The document discusses the importance of context in engagement and defines context as setting the suitability for engagement by showing an ability to support engagement. Engagement is defined as an interaction that generates a positive emotional reaction and a task-relevant response. Contextual elements can move up the axes of care and truth by being articulated clearly, aligning with company values, and being integrated into operations with measurable results.

1. Context
Context sets the suitability for engagement: it show the ability
and aptitude for your context to support engagement.
Engagement defined:
a interaction that generates
- a positive emotional reaction
- a task-relevant response
Context defined:

2. Context
Context sets the suitability for engagement: it show the ability
and aptitude for your context to support engagement.
Engagement defined:
a interaction that generates
- a positive emotional reaction
- a task-relevant response
Context defined:

3. understanding the critical link between
emotion and business process
how much do you care about your own story?
how true is it to the value you provide?
the story and your business processes must match; if
they don’t you must heed the dissonance alarm
applying objectivity and measurement into the critical
growing business domain of narrative storytelling
this segment is currently dominated by nuance and emotion

4. Understanding and Setting Context
we provide nuanced objectivity
what you do
Relevancy Line
truth
+5
languishing powerful
care -5 +5
stakeholders
opinions nontext facade
-5
Key why do the Key Tools get their own axis on
this graph? because these are the links to
Tools the Objective side.
Key Contextual Tools
integral to the delivery of your primary value proposition;
everyone of your customers notices these tools and that
they are needed for the delivery of your primary value.

5. How does a contextual element move
up the CARE and TRUTH axis?
truth CARE axis movement
the value must be articulated
understanding relevancy to business
aligning with company ambitions and culture/brand
languishing powerful integrating into company operations (measure results)
moving UP it must be actualized and supported
care
nontext facade
TRUTH axis movement
Relevancy
moving UP

6. How does a contextual
element enter a death spiral?
How does context get out of alignment?
be distorted:
can drift: the importance of the element is forgotten or
distorted. it can happen because the relevancy of the
contextual element is not communicated or
moving
understood.
DOWN
be marginalized:
be eliminated:

7. Deconstructing Context
we provide nuanced objectivity to build your context
what you do Relevancy Line
truth
+5
languishing powerful
TOOLS CARE TRUTH care -5 +5
objective subjective operational
stakeholders
Grove Trolley +4 +3 -4 opinions nontext facade
AEC GCI +1 -5 +5
-5
Umami paper napkin -4 +4 +5
Bear Pit sawdust -1 +4 +4 side view
Foosball table at DROIsys +1 0 -3 Truth “Y” Type “Z”
Vsource at First Vic +1 +1 +4
how does this how much is this
function as a does this contextual
conduit for matter to element an
your primary the user? authentic Care “X”
value? representation
of your value? Truth “Y”
Type “Z”
Care “X”
Contextual Elements Key Tools
(to deliver primary value)

8. Deconstructingbuild your context
we provide nuanced objectivity to
Context
TOOLS MEDIA CARE TRUTH ACTION!
objective asset subjective operational
conduit narrative engagement contextual
alignment
all three Discovery Engagement Validation
Grove Trolley +4 0 +5 +3 -4 facade
AECOM Global Cities Institute +1 0 +5 0 +5 potential!
Umami paper napkin -4 +5 -2 +4 +4 attention!
Bear Pit sawdust +2 0 +3 +4 +4 chill
Foosball table at DROIsys 0 0 +3 0 -3 attention!
Vsource at First Vic +1 0 +3 +2 +4 meh
Truth Caulkins at Erowhon +4 +5 +3 +5 goldmine!
Nickel Diner window oddities 0 +5 +1 0 flickr
Office Space Flair on J. Anniston 0 +4 -1 -5 reexamine
Federal Heath “whose birthdays is it this month sign” 0 +2 +3 +5 explore
AECOM Youtube channel 0 +5 0 +4 potential!
how does this necessary could this how much does is this contextual
function as a element drive a this matter to the element an
conduit for your beneficial (mean) user? accurate
questions primary value? narrative? representation of
your authentic
values?
does it serve an Could this create how much of this is this item fully
objective an affinity? care is driven by optional?
processing purpose?
how necessary
positive
associations rather
is this authentic?
is it? than function?
TOOLS x CARE MEDIA x CARE
display TOOLS table

9. MEMBER: EROWHON MARKET
Primary Value Conduits
Truth Caulkins
Expert Staff CARE TOOL
Checkout Process
Retail Location
discovery marker publicize!
TOOL CARE
danger zone
MEDIA
discovery marker publicize!
TOOL MEDIA
further evaluate validation marker
TRUTH
possible publicize! publicize! TRUTH
TOOL
potential liability discovery marker

10. ROCwhat is your Return
on CONTEXT?
understanding the elasticity between
the emotional and logical thought
process as it relates to business
how what is perceived to be actually
changes a viewers judgement. how
your emotion can actually influence a
decision your logical mind has made.
BUT...
people to NOT LIKE to be
shown their irrationalities...it
feels to them like weakness

11. the objective influencing the subjective influencing
the subjective.... the objective....
$5 objective: I spent $5 on this wine subjective: I found a car I really really like!
subjective: I hope it is
good enough
objective: it has four doors will fit the family, has a lot of cargo
room for vacations and will be safe in snow with AWD and pretty
good on gas and good insurance rates oh and a hatchback.
$50 objective: I spent $50 on this wine
subjective: this is going to
be amazing.
this is the logical self pulling this is the emotional self
the emotional self along. pulling the logical self along.

12. the Bear Pit, a strong
contextual fortress
Tiffany & Co.
Fully integrated
contextual element
Clifton’s DTLA
a failed contextual fortress

13. Design Engagements to analyze contexts
1. ask questions
2. word analysis
3. facial analysis
4. do our research