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Nov 18, 2022 | 4 minute read
written by Kirsten Aebersold
This blog was originally published on June 6th, 2011 and has been updated for context and relevance on November 18th, 2022. When you think of “personas” – what comes to mind? Are personas profiles of hypothetical customers that marketing invented? Or, are personas developed from customer surveys asking what they want and don’t want from your website? Are they segments of your web visitors?The answer to all the above is a resounding no. What are Customer Personas?Personas are fictional characters based on actual observed behaviors of real users that a UX (User Experience) professional experiences in the field, talking one-on-one with users. These customer profiles are a composite of this qualitative research, and are typically presented as 1-2 page documents.How To Identify a Good Customer Persona A good persona description is not a list of tasks or duties. It's a narrative that describes the flow of someone's day, as well as their skills, attitudes, environment, and goals. A persona answers critical questions that a job description or task list doesn't, such as:
What a Customer Persona is NOTA persona is not a demographic profile, a market segment or a summation of survey data. Rather, a persona is a combination of data modeled from ethnographic and behavioral user research, as well as narrative.
The term persona often gets clumped together with market research (surveys, focus groups, etc), and though they are not the same thing, market research can certainly complement persona studies.Ethnographic Research 101Ethnography is a qualitative method for collecting data often used in the social and behavioral sciences. Data is collected through observations and interviews, which are then used to draw conclusions about how societies and individuals function.
Ethnographic research is looking at behaviors in order to understand the "whys" and build around them. Observation is key, because what people do and say can be entirely different things. For example, a small business owner may report that she does not use paper anymore - all her record keeping is electronic. But if you look at her home office, you may find binders full of printouts of Excel reports and invoices.
Merchandise Every Unique Commerce Experience, Without Custom Dev Work
Ethnography: The Cure for the Common CustomerThis is why ethnography, or fieldwork is a powerful tool. Think of Dr. Jane Goodall, famed English primatologist who was the first to observe chimpanzees making and using tools; a trait or behavior up until that point was thought of as distinctly human. Great insight comes from interaction and observation.There are three primary techniques for gathering data for persona development:
The Benefits of Customer Personas
Personas can be really helpful for design and development planning. We’re often so focused on requirements we forget who's actually using the system.Personas:
When Should You Create Customer Personas?
Persona development should ideally start prior to any strategy. They are most effective when used to inform a strategy, that is, to hone in on specific opportunities to improve, innovate on, or fill other gaps, and are critical to have before making any significant changes to an existing project, or kicking off any innovation projects.
Q: What does the persona research and development process look like?
A: You begin with a research process that includes:
How Should Customer Personas be Applied?
Personas are primarily developed to help determine where there are opportunities and areas for improvement in a website or application's experience. This can guide the feature set and validate your UI design decisions. You may also find value in sharing your persona data with web marketing teams to apply to A/B tests and email campaigns, your web analytics team, customer service / sales organization and even to guide your personalization strategy.
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