A person's internal and physical identity.
A person’s identity is made up of physical and internal characteristics that are not always easy to observe. People are born a certain way, and over time, their physical characteristics can change. When designers consider characteristics that make up a person’s identity as a driver for design decisions, outcomes will be more likely to accommodate physical requirements. Researching self characteristics can reveal a person’s capacities for completing activities as well as some of their basic preferences.
In some cases, self characteristics can be interpreted by others and used to judge, marginalize, and classify people. Designers who recognize that people can be stereotyped because of their physical characteristics can position their research and the things they make to reduce the impact of such judgments—empowering people and encouraging inclusion and collaboration.
