Knowing your users and creating Personas

User Profiles and Personas

ScenariosScenarios

Benefits of creating Personas and Scenarios

Task FlowsTask Flows

Personas

Personas are fictitious characters that are created to represent the different user types within a targeted demographic that might use a site or product.

A persona usually includes:

Characteristics of Persona

A persona usually includes:

• A name and a picture.• Demographics (age, educational, ethnicity, family status)

J b titl d j ibiliti• Job title and major responsibilities• Goals and tasks in relation to your site• Environment (Physical, Technological, Social)

Examples of Persona

Examples of Persona

Persona study at naukri.com

Examples of Persona

Persona study at naukri.com

Persona Creation

Persona in Use

When to use Persona

Introduction to Scenarios

Scenarios are short, detailed, fictional stories you write describing typical visitors to your Web site, the challenges they face and the information they y g y yneed to be persuaded to buy your firm's product or service.

The more details included in your scenarios, the better you'll be able to satisfy your visitors' needssatisfy your visitors needs.

Scenario - Example

Benefits of Personas

Advantages of Personas

• Personas put a personal human face on otherwise abstract data about tcustomers.

• Help team members share a specific, consistent understanding of various audience groups.

• Designers are better able to infer what a real person might need.g p g• Personas are easy to communicate to engineering teams and thus allow

engineers, developers, and others to absorb customer data.• By always asking, "Would Jim use this?" the team can avoid the trap of

building what users ask for rather than what they will actually usebuilding what users ask for rather than what they will actually use.

Benefits of Scenarios

Scenario building helps in:

• Understanding actions taken (both online and offline)• Goes online to www.circuitcity.com to check out mini stereo systems.

• Frustrations, Emotions, Questions that arise• I don’t understand all these features and benefits. How can I weigh between g

them and get the system that’s right for me?

• Information needs• How big is this stereo really? Will it fit into my bookshelf?How big is this stereo really? Will it fit into my bookshelf?• What does the play exchange function do?• Can I return the system to a Circuit City store or do I have to ship it back?

• Features and Functionality to Address needs• Features and Functionality to Address needs• Online product manuals• Visual size guides• 360 degree product views• Compare functionality• Compare functionality

Task Flow

Task Flow indicates the order in which tasks are executed.

Creating Task Flow

Task flows answer the questions:

• “How do I…….?”How do I…….?• “How do I register for a class?”• “How do I pay my bills?”• “How do I make sure this gift gets to my boyfriend before Valentine’s Day?”

Task Analysis

Task Analysis

• Helps us understand what users do.• Forces us to synthesize the data into a useful format.• Lays the foundation for screen design.• Identifies weak points and sources of error in the task flow.

Formats for Task Analysis

• Workflow Diagrams• For major tasks often performed by multiple users.

• Task Details• Flowcharts (Specific Descriptions of individual tasks)• Procedural narratives including cues, information, decisions and actions.

Benefits of Task Analysis

Eliminates task inefficiencies

• Unnecessary complexityUnnecessary complexity• Unnecessary Steps• Bottlenecks• Redundant Activities

Challenges in Task Analysis

• Defining the tasks

• Selecting level of detail and formality of documentation

• Handling branching and contingencies (what ifs)

• Working in data rich or data poor environments

• Handling subject – matter expert disagreements

• Reconciling differences in collected data• Reconciling differences in collected data

• Embracing the need for frequent testing and iteration

• Committing to screen designs too early

• Understanding design freeze

Task Design suggests solution for Navigation

Choose Service1

SingPass OR NRIC No.2

Details in RE3 Delisted3 Non Residential3 Non Singapore3 Address not3 Underage3 Under3Details in RE3 Delisted Address

3 Non ResidentialAddress

3 Non SingaporeCitizen

3 Address notfound

3 Underage3 Under Restoration

3

Task Designs are NOT Navigation Designs

Exercise 3

Thank You