Personas
Identifying the goals and needs of your target group.
Personas are archetypal users that represent the goals and needs of your target group. They enable you to make well-founded decisions from the very beginning of the development process of user-friendly products.
Our Approach to Personas
When developing or improving user-friendly products it is a great challenge to understand and keep in mind the motivations and needs of a diverse target group. Pure market research data is often difficult to grasp, and the human aspect quickly disappears behind the numbers.
This is where personas come in. Personas are fictional but realistic representatives of the target group. Just like real users, personas have needs, skills, and goals. They do not represent the average — they are specific persons who reveal patterns in user behavior.
Depending on the target group, 4 to 6 personas should be developed. From the adventurous pensioner to the well-organized mother — every persona has characteristic needs and represents one user type from your target group.
We create personas for you based on contextual inquiries, usability testing, online surveys, and web analytics, as well as already existing knowledge. The combination of qualitative and quantitative data ensures well-founded and reliable results. The undefined mass of your users is made tangible by personas. They enable all members of the project to set the focus of the development process on the needs of the users.
Wondering if Personas can help your project move forward?
In a short conversation with our Consulting Team, you can quickly find out how we can best support you. Alternatively, feel free to send us a short message, and we will get back to you.
We are happy to advise you - free of charge and without obligation.
What Are Personas Used For?
Personas visualize typical representatives of your target group. Diverse information about their life makes them relatable as a person and enables all project members to identify with them.
A persona contains demographic data and insights into their life situation. A picture gives them a face, and a quote captures their attitude. Additional product-specific information makes the persona vivid and highlights their requirements.
-
Hobbies and leisure
What is the target group interested in?
-
Online world
Where do the users go on the web?
-
Technical equipment
Which devices are used? Are the users novices or experts in the use of smartphone & co.?
-
Goals
What are the users’ goals? What does the product need to offer them?
-
Approach
How do the users go about reaching their goals? How can the product support them in this process in an ideal way?
A Special Case: Proto-Personas
Proto-personas (or ad-hoc personas) are simplified personas that are created based exclusively on assumptions and existing knowledge about the target group. They contain only few background information and details, and focus on the goals and needs of the users. Especially at the beginning of the development process or when introducing user-centered design methods, proto-personas can help getting some clarity about the target group — quick and at a low price. They convey a consistent understanding of the target group and help prioritize development objectives.
However, proto-personas cannot replace data-based personas. Since proto-personas are not based on user research but merely on assumptions, they should not serve as a basis for strategic decisions. In order to work with proto-personas in the long term they should be verified by user research and developed into complete data-based personas.
When Do We Recommend Personas?
Creating personas is particularly helpful at the beginning of a project, e.g. when a new product is developed, or a relaunch is planned. Personas convey a consistent understanding of the target group to all project members and serve as the basis for decision making in the development process.
Personas are also suitable for the continuous monitoring and development of existing products. They are an ideal starting point when introducing the user-centered design process and support well-founded decisions in the interest of the users at any time.
-
Include the user in every phase
Personas can be developed even before the first draft of a product or functionality. They also help to keep the focus on the user during maintenance and further development.
-
Help with design decisions
When different ideas for new functionalities are up for debate, personas help prioritize them. What is best for Margaret and Stephen?
-
Give the users a face
Personas make target groups tangible.With the help of pictures and information about their personal life, they are relatable and put the human being in the focus.
What Are the Results?
You receive elaborated personas with detailed information about their living environment. All content is fully based on the conducted surveys and describes users who stand representative for your target group.
The personas are prepared as posters or digital files and are thus available for further development work. Instead of talking in general and subjective terms about the requirements of “our users,” the personas are actively involved in project meetings: “This function would be particularly helpful for Birgit.” In this way, everyone involved keeps the same target group in mind and develops empathy for their needs.
With the Living Persona, we take it one step further: Based on all research results, an AI-supported persona is created with which you can interact directly. You can ask questions, test hypotheses, and directly understand how different requirements, needs, or usage scenarios are experienced.
Instead of a static document, this creates a living, learning representation of your target group – one or more personas that foster empathy, make research results usable in the long term, and support data-based UX decisions.
"Living" Personas
With the AI-based Living Personas, classic personas become an interactive experience. Based on all research results, lively, dialog-capable personas are created that react in real time to questions, hypotheses, or impulses from your team.
They respond via text or voice and bring the perspectives of your target groups directly into meetings, workshops, and decision-making sessions. Living Personas not only keep research results alive but also make them accessible in a completely new way – interactive, immediate, and easy to understand.
The direct dialogue creates a deep understanding of motivation, needs, and usage contexts – available at any time and in compliance with data protection regulations.
Talk to your personas
The result: A set of interactive personas that act as virtual sparring partners throughout the entire product development process – empathetic and capable of learning.
They bring the perspective of your target groups directly into strategy, design, and development – individually, in interaction with each other, or in conversation with you.
Online Survey
Contextual Inquiries
Prototyping
Usability Testing 
