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INNOVATION TOOLS - PERSONAS
2.24.2009
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There is seldom a one-to-one correlation between personas and job descriptions. In some cases there will be multiple personas with the same job description; in others, a single persona can represent people with a wide range of jobs. If you were creating software used by call center agents, for example, you might have an experienced agent persona who is very familiar with the product, as well as an inexperienced agent who needs more prompts and written information. If, on the other hand, you were designing an e-mail application, one persona could represent people with hundreds of very different job descriptions, as long as they all shared similar goals and behavior patterns related to communication.
Ideally, you should have only the minimum number of personas required to illustrate key goals and behavior patterns. If you are designing a consumer product and you have a dozen personas, then you may be making distinctions that aren't very important. Remember that your marketing and sales targets may not be your design targets.
Sometimes it's easy to focus too much on a persona's biography. Personal details can be the fun part, but if there are too many of them they just get in the way. To avoid this problem, focus first on the workflow and behavior patterns, goals, environment, and attitudes of the persona-the information that's critical for design-without adding any personality.
Once you have the critical design information, add just one or two personal details, such as what your persona does after work or what personal touches there are in his office. You can also add life to the persona by using details to reinforce important characteristics. For example, if someone tends to be incredibly busy at work, don't just say she's incredibly busy; instead, say there's a pile of paper on her desk that he's been trying to find time to read for three hours. Without a little bit of personality, personas can easily turn into generalized user profiles instead of precise design targets.
Each persona should have three or four important goals that help focus the design. Keep in mind that goals and tasks are different: tasks are not ends in themselves, but are merely things we do to accomplish goals. Not just any goals will do, though, so it's important to understand which types will help you make design decisions.
