P E R S O N A R E S E A R C H

TO D I S C OV E RW E B S I T E N E E D S

Persona research is about defining the personality

and needs of your users.

It is then interpreted by Information Architects.

Information Architecture: The Socialist Party for the Web

What the Hell is Information Architecture?

• Building a complete system

• Understanding the big picture

• Developing an engaging system

• Fluid and elegant to use

• Focused on the needs of its intended audience

Information Architects define the User Experience.

Defining the user experience:

• Develop a persona to best understand the audience

• Match audience goals with service offering, features and functionality

• Map structure of content to follow the user’s needs

• Develop Interface to support audience goals

The Information Architecture Process

• alphabetical

• chronological

• geographical

• task oriented

• audience specific

• metaphor

Data Pattern Mapping

IA organizes the patterns of data by six types:

Persona Research for Task Flow

Assignment: Create an online experience for the process of acquiring digital rights to music for commercial use.

Devin The SeekerAge: 36 Education: Bachelors in Liberal ArtsOccupation: Editorial Director

Employer: American GreetingsLocation: Cleveland

Motivation: Thoroughness

Product Use: Signing Greeting Cards

Sites Used: iTunes, Google, Amazon

Price Conscious

Rights Knowledge

GreenLight Usage

Savviness

Expediency

Use Cases:•Price a song that was selected by the Art Department to be used in an audio-greeting card.

•Have a backup song selected in case the rights for the first choice fall through.

“If I can only get this process down to just one click rather than jumping

through fifty hoops.”

Larah The DrifterAge: 24 Education: in CollegeOccupation: Assistant

Employer: Chase ManhattanLocation: New York

Motivation: Please the Boss

Product Use: Presentation Soundtrack

Sites Used: Blogs, iTunes, Amazon.com, Pandora

Price Conscious

Rights Knowledge

GreenLight Usage

Savviness

Expediency

Use Cases:•Need suggestions for an intro and outro track to use for a company presentation that will be posted on YouTube.

•Larah needs to understand the process and costs for clearing the rights, and then run it by her boss.

“This better not make any headaches for me trying to go

the legit route.”

Answer: Make it Quick.

The steps required needed to be minimized as much as possible, even over additional functionality that does not map with expediency in the flow.

Persona Research for Social Psychology

Assignment: Introduce a Spanish brand’s low-cost online bank into the German market.

“Money is a creature of the law. A theory of money must therefore deal with legal history.”

- George Knapp German Economist

Germans have been negatively influenced by their history of autocratic rule and hyperinflation.

The result in banking has been large, institutional corporate banks and credit union retail banks.

Imagery used on German banks reflect this by over-emphasizing themselves as established.

Answer: Don’t look like a bank.

Success will rely on attracting a different audience, born after 1985, without the stigmas and can relate to an online look instead.

Persona Research for User Needs

Persona Research for User Needs

Assignment: Create an online reference tool for employees to learn strategies for investing in their 401k accounts.

Non-Investor Investor

“I want my money now” “I want to retire comfortably”

“I won’t have enough for now” “I won’t have enough for the future”

“What are the benefits and drawbacks?”

“Have I covered all of my bases?”

“Why should I trust you with my money?” “Will you meet my needs?”

“I can take care of myself ” “I want to be well taken care of ”

Finding Patterns in Data

Non-Investor Investor

“I want my money now” “I want to retire comfortably”

“I won’t have enough for now” “I won’t have enough for the future”

“What are the benefits and drawbacks?”

“Have I covered all of my bases?”

“Why should I trust you with my money?” “Will you meet my needs?”

“I can take care of myself ” “I want to be well taken care of ”

Ambitious

Uninformed

Fearful

Skeptical

Optimistic

Finding Patterns in Data

Answer: Organize data in a way they can relate to it.

The profiles selected from the top reflect one of the five common personality types of skeptical, optimistic, ambitious, etc.

Persona Research to Define Motivation

Assignment: Increase usage for a user-to-user betting website.

Old Target Audience:The Lad

• Looking for a little extra cash

• Will only bet if they are feel they know the outcome

• Will only bet on occasion

• Prefer to bet with friends

New Target Audience:The Professional

• Make a majority of their living from betting

• Think they can control the future by what they bet on

• Make several bets a day

• Prefers to bet with strangers

Answer: Give them control.

An interface that feeds to the Professional’s desire to “control their future” by providing controls of statistical analysis.

Persona Research to Define Audiences

Assignment: Update a leading healthcare site to be easier to use and branded in a way to be fresher and uplifting.

Information about health news

Information about my benefits/health plan

Information about which drugs are covered by CareOregon

Ability to submit forms online

Blogs on health and healthy industry topics

Live chat/instant messaging with CareOregon staff

Feature stories about CareOregon members

Information about community events and programs

Stories about CareOregon providers

Access to support networks for chronic conditions

Ability to exchange information with other site visitors

Information about CareOregon health plans

Tips on staying healthy

Educational videos and presentations

Discussion boards

Other

0 14 28 42 56 70

Which of the following features would you be likely to

By surveys and focus groups, we were able to ascertain the main motivations, needs and methods the various audiences use the website.

In the last 30 days, how often did you access the Internet?How often do you use the internet to find health-related information?

MEMBERS

home

work

cell phone

library

other

no access

MEMBERS

Being a Medicaid and Medicare provider, most members for example, do not have jobs and are accessing the internet from home or only on occasion from alternative sources.

A rich diversity of users was discovered with distinct audience needs.

Answer: Reflect the audience.

The navigation and design was made to represent each user type for them to easily identify with the CareOregon and their needs.

CAREOREGON

About Us

Health & Wellness

Our Health Plans

For Members

For Providers

Contact Us

Transforming Healthcare

Answer: Reflect the audience.

The navigation and design was made to represent each user type for them to easily identify with the CareOregon and their needs.

Our background has provided us a unique perspective on meeting brand with user experience, from startups to Fortune 500 companies.

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Jason@perfectpixels.comor twitter/perfectpixels