Personas in design

In this article, we will discuss the importance of creating personas. These profiles lay out a framework for describing your target audience in a functional method imperative to design projects. It is a neat way to talk about your customers in significant terms. These personas describe a site’s target users, giving a picture of how they are likely to use the website, and what they expect from it. They are simple tools used to create products and marketing material by concentrating on specific target users through research and experience.

What are personas

Personas describe a semi-fictional character who accumulates all the aspects of a particular user group. According to the research, this persona is described in terms of behaviours, goals, and expectations of a particular product you may be, or potentially working on. This information and descriptions can be presented in numerous ways; - bullet points, lists, and images. Some designers may use diagrams and graphs.

User research

In-depth research will bring results. Having a deep understanding of your users is critical to driving content creation and product development. Search through your client database to reveal trends on how customers find and read about your product. User research is the methodical study of target users. This will include finding their needs and pain points. Giving you the best possible insights to work with to make the best designs. It is also useful to offer a mix of user surveys and interviews.

9 steps to create a persona

1.     Start with researching your customers; existing and prospective. Look at their behaviours, loyalty, needs and feedback.

2.     Find a persona tool or template. (ask Glen for examples)

3.     Once you are happy you have enough and identify your personas. Thoroughly evaluate your findings.

4.     Personas are often described as real people, so bring yours to life. Liaise with your design team if you have one.

5.     Segment your audience. You cannot base your personas on one client likewise creating a persona on your whole customer base. Analyse your research to group customers into comparable characteristics, needs and behaviours.

6.     Write down everything about the persona’s background and their goals. This will provide valuable information.

7.     Once your personas have been roughly written, smarten up your profile with a photo and a theme. Ensure you are telling their stories.

8.      Personas can have different layouts depending on your persona’s purpose and type. Set out sections that suit your needs. You will see examples of these in step two.

9.     Once you are happy with your set out personas if already not done so yet, involve your design team to get their feedback.

Your personas

Creating personas will help you to understand your users’ needs, experiences, behaviours and goals. As a result, you'll be able to attract high-value visitors, leads, and customers to your business who you'll be more likely to retain over time.