Persona Development

Wonjong Choi

“A persona is an invaluable tool used early in the

concept phase of designing a website. Personas

are archetypes of users whose beliefs and behav-

ior patterns are catalogued, summarized and

shared with project team members. Everyone on

the team utilizes the persona set to determine

whether their designs meet the personas’ needs.”

http://www.usabilitysciences.com/services/behavior-based-persona-development

Persona

Name

Age

Job

Photo

Family Background

Job Environment

Internet Proficiency

Needs

Goal

Persona Description

Statistical information helps you define the target

audience and a persona.

Demographic

Image Source: http://www.in-traction.com/mobile-ecosystems/

Steps to develop a persona

Conduct user re-search

Condense the research

Brainstorm and Create Personas

Refine them

Make them real-istic

Reference: http://www.usability.gov/how-to-and-tools/methods/personas.html

At the beginning of the information design

project, designers and developers collect infor-

mation, create personas, and refine them.

Share them with team members

Persona Example #1

Jennifer is a 22 year old undergraduate

student who studies at the University of

Minnesota. Her major is writing studies,

so she plans to be a technical communi-

cator in the future. She is considering ap-

plying to a Master’s degree program for

further study and frequently searches for

degree programs and detailed informa-

tion about courses provided by such de-

gree programs.

Image Source: http://www.freedigitalphotos.net/images/agree-terms.php

Persona Example #2

Janelle is a 28 year-old grad student working on com-

pleting her MS in Scientific and Technical Communica-

tion. She is enrolled in the program part time and this

is her second semester. She also works full time at a

small advertising agency as an Account Executive.

She enjoys her job, but is excited to move into a posi-

tion that utilizes her communication skills. In addition

to her work and school commitments, Janelle is a new

mother to a 6 month-old baby girl. Over the past few

months, Janelle has struggled to manage her school,

work and family responsibilities and often feels over-

whelmed. When she does have some spare time, she

enjoys biking, cooking and watching How I Met Your

Mother. Image Source: http://www.freedigitalphotos.net/images/agree-terms.php

Persona Example #3

Professor Tim Jones, 45, currently teaches Infor-

mation Design at the University of Michigan, Ann

Arbor. Tim lives near campus with his wife of

twelve years and their two children. He is a loving

husband and father. He is also a passionate

teacher and is always looking for ways to improve

his lesson plans. This is Tim’s 3rd year teaching

Information Design in Ann Arbor. In addition, Pro-

fessor Jones also teaches an entry-level creative

writing course and volunteers at a local art foun-

dation that helps under privileged youths work on

their reading and writing skills. Professor Jones is

a very busy person who loves what he does and

works very hard to ensure that he is a contribut-

ing member of his communityImage Source: Hemera Technologies/AbleStock.com/Getty Images

Personas describe the representative users of an

information development project. They help de-

signers and developers understand the common

vision of the target audience. This saves decision-

making time and avoids guesswork.

Benefits of Personas

Reference: http://www.usability.gov/how-to-and-tools/methods/personas.html