important to me to feel and be smart. Personal growth enhances my well-being. I want to know what’s going on.

I embrace challenges. It’s important to put myself in unfamiliar situations because it helps me grow; overcoming challenges is incredibly fulfilling. I want to be pushed out of my comfort zone, both physically and emotionally.

However today … technology can also be overwhelming and hard to keep up with. At times, it can be too much.

I want to love
Millennials make time for others – to socialize, build relationships and make a difference in their community. They prioritize spending time with the people closest to them to create shared memories and surround themselves with a loving support system. For Millennials, life experiences aren’t worth very much if they can’t be shared.

I value giving to others
I contribute. It’s important to be involved so I can make a positive difference in my community, society and even the world. I’m generous with my time and give what I can to help others. It’s important to give back.

I nurture. I want to have a positive impact on the people I love by providing for them and doing things to make them happy. I was meant to be a parent and want to be there for my loved ones, no matter what.

I mentor. Being a leader and giving my time lets me help others succeed and be the best they can possibly be. I give my time to help teach and coach kids and help others find their way.

I value meaningful relationships
I share experiences. Making time to be with others strengthens my relationship with them and creates memories that will last a lifetime. It’s important that I make the time to connect with my partner and my kids. I prioritize social activities.

I stay in touch. It’s important for me to stay connected with my friends and family, no matter where our lives may take us. I use technology to stay connected.

However, today … It’s hard to find the time. I worry about losing face-to-face interactions. I feel like I have no privacy and am concerned that my personal information is at risk.

I want to do
Millennials strive to excel and they want to know that their hard work will have a significant impact. They set goals, take action, make connections and let their voices be heard. Ultimately, they want to be a person that provides guidance, leadership and expertise.

I value accomplishment
I’m productive. It’s important to stay on top of everything I have to do and get it all done efficiently and effectively. I’m organized and leverage technology. I also value collaboration. Teamwork and communication keeps everything moving forward.

I plan. Having a goal to work towards and a clear vision of what’s ahead helps me avoid getting off track. I’m right where I should be.

I create. I like to design, create and build things for myself and others.

I work hard. I feel proud when I know I put in my best effort. It means so much more when I know I earned my success. Hard work pays off.

I develop my skills. It’s important that I continue to learn and gain experience wherever I can. Investing in my education was never optional.

I network. I make an effort to meet as many new people and make connections whenever I can.

However today … I feel impatient, like I’m not reaching my goals as quickly as expected and I worry that I won’t be able to live up to expectations.

I value involvement
I lead. I want to be someone others look up to as a respected professional within my field. I’ll establish credibility by gaining trust and being responsible.

I problem-solve and come up with creative solutions. It excites me to think about investigating an issue. I want to be someone who can figure things out, especially when it comes to my professional life or helping others.

Enabling factors

In order to be able to live the lives they want to live, Millennials realize there are several enabling factors that need to be in place: money, health, time and technology.

Money to enjoy today and in the future. Millennials don’t want to have to worry about having enough money. They don’t need to be rich; they just want to make sure that they have enough to secure their financial future and still do all the things they love to do today.

I save my money. I know my money will grow over time once I start saving. It’s important to me to set myself up for success and financial stability in the future so I don’t have to worry about having enough.
I’m savvy with my spending. I don’t always have a lot of extra money to spend, so I try to find creative ways to do more using less money, rather than sacrifice the things I want to do.

However today … I feel pressure to maintain a certain lifestyle. I often worry about my financial future. I want to be saving right now but I have so much debt that there’s not much left over. I barely make ends meet.

Health to keep doing what they love. Millennials know that they need to take care of themselves, so they make a conscious effort to care for both their physical and mental health. It’s important to their overall well-being but will allow them to keep doing the things they love.

I stay fit. I try to stay conscious of what I eat and how often I work out because it’s important to me to stay in shape and keep active and have fun while doing it.

I take the time to de-stress. It’s important to take time for myself so I can be focused, clearheaded and ready to take on whatever comes next. I spend time with others, try and get outdoors and focus on doing what I love and try to let the little things go.

However today … I am overwhelmed. Dealing with money issues is mentally exhausting and drains my energy.

Time to balance it all. Millennials want to be better at managing their time. They believe that both their professional and personal lives are critical to their overall happiness, so it’s really important for them to find a way to devote the right amount of time to each, without sacrificing.
I manage my time. I want to do everything and still be able to relax. It’s important that I try to find balance between my work and personal life, so I can do everything without losing my mind.

I make time for socializing. Even though I’m busy, I try to make an effort to keep up with my social life because having fun is just as important as work.

However today … Achieving balance is easier said than done and I usually end up putting myself last. I feel overworked and burned out. My social life is suffering because I feel like I’m always “on the clock.”

Technology to keep them connected. Technology is integrated into almost every aspect of Millennials’ lives. Although they couldn’t live without it, they try not to rely on it too much because it can become overwhelming, distracting and even a little scary.

I keep up with what’s new. Technology is constantly offering new and exciting ways to do things and I want to be on the cutting edge.

I use the right tools and resources. It’s important that I find and use the right resources to help me stay up-to-date and on top of my work.

However today … Keeping up with technology is expensive and it can be confusing and time-consuming. I feel like there are too many screens and it’s easy to get sucked into wasting hours on meaningless distractions.

Sheds a different light

We hope this research sheds a different light on the Millennial generation and allows people to embrace them with hopeful optimism. Understanding Millennials will help to inspire the innovation that will attract and retain Millennials as consumers, community members and employees.