IMAGINING THE NEXT NORMAL:
Human Stories Shaping a COVID-19 world

This is a series of human stories on how COVID-19 is impacting our lives and livelihoods. Our series will include stories told by real Australians and curated by our team, plus specific articles on how these stories can translate into actions for your brand, customer and employee experience.

Like 9/11, the GFC, world wars and other global trauma, there is life before the event and life after the event. Life after the event can change instantly or over many years. The changes can come in waves or ripples, silently pervading our life and leading to a ‘new’ normal or instantly and brutally forcing change. COVID-19 is one of those events.

Right now we find ourselves in transition or limbo maybe, as we cope with these changes and try to imagine when and what the next normal will be. 

What does the future hold for us? The Next Normal: Human stories shaping a COVID-19 world is how we are trying to answer this question. We use the words ‘next normal’ loosely as a term, because the next normal will not automatically switch on, on a certain date. Today we are living the ‘next normal’, a very different normal to Feb2020. Out of necessity we will eventually morph into a way of living simply defined as ‘post-Covid’. 

To understand our world today and what the future holds, we are diving into how COVID is shaping people now, so we can anticipate the behaviour and values/attitudes changes that could stay with us forever and those that may be more short lived. By understanding two sides of the coin – both the emotional and rational needs of Australians, we should be better able to ensure Australian organisations respond appropriately as we evolve.

Like the major events before it, this is a human event. To fully understand real human stories and their impact, we are synthesising primary data and ethnography with storytelling. Our experts in brand, innovation, human centred design, CX and EX will add their perspective on how organisations can respond.

Our goal is to share human stories and bring perspectives on how organisations can respond through the next normal.

Finally, this project is not about trying to predict the future. Through curating this series, we are gaining perspective on the future, allowing us to develop a point of view. But it is just that, an educated point of view. A second wave or the end of financial stimulus could all significantly change these perspectives. Either way we will keep you up to date on where Aussies are at.

We’re very excited about this series and hope you will join us on this journey.