Persona - DavidMyrseth/BuketovPY GitHub Wiki

Persona — User Characters in UX Design and Development

Introduction

Persona is a generalized portrait of a typical user based on data and research. Personas are used in UX design, marketing, and development to better understand the needs, goals, and behavior of the target audience. They help teams develop more relevant interfaces, features, and communication strategies.

Definition

Persona = Character (from Latin)

A persona is not a real individual but a fictional representative of a group of real users with similar traits.

Components of a Persona

A persona typically includes the following elements:

Name and photo (e.g., Anna, 29 years old)

Profession (e.g., e-commerce marketer)

Goals and motivations (e.g., wants to quickly find the right information and place orders with minimal steps)

Pains and problems (e.g., gets confused by complex navigation, frustrated by slow loading times)

Quote that reflects the user’s thinking

Behavior and technology usage (e.g., frequently uses a smartphone, prefers mobile apps)

Why Use Personas?

Help the team focus on real user needs

Simplify design decision-making

Allow prioritization of functional requirements

Improve team communication (everyone thinks from the user's perspective)

Enhance the quality of the user experience

Steps to Create a Persona

Data collection: interviews, surveys, observations, analytics

User grouping by shared characteristics

Profile creation: describe typical scenarios and needs

Visualization: create structured cards or documents

Application: use personas during development, discussions, testing

Persona Example

Name: Anna SmirnovaAge: 29Role: Marketer in an online clothing storeGoal: Quickly find the needed products, receive personalized offersPain points: Complicated filtering, excessive advertising, slow site loadingFavorite device: iPhoneQuote: "I want to spend as little time as possible finding what I need."

Types of Personas

Primary — key users for whom the product is designed

Secondary — less important, but still considered

Negative — users for whom the product is not intended (anti-personas)

Common Mistakes

Creating personas based on assumptions instead of real data

Too much or too little information

Not updating personas as the audience changes

Ignoring personas during development

When to Use Personas?

At the start of a UX/product project

During feature planning

While testing solutions (e.g., checking if the persona can easily navigate the interface)

To align user understanding among team members

Useful Resources

About Face: The Essentials of Interaction Design — Alan Cooper

The User is Always Right — Steve Mulder

UX Collective: https://uxdesign.cc/tagged/personas

Persona is the user’s voice within your team. It reminds you who you're designing the product for.