Persona
What
A persona is a representation of (part of) the target group for which you are designing a solution. A persona represents the main characteristics of this group, such as personality, goals, needs, dreams, motivators, frustrations and behaviour.
Why
A persona puts a face to the target group you are designing for. It brings the target group to life. In this way you will be designing for a person rather than an abstract notion of the target group. This is inspiring while at the same time providing a focus for the design of solutions.
How
- Determine the target group for your solution.
- Using the data you have, write down your insights into the target group.
- Cluster matters that appear to be connected in one way or another.
- Identify which characteristics the clusters represent.
- Identify any conflicting characteristics within the clusters, such as introverted versus extroverted. Conflicting characteristics represent different subgroups within the target group. This allows you, if you wish, to create several personae each of which represents a part of the target group.
- Combine characteristics that go together: what type of person has what kind of goals, needs, dreams and so on. This is the basis of a persona. You could use the sample template for this.
- Give the persona(e) a name and a description. Look for or create a photo or illustration that fits the description. Optionally, add an illustrative quote from your data.