Personas

Understanding UX Personas

• Persona Definition

• “Fictional users representing larger group needs”

• Built from research, not imagination

• Helps identify behavior patterns

• Building Personas

• Components

  • Photo and biographical sketch
  • Demographics (age, location, etc)
  • Professional goals
  • Technical comfort level
  • Memorable catchphrase

• Based on User Groups

  • Groups share interests/goals
  • Each key group needs representation
  • Must reflect research findings

• Value of Multiple Personas

• Building Empathy

  • “Puts a face to the user”
  • Makes experience meaningful
  • Humanizes statistics

• Storytelling Power

  • Enhances stakeholder presentations
  • Makes case for new features
  • Shows user diversity

• Design Testing

  • Tests features across groups
  • Reveals different user needs

    Example: Accessibility vs Time

  • Ensures broad user benefits

• Example: Running App

• Different User Needs

  • Mavis (100-year-old runner)

    Focuses on accessibility

  • Diane (busy working mother)

    Prioritizes time management

• Shows importance of diverse personas

Personas transform abstract user data into relatable characters that guide design decisions. They ensure products work for diverse user groups by combining research insights with human storytelling elements.

Creating Effective UX Personas

• Persona Foundation

• “Fictional users representing larger group needs”

• Built Through Research

  • Identify common pain points
  • Group similar users together
  • Based on real user data
  • “3-8 personas typically enough”

• Key Components

• Content Requirements

  • Must be context-specific
  • Focus on product interactions
  • Represent majority of users

• Research Integration

  • Group common themes
  • Include relevant pain points
  • Consider demographic patterns

• Building Process

• Team Involvement

  • Get initial team suggestions
  • Compare with research data
  • Validate/contradict assumptions

• Design Applications

  • Creates user-focused features
  • Addresses specific concerns

    Example: Safety verification for dog walkers Background check features

• Implementation Tips

• Template Options

  • Various formats available
  • Customize to project needs

• Best Practices

  • Stay focused on user goals
  • Include relevant behaviors
  • Keep content actionable

Personas transform user research into actionable design tools by creating realistic representations of user groups. These tools help teams maintain user-focused design decisions throughout the development process.