Redrawing Boundaries: Adapting to COVID-19
Exploring how individuals created and adapted their interpersonal and social boundaries at the onset of the pandemic.
This work was produced as part of
Conifer Research's thought leadership efforts.
PROJECT OVERVIEW
Why boundaries?
Unspoken norms and behaviors were put into flux when the pandemic began. As individuals were forced to juggle new roles, responsibilities and emotions, they created new boundaries and rules to help guide their daily lives and interactions with others around them. This 'new normal' brought with it friction and unmet needs that were important to understand.
Goals & Objectives
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Building foundational knowledge about the pandemic to influence proposals
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Thought leadership on the emerging effects of the pandemic on society
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Identify opportunities for clients to adapt their business practices to accommodate changes in customer behavior
Methodology
In March 2020, Conifer launched an open study to learn how people were adjusting to changes to their life.
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Developed self-documentation missions to collect photos, videos and journal entries from 20+ participants across the U.S.
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Facilitated community discussions to encourage participants to share stories with each other
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Coded, analyzed and synthesized emerging themes and insights using Miro
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Click here to see the complete report and other COVID-19 behavioral studies Conifer conducted.
I try not to overwhelm myself and instead focus on smaller doses of information- which I take in when I'm feeling emotionally accepting or strong/comfortable.
Story from study participant
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Developed multiple frameworks to visually highlight the impact of boundaries on emotions and individual agency.
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Produced a report that was shared with clients and on social media as an example of Conifer's thought leadership.
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Uncovered insights to inform COVID-19 related new business proposals by highlighting key opportunities to explore.
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Boundaries provide a sense of agency
Our interactions with individuals, institutions and our communities are guided by boundaries.
They help inform what responsibilities we take on at home (e.g. chores), how we speak to others (e.g. coworkers vs. friends) and how we navigate spaces (e.g. transit rules), to name a few.
These norms, rules and roles continue to adapt when they no longer serve our needs.
Eroding boundaries result in a loss of control
With mask mandates and other public health initiatives emerging early in the pandemic, previously established boundaries about navigating public spaces collapsed.
Social interactions moving to be largely virtual also ensured individuals felt out of control over their daily lives. This new tension required individuals to adapt and form new boundaries.
SPATIAL BOUNDARIES
Boundaries that mark geographic space, or lack thereof, between individuals.
(e.g. personal space, space between people in different types of relationships)
EMOTIONAL BOUNDARIES
Boundaries that mark different emotions and the mental capacity for them.
(e.g. compartmentalizing + making sense of emotions like happiness and anxiety)
TEMPORAL BOUNDARIES
Boundaries that mark the time and context of different environments and experiences. (e.g. school signals learning, the office signals work hours)
Types of boundaries
To understand how individuals were adapting their behavior to the changing needs of the pandemic, we started by defining different types of boundaries. Based on demonstrated participant behavior, these fall into three distinct categories:
Emotions can quickly become overwhelming without boundaries in place
The stress of constant decision-making to navigate the pandemic also affected participants emotions'.
These individuals experienced a spectrum of emotions — from a sense of nostalgia to an existential dread about the future. Unmanaged, these emotions have a compounding effect leading to an overload.
Emotional boundaries prevent emotional overload
Establishing boundaries to process emotions helps individuals compartmentalize complex feelings.
With our participants — this provided them with the tools needed to prioritize their needs and act empathetically with their loved ones and community.
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The best thing that I've found for myself at this time is to respect my emotions in the moment I’m feeling them.
Story from study participant
Organizations can support individuals navigate their changing boundaries
As cities and communities constantly adapt to the changing needs of the pandemic, organizations can ease boundaries being redrawn by asking...
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Which boundaries do our products, services, and experiences impact the most? How can we adapt?
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What kinds of environments and contexts test boundaries under pressure and lead to emotional overload?
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What kinds of environments and contexts invite and allow people to re-evaluate their boundaries?
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What social signals do people look for to identify changing boundaries?
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Are there certain groups or circumstances that require a unique set of boundaries?