What is a persona?

A persona is a detailed and composite sketch of a user or customer who represents a broader audience segment. Unlike general market research, personas provide a more intimate and relatable profile that captures the essence of the target clientele. They are developed based on real data and insights gathered through user research, interviews, surveys, and analytics. The process of creating personas involves distilling this information into a fictional character that embodies the characteristics of a specific user group.

A persona is typically a source of key information about potential users, covering aspects such as:

• Demographic data (e.g., gender, age, location)
• Social characteristics (e.g., profession, family status)
• Objectives and motivations (e.g., striving to spend quality time with children)
• Product requirements and preferences (e.g., choosing quality over price)
• Behavior patterns (e.g., opting for in-store shopping)

By offering a rich, multidimensional view of the target audience, personas guide project teams in making decisions that are deeply informed by user needs and behaviors – not abstract assumptions or personal biases. This ultimately leads to more successful and user-friendly products.

Personas vs proto-personas

But what to do if you don't have comprehensive research data, especially in the early stages of product development? This is where proto-personas come into play.

Proto-personas are based primarily on the assumptions and hypotheses of the project team about the users. Creating proto-personas is relatively quick and cost-effective but carries a higher risk of inaccuracies since these assumptions may not always align with reality.

Conversely, personas are based on user research. This process is more time-consuming and costly but results in highly accurate user representations.

So, should you always aim to create detailed personas and avoid proto-personas? The answer is: it depends on specific project goals and a cost-benefit analysis. For mature products with a substantial user base, creating personas is a natural choice to ensure that ongoing product development addresses real user needs accurately.

In contrast, for smaller products in the early stages of development, such as during ideation, using proto-personas can be a good choice. Proto-personas, built based on the team's assumptions and initial insights, are faster and more cost-effective to create than detailed personas. They allow specialists to progress quickly while experimenting with and refining concepts, without the extensive investment required for fully-fledged personas.

What's more, proto-personas offer a practical starting point when comprehensive research data is unavailable or incomplete. They provide a foundational understanding of potential user segments, guiding initial design and development decisions. As the project progresses and more data becomes available, these initial proto-personas can evolve into detailed, research-backed personas, ensuring the product remains aligned with actual user needs.

Such an approach balances the need for speed and agility in early development with the precision and user-centered focus necessary in later stages. By starting with proto-personas, teams can make informed decisions quickly and refine their understanding as the product and its audience become better defined.

How to create personas?

I’ve already mentioned that personas are based on user research. But what does this research look like in practice?

At Future Mind, we create personas by gathering and synthesizing both quantitative and qualitative research data. For the quantitative aspect, we typically use CAWI (Computer-Assisted Web Interviewing) surveys with national research panels or analyze data from Google Analytics. This quantitative data offers a broad perspective, helping us answer questions about user demographics, such as where they live and how frequently they use a given app.

Complementing these findings with qualitative data enriches our understanding. We usually conduct in-depth individual interviews (IDIs) or focus groups (FGIs) to delve into specific user behaviors and motivations. These methods allow us to uncover detailed insights, such as the specific situations and reasons why users engage with the app.

After collecting this data, we synthesize it to create personas. The number of personas we develop depends on the product, but it typically ranges from three to five. These personas represent the most critical user groups, aiming to provide accurate depictions of the most important audience segments rather than trying to cover all possible users.

During data analysis, we find it useful to distinguish between declarative data (such as survey responses and interview insights) and behavioral data (including Google Analytics, ethnographic studies, and UX tests). Combining different types of data leads to the most accurate and comprehensive conclusions, ensuring our personas are both detailed and representative of the actual user base.

What does a typical persona look like?

You can find countless examples of personas. At first glance, they may seem quite similar, typically featuring a photo, a description, and demographic data. However, a closer look reveals significant differences based on how the personas are intended to be used. For example, the details in a persona representing a user of an agricultural equipment management app will be quite different from those for a customer of a clothing store.

The relationship between users and B2B versus B2C digital products also affects personas. In B2B contexts, socio-demographic details are less important, while factors like the user's role in the organization, their education, industry experience, and work environment (office, warehouse, field) become more relevant.

Typically, a persona includes:

• A representative photo
• Quotes
• A first-person description
• Socio-demographic data

Depending on the project context, it can also include:

• Most frequently used apps (e.g., for shopping)
• Goals and motivations
• Specific needs
• Behaviors and habits
• Pain points regarding the product/service
• Product/service touchpoints

In our projects, we always tailor the personas to fit the specific industry and the needs of the project team. Regardless of the project, we combine quantitative data (e.g., average age, place of residence, frequently used apps) with qualitative data (e.g., interview quotes, identified pain points). This blend ensures that our personas are both detailed and accurate.

Here’s a sample persona representing a potential user of a shopping app offering clothing and home goods for the whole family:

Why & how to use personas in product development?

So, I’ve covered how to create personas and what they involve, but why should you invest time and resources in developing them? Let’s explore several ways to use personas in product development and the reasons why they are valuable:

1. Gaining a more profound understanding of users – Imagine you're planning a surprise party for a friend. You wouldn't just guess their preferences; you'd want to know their favorite foods, music, and activities. Similarly, personas give you a clear picture of your target audience, offering insights into their needs, behaviors, motivations, and pain points. With this detailed knowledge, your project team can design a product that truly resonates with users, hitting the bullseye instead of missing the mark.
2. Improving internal communication – Think of personas as the Rosetta Stone for your organization. They translate user characteristics and behaviors into a common language that different departments (e.g., marketing, sales, or customer service) can all understand. When everyone has a unified understanding of the user or customer, teamwork becomes a symphony rather than a cacophony, resulting in more cohesive and effective strategies.
3. Optimizing the sales process – The sales process is like a road trip. Without understanding the route (customer journey) and potential roadblocks (pain points), you're likely to get lost or stuck. Personas provide a map, showing the journey your customers take and highlighting their worries along the way. This enables you to streamline the sales process, ensuring a smoother ride and resulting in higher conversion rates and happier buyers.
4. Minimizing business risks – By thoroughly analyzing and understanding your target audience, you can significantly reduce the risk of making costly mistakes. Developing personas during the Discovery phase is particularly crucial here, as it helps you avoid investing time and money into solutions that ultimately wouldn’t meet user needs.
5. Innovating and getting inspired – As you uncover details about your users, you might stumble upon unexpected insights and perspectives that will broaden your horizons, inspiring some innovative ideas. These newfound insights can lead to groundbreaking products or services that will set you apart from the competition.

The takeaway

In the competitive landscape of digital products, understanding your users can be a powerful advantage. Personas are a vital tool in this strategy, bridging the gap between your project team and real users.

While creating personas requires dedication, the payoff is substantial. They foster empathy and understanding, ensuring you build user-centered products that are market-ready and capable of standing the test of time in the ever-evolving landscape.

However, keep in mind that nothing lasts forever — digital products and market conditions are constantly evolving. Thus, it’s crucial to regularly update your personas – just like a gardener tends to their plants, nurturing and revisiting your personas ensures that your product remains relevant and meets the changing needs of the audience.