That's a great research goal! Understanding how employees conceptualize "People Growth" can reveal a lot about organizational culture, expectations, and potential gaps between leadership vision and employee understanding.

Let me unpack this a bit to make sure I design the right exercise for you.

"People Growth" could mean different things to different people, such as:

1. Career advancement — promotions, title changes, moving up the ladder
2. Skill development — learning new abilities, gaining expertise
3. Personal development — self-awareness, emotional intelligence, work-life balance
4. Expanding responsibilities — taking on more/different work, leadership opportunities
5. Compensation growth — salary increases, better benefits
6. Network & relationships — mentorship, building connections
7. Impact & contribution — making a bigger difference, more meaningful work

What's your primary goal here?

A) Discover the mental models — Find out what dimensions/aspects people naturally associate with "People Growth" (exploratory)

B) Measure priorities — Understand which aspects of growth matter most to employees (ranking/weighting)

C) Identify gaps — Compare what people think growth should look like vs. what they experience (gap analysis)

D) Segment understanding — See if different groups (teams, levels, tenures) think about growth differently

E) Something else — Tell me more!

This will help me design an interactive exercise that captures the right insights.

Great choice! Exploratory research to uncover mental models is really valuable — you'll learn how people naturally think about "People Growth" without leading them toward predefined categories.

One clarifying question:

When participants share their mental models, what level of abstraction are you most interested in?

1. Concrete & tangible — What specific activities, behaviors, or moments do people associate with growth? (e.g., "getting feedback from my manager," "completing a certification," "leading my first project")

2. Abstract & conceptual — What themes, values, or principles do people connect to growth? (e.g., "autonomy," "challenge," "recognition," "mastery")

3. Both — Let participants express themselves at whatever level feels natural to them

I'd recommend option 3 since you're exploring — it'll give you richer data and reveal whether your employees tend to think about growth in practical or philosophical terms. But let me know if you have a specific preference!

Perfect — focusing on abstract concepts and themes will give you insight into the underlying values and mental frameworks people have around growth.

Let me check what interactive capabilities I have available, and then I'll propose some creative exercise ideas for you.

I have access to React with drag-and-drop capabilities, animations (motion library), and a rich icon set. Here are 3 creative exercise ideas to uncover how people conceptualize "People Growth" at the abstract/conceptual level:

A) Constellation Builder ⭐ Participants see a central "People Growth" node and a collection of concept words floating around (e.g., "Autonomy," "Challenge," "Recognition," "Mastery," "Purpose"). They drag concepts closer to or further from the center to show how strongly they associate each with growth. Connected concepts form a personal "constellation" — revealing their mental model visually.

B) Concept Blending 🧪 Participants see pairs of abstract concepts (e.g., "Challenge + Support," "Freedom + Structure") and drag a slider/marker to show where "People Growth" sits on each spectrum. This reveals the tensions and balances in how they think about growth — is it more about pushing limits or feeling safe? Individual achievement or collective belonging?

C) Growth Tree 🌳 Participants are shown a tree metaphor with different parts (roots, trunk, branches, leaves, fruit). They drag abstract concept tokens to the tree part that feels right — roots might represent foundational values, branches represent directions of growth, fruit represents outcomes. This surfaces how people organize growth concepts, not just which ones matter.

Which exercise resonates most with your research goals? (Or I can combine elements if you like aspects of multiple!)

Love it! The tree metaphor is rich and intuitive — it'll reveal not just what concepts people associate with growth, but how they structure their thinking about it (what's foundational vs. aspirational, what's a path vs. a destination).

Let me build this for you now.

Your Growth Tree exercise is ready! 🌳

Try it here →

How it works:

• Participants see 10 abstract growth concepts (Autonomy, Challenge, Mastery, Purpose, Recognition, Belonging, Curiosity, Resilience, Trust, Impact)
• They drag each concept to the tree part that feels right:
  • Roots — Deep foundations
  • Trunk — Core strength
  • Branches — Directions to explore
  • Leaves — Visible signs of growth
  • Fruit — Outcomes & rewards
• Each tree part has a distinct color to make the visual mapping clear
• Concepts can be clicked to remove and re-place them
• Results are logged on completion (you'd connect this to your data collection backend)

What you'll learn from the data:

• Do people see growth as primarily foundational (roots-heavy) or outcome-driven (fruit-heavy)?
• Which concepts are seen as "core" vs. "exploratory"?
• Are there patterns across your organization, or diverse mental models?

Let me know if you'd like me to:

• Adjust the concept words (add/remove/change any?)
• Tweak the tree part labels or hints
• Add any other functionality (e.g., ability for users to add their own concept words)

I'll make the colors more vibrant and punchy!

Done! The colors are now much more vibrant 🎨

Check it out →

What changed:

• Tree sections — Richer, more saturated backgrounds (amber, orange, teal, emerald, rose)
• Concept cards — Now a bold violet-to-fuchsia gradient that really pops
• Placed tokens — Solid, punchy colors with white text for excellent contrast
• Done button — Emerald-to-teal gradient for a satisfying finish
• Bolder typography — Font weights bumped up throughout

The whole thing feels more energetic now while still being professional. Let me know if you'd like any other tweaks!