PersonasIS 403 – Fall 2013 5

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Admin

• Some tweaks to calendar– Better HTML/web schedule

• Assignment 1 due today, for real!– Feedback Tuesday 9/24

• Assignment 2 overview

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Assignment 2

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Today

• Personas: who to design for• Scenarios: describing use• Requirements: what to make

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Personas

• A fictional user of our design

• A fully fleshed out character – describes who they are outside use context

• Describes personality, learning style, aesthetic preferences, hobbies

• Has a name, age, picture (like a fictional character)

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Why personas

• We are not designing for ourselves (most of the time)

• Our users have many variations

• Can’t involve every single user in design process (Facebook has 1.1 billion users)

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Attributes of good personas

• Specific, interesting characters

• Relatable

• Interesting personal data

• Based on actual user research– Combine personality types, issues

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How personas are used

• As a shorthand for describing user groups

• As a reminder of user needs, who will benefit

• Stick them up somewhere, refer back to them– “How would this design choice affect Helen?”

• Keep them throughout design project

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How many personas?

• Depends on the project– How many different user types use Microsoft

Windows?

• Avoid awkward personas representing too many perspectives– A business executive and professional surfer

and superspy

• Around 5 good for many projects

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Example personas

• Examples from Amy Hurst (written by Francine Gemperle)

• Older adults

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Dive into accessibility

• http://diveintoaccessibility.info/day_1_jackie.html

• Design for Jackie vs. design for some random blind person

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Activity

• Let’s design some personas

• Application: a mobile photo sharing service

• Who they are, what their interests are, how and why they use the system

• 3 personas (1 typical, 2 unusual?)

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Activity: personas

• Try to design 3 personas– One “typical” user (but make them interesting)– Two atypical users

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Design considerations

• Dan (boy scout, 10!, wildlife)• Jim (SERIOUS , outside the US)• Jack (work orientation)• Debbie (stay at home mom, kids,

decoration/design ideas)• Selfie Susan (selfies, food, 17)• Little Billy (privacy, parental control, using)• Creative Kathy (creative, photography, vegan,

tarantula)• NSA Ned: look at hotties• 90/9/1

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Scenarios

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Scenarios

• A descriptive story about a use of your design

• Designed to capture– User’s goals– User’s steps– Environmental context

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How scenarios are used

• Create during design process, keep throughout

• Help balance design decisions

• Typical projects may have 5 to 500 scenarios

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Example scenarios

• From http://www.usability.gov/how-to-and-tools/methods/scenarios.html

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Activity: scenarios

• Try to design 2 scenarios– One “typical” use (but make them interesting)– One atypical scenario