What is a user persona and why do we use them?

A persona is a detailed profile of a user – whether that person is a user for a website, an intranet, an animation or a widget. It turns them from being just “the user” into “Roger Moore, retired, 65 years old, partially-blind, challenged by new technology”: it puts a face on the target audience of the project you’re working on.

Personas are used across marketing. We use them to help us understand the audience of a project we’re working on. This is important because as digital media gurus with a high degree of familiarity with digital technology, we can become removed from the way the general public actually uses, navigates or searches. Similarly, our clients, who know their own product or service inside-out, can also forget that the general public has a different perspective. So personas are about walking a mile in someone else’s shoes – putting the user’s hat on, and asking the questions that they would ask. Would Roger Moore notice that button, and know to click on it?

How do you create a persona?

How much information you put in a persona depends on the scale of the project. You may just have an outline of a typical user – their occupation, location, and familiarity with the project.

For large scale new projects, the best place to start is by researching your current or expected users – such as with focus groups, or one-on-one interviews. You can then use the output from these to develop 3 – 4 personas, which might include names, ages, occupations, attitudes, and personal traits. Try to avoid stereotypes when creating personas.

Once you have your personas set, then as the project progresses, you can take the time to stop and ask: what would Roger Moore do?