> Anyone want to post an example of a "properly" done persona. I think > if you did, it would make the problem easier to resolve.
http://tinyurl.com/2nu3tr [Thinking of today's other thread about TinyURL... The above link brings you to an entry on my blog titled "Download an example persona used in the design of a web application." Either that, or a porn site... Kidding, kidding! It's the blog!] The process of creating personas had a real impact on this project, which I summarize in the blog entry. Note I said the "process" and not the "persona." The design team participated fully in the research and analysis behind this project's personas, and as a result had largely internalized the findings by the time we were done. I propose that, for designers, the experience of creating personas is more valuable than the personas themselves. In the end, personas serve mostly as reminders of what we've learned. It's worth noting that the personas on this project turned out to be valuable for more than just design. They acted as (1) a communications tool for sharing what we'd learned with the broader team, and subsequently as (2) a reference point for rethinking product strategy. That's because our research uncovered some real surprises, communicated by the personas. In the end, personas are just a report format. Or if you hate reports (and who doesn't?), think of them as a communications channel. I cringe when people talk about needing personas. No you don't! You need the particular *insights* communicated by personas, insights about goals, behaviors, and context. If you don't need those insights (perhaps because you're the customer and can design for yourself), then forget personas. For this project, we needed those insights. And the *process of creating personas* did the trick nicely. -- Robert Barlow-Busch www.chopsticker.com ________________________________________________________________ *Come to IxDA Interaction08 | Savannah* February 8-10, 2008 in Savannah, GA, USA Register today: http://interaction08.ixda.org/ ________________________________________________________________ Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)! To post to this list ....... [EMAIL PROTECTED] Unsubscribe ................ http://www.ixda.org/unsubscribe List Guidelines ............ http://www.ixda.org/guidelines List Help .................. http://www.ixda.org/help
