Designed for Use, 2nd Edition

Working with Personas

When we talk about a product’s design, we tend to think of our audience as generic “users.” Will users like the ability to automatically upload a picture to a photo-sharing site? Will they be able to figure out how to use the uploading feature?

It’s hard to figure out users’ needs in such generic terms. With personas, this becomes easier.

Which one of our personas—if any—will want to upload a picture to a photo-sharing site? Given that persona’s skills and intentions, how should we design the feature to satisfy her goals?

Instead of speaking in generic terms, talk about specific personas.