Understand
User persona
Also called Persona, Archetype, Persona template
Turn research into a portrait of a type of user: their goals, pains, gains, habits and how they decide, so the team designs for someone real.
- Time60 to 90 minutes
- People2 to 8 people
- Steps4
What it's for
A persona sums up a group of real users who behave alike, so a team can ask 'would Priya use this?' instead of arguing about 'the user'. Unlike a proto-persona, which records the team's assumptions, a persona is built from interviews and data.
An archetype is the same thing without the name and photo: a title and the behaviours that matter. Use one when a name would make people focus on demographics instead of behaviour.
How to run it
Bring the research10 min
Put interview notes and data beside the board. Each box should trace back to it.
Who they are10 min
A name or a title, their role and situation, and a quote in their own words.
Goals, pains and gains20 min
What they're trying to get done, what gets in the way, and what success looks like.
Behaviour and decisions15 min
How they work today, where they meet the product, and how they decide.
Tips
- Behaviour matters more than age or job title. Two people with the same title often need different things.
- Mark anything still a guess. A persona that's half assumption should say so.
Where it comes from
Alan Cooper introduced personas to software design in The Inmates Are Running the Asylum (1999), from his practice of designing for specific people he had interviewed.
Pairs well with
Proto-persona
A quick persona built from what the team already believes, written down so the beliefs can be tested with research.
Empathy map
A shared picture of one type of person: what they say, think, do and feel, built from research rather than guesses.
Jobs to be done canvas
Describe the job a customer is trying to get done, the stages they go through, and the outcomes they use to judge whether it went well.