Why personas
One of the most common mistakes in design is choosing by personal taste instead of by what people need. A persona puts a face on those needs and gives the whole team, designers, developers, marketing and clients, the same reference for every decision.
First the data
For a new product, the best source is talking to people: short interviews or a simple survey with people of different ages, habits and backgrounds. Analytics and social data help more when you redesign something that already exists.
The rule is one: don't guess. If you don't have the data for a field, leave it empty and go and find it.
What goes on the card
- Name and photomade up, never a real person or a real photo of someone you know
- Demographicsage, job, place, the details that change how they use the product
- Short bioa few lines on who they are
- Habitswhat they do today, with which tools
- Needs and frustrationswhat they want to get and what gets in the way
If your data shows different groups, make more than one persona. It keeps your view wider and the product more inclusive.
Try it
- Write five questions about how people plan a trip and send them to at least five people.
- Read the answers and highlight the needs and frustrations that come back more than once.
- Build one persona card in FigJam with the fields above, using only what you found.
- Put it next to your moodboard, where you will see it every time you open the board.
Remember
- A persona stands for a real group of users.
- Don't guess: every field comes from data.
- Use made-up names and photos, never real people.
- Different groups, different personas.