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In many ways, Chris Green and Colin Wilcox are typical IT staffers, who just happened to have helped Microsoft design Windows Server 2008. But their real claim to fame is that they're not real people.
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How To Use Personas In Your Own Business
Creating and using create personas in your own business doesn't have to be difficult. There are no hard and fast rules, but but you might want to keep these principles in mind:
Personas Are:
Fake people (concrete representations) based on real data
A practical tool to help prioritize features & maintain focus on target customers
A vehicle for bringing customer data alive
Personas Are Not:
Every possible customer (or a customer segmentation)
A replacement for existing design processes
What Personas Do:
Personas organize disparate data points and aid memory of user facts
Personas help keep focus on key customers and scenarios
Persona Best Practices:
Design for just one person – the fewer personas the better
Understand and speak to the user’s goals (not just their tasks)
Prioritize for “Daily Use” & “Necessary Use” Scenarios - not “Edge Case” Scenarios
Use narratives and storytelling to make the personas as "real" as possible
Make the persona's links to to your customer data explicit
Use personas as enhancements to existing design processes, not replacements
Personas Can Include Many Elements:
Overview
A Day in the Life
Work and Household & Leisure Activities
Goals, Fears, Aspirations
Computer Skills, Knowledge, & Abilities
Market Size and Influence
Demographics
Technology Attributes and Attitudes
International Considerations
Quotes
References
Personas Are Not New: Similar concepts often called User Archetypes, Scenario Characters, Use Cases, User Profiles, Target Customer Characterizations
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