1.
How​ ​Does​ ​a​ ​Persona​ ​Fit​ ​Into​ ​the​ ​UX​ ​Design​ ​Process?
By​ ​Jenna​ ​Erickson,​ ​​Codal​ ​Inc
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Persona’s​ ​have​ ​been​ ​in​ ​place​ ​for​ ​decades,​ ​and​ ​are​ ​not​ ​only​ ​used​ ​in​ ​the​ ​​user
experience​ ​design​​ ​field.​ ​A​ ​persona​ ​is​ ​synthesized​ ​individual​ ​that​ ​represents​ ​a
significant​ ​amount​ ​of​ ​people.
More​ ​specifically,​ ​a​ ​user​ ​experience​ ​design​ ​agency​ ​would​ ​use​ ​a​ ​persona​ ​in
order​ ​to​ ​focus​ ​on​ ​the​ ​target​ ​market​ ​that​ ​they​ ​are​ ​designing​ ​for.​ ​Each​ ​persona
in​ ​UX​ ​should​ ​represent​ ​a​ ​user​ ​type​ ​of​ ​the​ ​application​ ​or​ ​web​ ​platform​ ​and
should​ ​represent​ ​the​ ​needs​ ​that​ ​a​ ​larger​ ​group​ ​of​ ​people​ ​have.​ ​Below​ ​is​ ​what
an​ ​example​ ​of​ ​a​ ​persona​ ​looks​ ​like​ ​(created​ ​by​ ​​Chicago​ ​UX​ ​design​ ​company​,
Codal).
Most​ ​personas​ ​will​ ​have​ ​an​ ​image,​ ​description​ ​of​ ​who​ ​they​ ​are,​ ​and​ ​most
importantly,​ ​their​ ​frustrations,​ ​goals,​ ​values,​ ​and​ ​preferred​ ​solutions.

2.
Personas​ ​are​ ​something​ ​that​ ​is​ ​included​ ​in​ ​most​ ​​UX​ ​design​ ​services​,​ ​and​ ​will
be​ ​conducted​ ​by​ ​the​ ​​UX​ ​UI​ ​research​​ ​team.
So,​ ​where​ ​does​ ​it​ ​belong​ ​in​ ​the​ ​UX​ ​process?
Personas​ ​are​ ​typically​ ​created​ ​in​ ​the​ ​very​ ​beginning​ ​of​ ​the​ ​user​ ​experience
design​ ​phase,​ ​but​ ​should​ ​be​ ​referenced​ ​throughout​ ​the​ ​entire​ ​process,​ ​even
into​ ​the​ ​​mobile​ ​app​ ​design​ ​and​ ​development​​ ​phase.
Finding​ ​Focus​ ​on​ ​the​ ​User
When​ ​designing​ ​a​ ​website​ ​or​ ​mobile​ ​application,​ ​it​ ​can​ ​be​ ​very​ ​easily​ ​to​ ​get
lost​ ​in​ ​the​ ​rut​ ​of​ ​different,​ ​unique​ ​concepts.​ ​You​ ​cannot​ ​design​ ​something​ ​just
because​ ​​you​​ ​like​ ​it​ ​as​ ​a​ ​designer.​ ​The​ ​platform​ ​is​ ​likely​ ​not​ ​being​ ​designed​ ​for
you.​ ​Personas​ ​will​ ​keep​ ​you​ ​focused​ ​on​ ​the​ ​types​ ​of​ ​people​ ​that​ ​you’re
designing​ ​for.
For​ ​an​ ​example,​ ​an​ ​older​ ​generation​ ​may​ ​not​ ​understand​ ​how​ ​to​ ​use​ ​the
gestures​ ​on​ ​SnapChat,​ ​yet​ ​every​ ​millennial​ ​does.​ ​When​ ​SnapChat​ ​was​ ​being
designed,​ ​the​ ​target​ ​persona​ ​was​ ​most​ ​likely​ ​a​ ​millennial​ ​and​ ​not​ ​a​ ​mother​ ​of
5​ ​kids.
Design​ ​End​ ​Goals
A​ ​persona​ ​is​ ​a​ ​very​ ​goal-driven​ ​tool.​ ​The​ ​purpose​ ​of​ ​it​ ​is​ ​almost​ ​to​ ​ensure​ ​that
all​ ​of​ ​the​ ​user​ ​goals​ ​have​ ​been​ ​met.​ ​Therefore,​ ​use​ ​your​ ​personas​ ​to​ ​reference
check​ ​that​ ​every​ ​goal​ ​that​ ​was​ ​determined​ ​in​ ​the​ ​beginning​ ​of​ ​the​ ​project​ ​has
been​ ​met.
Functionality
It​ ​is​ ​important​ ​for​ ​these​ ​personas​ ​to​ ​stay​ ​present​ ​through​ ​the​ ​​software
development​​ ​cycle,​ ​and​ ​that​ ​your​ ​design​ ​transfers​ ​into​ ​the​ ​functionality​ ​that

3.
you​ ​were​ ​hoping​ ​for.​ ​If​ ​it​ ​doesn’t,​ ​what​ ​was​ ​the​ ​point​ ​of​ ​the​ ​​UX​ ​research
services​​ ​that​ ​you​ ​utilized?
Defend​ ​your​ ​Decisions
If​ ​you’re​ ​a​ ​designer,​ ​I’m​ ​sure​ ​you​ ​have​ ​been​ ​asked​ ​“why​ ​does​ ​this​ ​look​ ​like
this,​ ​why​ ​is​ ​the​ ​button​ ​here,​ ​why​ ​is​ ​the​ ​navigation​ ​menu​ ​like​ ​this?”​ ​Well,
personas​ ​are​ ​a​ ​great​ ​way​ ​to​ ​back​ ​up​ ​the​ ​decisions​ ​that​ ​you​ ​make​ ​as​ ​a​ ​designer.
You​ ​designed​ ​it​ ​a​ ​certain​ ​way​ ​because​ ​that​ ​is​ ​how​ ​“persona​ ​X”​ ​would​ ​expect​ ​it
to​ ​be.
Conclusion
Personas​ ​are​ ​an​ ​extremely​ ​effective​ ​tool​ ​for​ ​every​ ​stage​ ​in​ ​the​ ​​user​ ​experience
and​ ​interface​ ​design​​ ​process.​ ​Ensuring​ ​that​ ​your​ ​design​ ​is​ ​user-centered
should​ ​be​ ​one​ ​of​ ​your​ ​main​ ​priorities​ ​as​ ​a​ ​UX​ ​designer.​ ​Interested​ ​in​ ​learning
more​ ​about​ ​​user-centered​ ​design​?​ ​Contact​ ​​Codal​!
Chicago​ ​UX​ ​design​ ​&​​ ​​software​ ​development​ ​agency