From Cradle to Grave: Where does the Persona Live?

Ramya @rams_mahalingam

PERSONA

PERSONAA persona is a fictional, yet realistic, description

of a typical or target user of the product.

— Aurora Bedford, Nielsen Norman Group

we’re not designing for ourselves

PROTO – PERSONAS

“…they are that gut feeling you get during field research that tells you there seem to be about X number of types of people and they seem to be significantly different on these 4-5 characteristics/dimensions.”

— Todd Elliott, Adaptive Path

PROTO – PERSONAS

SKETCH +

NAME

SKETCH +

NAMEDEMOGRAPHICS

SKETCH +

NAMEDEMOGRAPHICS

BEHAVIORS +

MOTIVATIONS

SKETCH +

NAMEDEMOGRAPHICS

BEHAVIORS +

MOTIVATIONSGOALS

EMPATHY

EMPATHYJUDGEMENT

1. our comfort levels

we tend to make personas that are safe, comfortable, and familiar

“Why are the poor people’s pictures so much worse?”

“Why are the poor people’s pictures so much worse?”

“Because these people represent who we serve.”

“Why are the poor people’s pictures so much worse?”

“Because these people represent who we serve.”

“But why are the pictures of everyone else stunning? If this is how we view poor people (scuzzy, dirty), it will come across in our service to them – which is just as valuable as to the ‘good’ patrons.”

“Why are the poor people’s pictures so much worse?”

“Because these people represent who we serve.”

“But why are the pictures of everyone else stunning? If this is how we view poor people (scuzzy, dirty), it will come across in our service to them – which is just as valuable as to the ‘good’ patrons.”

2. reductionary & exclusionary

I’m guilty about not using it right, or not using it enough

Who I am is not captured

I feel “Othered”

I feel less important

All of these personas are younger than me…does that make me old?

I feel like I’m using something that wasn’t really built for me

3. the focus

bad personas?

fiction

fictioncharacterizing qualities

SKETCH +

NAMEDEMOGRAPHICS

BEHAVIORS +

MOTIVATIONSGOALS

SKETCH +

NAMEDEMOGRAPHICS

BEHAVIORS +

MOTIVATIONSGOALS

SKETCH +

NAMEDEMOGRAPHICS

BEHAVIORS +

MOTIVATIONSGOALS

SKETCH +

NAMEDEMOGRAPHICS

BEHAVIORS +

MOTIVATIONSGOALS

SKETCH +

NAMEDEMOGRAPHICS

BEHAVIORS +

MOTIVATIONSGOALS

choices

our imaginary friends are fictional

but… we’re still not designing

for ourselves

appearances and market segments

goals and motivations

appearances and market segments

goals and motivations

ENVISIONS

SKETCH +

NAMEDEMOGRAPHICS

GOALSBEHAVIORS

+ MOTIVATIONS

SKETCH +

NAMEDEMOGRAPHICS

GOALSBEHAVIORS

+ MOTIVATIONS

DEMOGRAPHICS

GOALS

Katie

BEHAVIORS +

MOTIVATIONS

GOALS

Katie

BEHAVIORS +

MOTIVATIONS

25 years old

Female

University of Michigan, Ann Arbor

Political Science major

Registered independent

GOALS

Katie

25 years old

Female

University of Michigan, Ann Arbor

Political Science major

Registered independent

Drinks a latte every morning

Listens to Belle and Sebastian

Bikes to work

Wants to develop an A+ coffee palate

Loves meeting new people

Katie

25 years old

Female

University of Michigan, Ann Arbor

Political Science major

Registered independent

Drinks a latte every morning

Listens to Belle and Sebastian

Bikes to work

Wants to develop an A+ coffee palate

Loves meeting new people

To easily enter equipment updates

Keep track of when to order more

syrups, etc.

Find a job at a political theory

publication

Katie

25 years old

Female

University of Michigan, Ann Arbor

Political Science major

Registered independent

Drinks a latte every morning

Listens to Belle and Sebastian

Bikes to work

Wants to develop an A+ coffee palate

Loves meeting new people

To easily enter equipment updates

Keep track of when to order more

syrups, etc.

Find a job at a political theory

publication

25 years old

Drinks a latte every morning

Wants to develop an A+ coffee palate

To easily enter equipment updates

Keep track of when to order more

syrups, etc.

25 years old

Drinks a latte every morning

Wants to develop an A+ coffee palate

To easily enter equipment updates

Keep track of when to order more

syrups, etc.

iPhone 6 + Macbook Air

iPhone 6 + Macbook Air

Typically tired when getting into work

25 years old

Drinks a latte every morning

Wants to develop an A+ coffee palate

To easily enter equipment updates

Keep track of when to order more

syrups, etc.

iPhone 6 + Macbook Air

Typically tired when getting into work

Interested in different coffee properties

25 years old

Drinks a latte every morning

Wants to develop an A+ coffee palate

To easily enter equipment updates

Keep track of when to order more

syrups, etc.

use an iPhone 6 + Macbook Air

are typically tired when getting into work

are interested in different coffee properties

you want to easily enter equipment updates

you want to keep track of when to order more syrups, etc.

envision that you:

CONTEXTUAL EMPATHY

REFERENCES

Persona Non Grata, Dan Saffer, August 17 2005

Personas are "empathy tools," not stereotypes, Sam Ladner, November 17 2008

A Closer Look At Personas: What They Are And How They Work (Part 1), Shlomo Goltz, August 6 2014

Resurrecting Dead Personas, Meg Dickey-Kurdziolek, July 26 2016

Designing for imaginary friends: information architecture, personas and the politics of user-centered design, Adrienne L. Massanari, June 12 2010

Is stereotyping inevitable when designing with personas?, Phil Turner and Susan Turner, July 27 2012

Crappy Personas vs. Robust Personas, Jared Spool, November 14 2007

The Inmates are Running the Asylum, Alan Cooper, January 1 1999

Ramya @rams_mahalingam