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How to Create Personas

MAD9034

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UX Design Process

What is covered: Define

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Empathize
Analyze and Define

Make sense of the research data

Thematic analysis
Define problems to solve
Persona
Information Architecture�

Design/Ideate
Prototype
Test
Implement + Measure

Source: https://www.nngroup.com/articles/design-thinking/

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User Research Methods

Know the User

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	Gather data	Analyze data
Card sorting
Contextual Interviews
Focus Groups
Individual Interviews
Persona
Usability Testing
Task Analysis
Use Cases
Surveys

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Persona Creation

Make sense out of the research data

A UX persona is depicted as a synthesized user from observations of many people.

Each persona represents a significant portion of people in the real world and enables the designer to focus on a manageable and memorable cast of characters.

Personas enable designers to create different designs for different kinds of people and to design for a specific somebody, rather than a generic everybody.

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"Personas help everyone from programmers to executives understand users in a way no other tool can: at a gut level. Personas help guide design decisions, end those lengthy arguments about what users need, and get everyone to agree on what product you're building." (Alan Cooper, American software designer and programmer, coined the term “persona” for the first time)

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Personas

Steps to create them

Identify your users
Decide what to ask
Decide how to ask
Get access to users
Gain an understanding of the users
Analyze the data
Synthesize a model of users
Produce a persona document
Socialize the personas with other stakeholders

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A unique group of people who share product goals and needs

User Persona

Image: Laura Olac

Based on user research data
Link to user data
Name
Personality
Face
Relevant personal information

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Persona: A Product Team Tool

Image: Laura Olac

Increase productivity and satisfaction

Help set project goals and requirements

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Expedite development

Improve collaboration > feature priority based on user needs
Reduce acceptance testing > focus on the most important functionality
Testing and verification: better focused test goals and metrics

Using Personas to Prioritize Features

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Personas Tips

User Requirements: What they are and what they are not

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Are

Are not

Real needs based on use and behaviours

What the organization thinks users should have

What it takes to accomplish goals

Unarticulated, tacit information

Foundation for user-centred product design

What programmers want

What customers ask for

Socially accepted preferences and attitudes

Laura’s notes: User Requirements

Are

Real needs based on user behaviours, expectations and context of use
What it takes to accomplish goals
Unarticulated information that you can observe during interviews and observation sessions
Foundation for user-centered product design

Are not

What the organization thinks users should have in the product
What early adopters want: early adopters represent a niche group of users who you may identify from research. You may even want to have a supplement persona to represent them and keep them in mind, but you don’t design for them
What programmers want
What customers ask for (remember this is product marketing research and not use research)
Socially accepted preferences and attitudes

Example (Laura’s experience): Story of the Design Agency in a Box with “Picasa-like” animation

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Personas

Primary and Secondary Personas

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The primary persona is the primary user of a product.

The secondary persona is another user of the product for whom we will make accommodations as long as the primary persona’s experience is not compromised.�

SERVICE CONSUMER

SERVICE PROVIDER

Source

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Major Project

Now, in class: Review persona data

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Work within your group for one last time (10 minutes)
Review your team’s persona user research data
Ensure all content is well captured and clear for everyone
Discuss findings, trends, similarities, differences
Ensure everyone has access to the Figma file

From this point on, you will work independently

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Persona Creation: Analyze the Data

Major project: Week 2 of 9

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Persona Creation

Analyze the data

Look at a range of variables across a range of participants, and find the patterns that are meaningful to your project.

Identify attributes of participants’ attitude and behaviour captured in research data

Rank each participant on each attribute

Look for common traits among participants who share similar attributes

Group of similar participants with similar attributes and common traits = a persona

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Persona Creation

Analyze the data: identify attributes

Example of attributes for students looking for tutoring services

Status (international vs native local vs native out of town)
Level of support required: ongoing vs one-off sessions when needed
Looking for services online, in person, indifferent
Different student types, ages, other characteristics
Time of the day
Level of support required by child
Reluctant to participate in extracurriculars, vs enthusiastic
All school subjects vs specific ones
etc

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Persona Creation

Analyze the data: identify attributes

Example of attributes for seniors

Lives independently vs live with support
Level of support required: ongoing vs one-off help with specific errands
Requires physical support vs companionship
Reluctant to get help vs enthusiastic to get help
Regular support required vs ad-hoc
Age of senior
etc.

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Persona Creation

Analyze the data: rank participants for each attribute

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Attribute	1	2	3	4	Attribute
Lives independently	Sue, Fred,	Mark, Phil,	Rick, Ann	Dan, Amy, Mary,	Lives with support
Reluctant to get help	Ann, Rick, Fred,	Mary, Mark, Sue,	Dan, Phil,	Amy,	Enthusiastic to get help
Seeking physical support	Dan, Phil,	Ann, Rick, Fred, Sue,	Mary, Amy,	Mark,	Seeking companionship
Seeking regular support	Dan,	Amy, Rick, Ann,	Mary, Fred,	Phil, Mark, Sue,	Seeking ad-hoc support
etc.	Ann, Mark,	Dan, Rick,	Mary, Amy,	Phil, Fred, Sue,	etc.

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Persona Creation

Analyze the data: rank participants for each attribute

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Attribute	1	2	3	4	Attribute
Lives independently	Sue, Fred,	Mark, Phil,	Rick, Ann	Dan, Amy, Mary,	Lives with support
Reluctant to get help	Ann, Rick, Fred,	Mary, Mark, Sue,	Dan, Phil,	Amy,	Enthusiastic to get help
Seeking physical support	Dan, Phil,	Ann, Rick, Fred, Sue,	Mary, Amy,	Mark,	Seeking companionship
Seeking regular support	Dan,	Amy, Rick, Ann,	Mary, Fred,	Phil, Mark, Sue,	Seeking ad-hoc support
etc.	Ann, Mark,	Dan, Rick,	Mary, Amy,	Phil, Fred, Sue,	etc.

Look for patterns. Looks like Ann and Rick have many common attributes.

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Persona Creation

Analyze the data: rank participants for each attribute

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Attribute	1	2	3	4	Attribute
Lives independently	Sue, Fred,	Mark, Phil,	Rick, Ann	Dan, Amy, Mary,	Lives with support
Reluctant to get help	Ann, Rick, Fred,	Mary, Mark, Sue,	Dan, Phil,	Amy,	Enthusiastic to get help
Seeking physical support	Dan, Phil,	Ann, Rick, Fred, Sue,	Mary, Amy,	Mark,	Seeking companionship
Seeking regular support	Dan,	Amy, Rick, Ann,	Mary, Fred,	Phil, Mark, Sue,	Seeking ad-hoc support
etc.	Ann, Mark,	Dan, Rick,	Mary, Amy,	Phil, Fred, Sue,	etc.

Look for patterns. Looks like Sue and Fred have many common attributes.

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Persona Creation

Analyze the data: Affinity Diagramming

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Age

Status (International)

Frequency of service use

Subjects

Cost

Technology

etc

Look for patterns in the data to identify the different user types and decide what group of users you would like to focus your attention on/design for. Example: All students, high school students, University students, etc

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Persona Creation

Analyze the Data

Identify as many groups of participants who share more common attributes than disparate attributes. Each of these groups should be represented by one persona.

Identify which attributes are not shared, so you can account for those in your design.

�Example: Participant A may seek both regular ongoing support, as well as ad-hoc support, but it may not translate into a separate persona.

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It’s not necessary, or even realistic for ALL participants in a group you identify to share ALL attributes.

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Persona Creation

Analyze the Data

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Determine which groups (personas) you will design for

Multiple personas > which personas are in scope and which are not

You can’t design for everyone!

Still multiple personas > identify which are primary, and which are secondary

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Persona Creation

Synthesize a model of users

When you have your groups of users identified, think of how to best describe them.

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Persona Creation

The anatomy of a persona document

Remember that a persona is a tool for the entire product team to use. Make it relevant!

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Persona Creation

Socialize your personas

Personas represent a tool. For the tool to create value, it has to be used. �Ways to socialize your personas:

Presentations to product stakeholders

Persona posters on walls with high traffic and visibility

Additional artifacts such as Day in the Life stories and Journey Maps

Start referring to users of your product using persona names

Prioritization meetings
Design decisions
Epics and user stories

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Day in the Life storytelling: https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbescommunicationscouncil/2021/09/22/make-your-product-feel-real-by-creating-day-in-the-life-content/?sh=21356f1341a5

Journey mapping 101: https://www.nngroup.com/articles/journey-mapping-101/

After your persona document is created, it is very important to socialize them. Personas represent a tool that only brings value if it is used.

You do this in different ways:

Organize a persona presentation and invite all the stakeholders who need to know about them and use them
Print the persona document as a poster and display it on walls in common areas where people group (kitchen, hallways, etc) or if you work remotely, have a product page where you provide regular updates that people look for
Use the personas when you write user stories or when you have planning meetings
Find creative ways to socialize them and get people to buy into them and use them because they see their value

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Persona Creation

Your assignment

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Details on the course website: Persona Creation

Next class is all about working on personas. Come prepared with the attributes you will rank your participants against

Start with your primary persona
Repeat for your secondary persona
5-10 attributes selected
ALL your participants ranked for ALL attributes
Groups of participants identified

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Coming up

Persona working session

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Mandatory

Have your persona research complete and attributes selected
Review all material provided on personas
Don’t miss the working session! Ask the professor for feedback!