User personas
App used for that
What is a user personas ?
A persona is an archetype representing a group of people whose behaviors, motivations and goals are similar. Personas are used in Design1, Ergonomics, Marketing, Computer Science, etc. to allow the designer(s) to determine what the product or service should do and how it should work.
The personas method was created by Alan Cooper. It is presented in the book "The inmates are running the asylum: [Why high-tech products drive us crazy and how to restore the sanity]" published in 1999.
Why should you create a user personas ?
The personas are tools for design and communication. They allow the design team to stay focused on end-users, their skills and goals. They allow a realistic design based on what the end-user can and wants to do.
When the behaviors and goals of several people are too different to be served by the same product, it is appropriate to make several distinct products.
In summary, personas are used to :
Synthesize the ideas that emerge from observations, interviews with users;
Communicate and share a common vision of users within the team;
Generate affect and empathy for users who are sometimes difficult to reach.
But most importantly, they help decision-making in the design of a product. Usage scenarios, interaction modalities, functions, information architecture, etc. must be designed to allow people to reach their goals in the best conditions. Designing a product based on people allows to (re)center the discussions on the humans who will use the system in the end.
Why should you create a user personas ?
The personas are tools for design and communication. They allow the design team to stay focused on end-users, their skills and goals. They allow a realistic design based on what the end-user can and wants to do.
When the behaviors and goals of several people are too different to be served by the same product, it is appropriate to make several distinct products.
In summary, personas are used to :
Synthesize the ideas that emerge from observations, interviews with users;
Communicate and share a common vision of users within the team;
Generate affect and empathy for users who are sometimes difficult to reach.
But most importantly, they help decision-making in the design of a product. Usage scenarios, interaction modalities, functions, information architecture, etc. must be designed to allow people to reach their goals in the best conditions. Designing a product based on people allows to (re)center the discussions on the humans who will use the system in the end.
