ramya big design 2016 persona talk
TRANSCRIPT
From Cradle to Grave: Where does the Persona Live?
Ramya @rams_mahalingam
PERSONA
PERSONAA persona is a fictional, yet realistic, description
of a typical or target user of the product.
— Aurora Bedford, Nielsen Norman Group
we’re not designing for ourselves
PROTO – PERSONAS
“…they are that gut feeling you get during field research that tells you there seem to be about X number of types of people and they seem to be significantly different on these 4-5 characteristics/dimensions.”
— Todd Elliott, Adaptive Path
PROTO – PERSONAS
SKETCH +
NAME
SKETCH +
NAMEDEMOGRAPHICS
SKETCH +
NAMEDEMOGRAPHICS
BEHAVIORS +
MOTIVATIONS
SKETCH +
NAMEDEMOGRAPHICS
BEHAVIORS +
MOTIVATIONSGOALS
EMPATHY
EMPATHYJUDGEMENT
1. our comfort levels
we tend to make personas that are safe, comfortable, and familiar
“Why are the poor people’s pictures so much worse?”
“Why are the poor people’s pictures so much worse?”
“Because these people represent who we serve.”
“Why are the poor people’s pictures so much worse?”
“Because these people represent who we serve.”
“But why are the pictures of everyone else stunning? If this is how we view poor people (scuzzy, dirty), it will come across in our service to them – which is just as valuable as to the ‘good’ patrons.”
“Why are the poor people’s pictures so much worse?”
“Because these people represent who we serve.”
“But why are the pictures of everyone else stunning? If this is how we view poor people (scuzzy, dirty), it will come across in our service to them – which is just as valuable as to the ‘good’ patrons.”
2. reductionary & exclusionary
I’m guilty about not using it right, or not using it enough
Who I am is not captured
I feel “Othered”
I feel less important
All of these personas are younger than me…does that make me old?
I feel like I’m using something that wasn’t really built for me
3. the focus
bad personas?
fiction
fictioncharacterizing qualities
SKETCH +
NAMEDEMOGRAPHICS
BEHAVIORS +
MOTIVATIONSGOALS
SKETCH +
NAMEDEMOGRAPHICS
BEHAVIORS +
MOTIVATIONSGOALS
SKETCH +
NAMEDEMOGRAPHICS
BEHAVIORS +
MOTIVATIONSGOALS
SKETCH +
NAMEDEMOGRAPHICS
BEHAVIORS +
MOTIVATIONSGOALS
SKETCH +
NAMEDEMOGRAPHICS
BEHAVIORS +
MOTIVATIONSGOALS
choices
our imaginary friends are fictional
but… we’re still not designing
for ourselves
appearances and market segments
goals and motivations
appearances and market segments
goals and motivations
ENVISIONS
SKETCH +
NAMEDEMOGRAPHICS
GOALSBEHAVIORS
+ MOTIVATIONS
SKETCH +
NAMEDEMOGRAPHICS
GOALSBEHAVIORS
+ MOTIVATIONS
DEMOGRAPHICS
GOALS
Katie
BEHAVIORS +
MOTIVATIONS
GOALS
Katie
BEHAVIORS +
MOTIVATIONS
25 years old
Female
University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
Political Science major
Registered independent
GOALS
Katie
25 years old
Female
University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
Political Science major
Registered independent
Drinks a latte every morning
Listens to Belle and Sebastian
Bikes to work
Wants to develop an A+ coffee palate
Loves meeting new people
Katie
25 years old
Female
University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
Political Science major
Registered independent
Drinks a latte every morning
Listens to Belle and Sebastian
Bikes to work
Wants to develop an A+ coffee palate
Loves meeting new people
To easily enter equipment updates
Keep track of when to order more
syrups, etc.
Find a job at a political theory
publication
Katie
25 years old
Female
University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
Political Science major
Registered independent
Drinks a latte every morning
Listens to Belle and Sebastian
Bikes to work
Wants to develop an A+ coffee palate
Loves meeting new people
To easily enter equipment updates
Keep track of when to order more
syrups, etc.
Find a job at a political theory
publication
25 years old
Drinks a latte every morning
Wants to develop an A+ coffee palate
To easily enter equipment updates
Keep track of when to order more
syrups, etc.
25 years old
Drinks a latte every morning
Wants to develop an A+ coffee palate
To easily enter equipment updates
Keep track of when to order more
syrups, etc.
iPhone 6 + Macbook Air
iPhone 6 + Macbook Air
Typically tired when getting into work
25 years old
Drinks a latte every morning
Wants to develop an A+ coffee palate
To easily enter equipment updates
Keep track of when to order more
syrups, etc.
iPhone 6 + Macbook Air
Typically tired when getting into work
Interested in different coffee properties
25 years old
Drinks a latte every morning
Wants to develop an A+ coffee palate
To easily enter equipment updates
Keep track of when to order more
syrups, etc.
use an iPhone 6 + Macbook Air
are typically tired when getting into work
are interested in different coffee properties
you want to easily enter equipment updates
you want to keep track of when to order more syrups, etc.
envision that you:
CONTEXTUAL EMPATHY
REFERENCES
Persona Non Grata, Dan Saffer, August 17 2005
Personas are "empathy tools," not stereotypes, Sam Ladner, November 17 2008
A Closer Look At Personas: What They Are And How They Work (Part 1), Shlomo Goltz, August 6 2014
Resurrecting Dead Personas, Meg Dickey-Kurdziolek, July 26 2016
Designing for imaginary friends: information architecture, personas and the politics of user-centered design, Adrienne L. Massanari, June 12 2010
Is stereotyping inevitable when designing with personas?, Phil Turner and Susan Turner, July 27 2012
Crappy Personas vs. Robust Personas, Jared Spool, November 14 2007
The Inmates are Running the Asylum, Alan Cooper, January 1 1999
Ramya @rams_mahalingam