Right. That whole argument (the 1, 2, and therefore...) I put below is
the weird logic that I see people using many times when personas are
being questioned.
A persona and its related process is just a vehicle for user research,
and the communication of its (ongoing) results. Just like Powerpoint
isn't bad, but there are many bad slide presentations.
I don't know why the idea of personas gets a bad rap if the research
that goes into a specific set of personas is bad...the term "user
research" doesn't seem to get a bad rap whenever someone that doesn't
do it well conducts research poorly.
As with most of these UX/design activities we use, the outcome and
usefulness of any given method is only going to be as good as your
commitment to wanting to understand...I think humility and wanting to
make visible what you don't know is key. Others who don't feel this
way probably won't feel the need to conduct good research (for
personas or otherwise)...personas may just be another item on the
checklist of "doing UX."
Joel
On Mon, Mar 9, 2009 at 12:42 PM, Robert Hoekman Jr <rob...@rhjr.net> wrote:
>> It seems like every time this topic comes up, weird logic is used to
>> conclude that personas have little value, e.g.:
>>
>> 1. Personas done with little to none or poor research (i.e. marketing
>> demographics and segments) result in bad personas.
>>
>> 2. Many people create personas this way.
>>
>> Therefore...based on 1 + 2, personas have little value (because most
>> of them are created this way).
>
> The key word is in your first sentence. Have. If most personas focus on the
> wrong things and are created without any research to back them up, then yes,
> they have little value. The conclusion ("Therefore ...") is perfectly
> accurate. If, however, the research was done and they focused on the right
> things, they could have more value.
> -r-
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