{
    "version" : "https://jsonfeed.org/version/1",
    "content" : "news",
    "type" : "single",
    "title" : "Personas 101 |Digital.gov",
    "description": "Personas 101",
    "home_page_url" : "/preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/","feed_url" : "/preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2015/01/09/personas-101/index.json","item" : [
    {"title" :"Personas 101","summary" : "Personas are a tool that organizations can use to learn more about their users. They are used to learn as much as you can about end users in order to better the product or service you provide.","date" : "2015-01-09T10:00:50-04:00","date_modified" : "2025-01-27T19:42:55-05:00","authors" : {"kdaniel" : "Kendrick Daniel"},"topics" : {
        
            "research" : "Research",
            "user-experience" : "User experience"
            },"branch" : "bc-archive-content-3",
      "filename" :"2015-01-09-personas-101.md",
      
      "filepath" :"news/2015/01/2015-01-09-personas-101.md",
      "filepathURL" :"https://github.com/GSA/digitalgov.gov/blob/bc-archive-content-3/content/news/2015/01/2015-01-09-personas-101.md",
      "editpathURL" :"https://github.com/GSA/digitalgov.gov/edit/bc-archive-content-3/content/news/2015/01/2015-01-09-personas-101.md","slug" : "personas-101","url" : "/preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2015/01/09/personas-101/","content" :"\u003cp\u003ePersonas are a \u003ca href=\"/preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2014/08/18/how-to-choose-a-user-experience-technique/\"\u003etool organizations can use to learn more about their users\u003c/a\u003e. They are used to learn as much as you can about end users in order to better the product or service you provide. If you are able to think as a user during the design and development of a product or service, this will help greatly in creating something that satiates the users’ needs.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ePersonas are descriptions that give you an understanding of your users and how they use your product or service. Personas can take on a variety of forms depending on your organization’s needs. But, there are a few basic questions and ideas that every persona should include to ensure that the tool is useful. Below, you will find multiple examples of personas, varying from lean to more complex. By looking at these examples, you will see the various forms personas can take. Every persona answers the questions listed below:\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eWho is your audience?\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eWhat is their background?\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eWhat experiences have they had?\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eWhat are they looking to accomplish?\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eWhat are some challenges they face?\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eWhat are some potential ways to address those challenges?\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ul\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn the creation of your personas, be sure to cover these questions in order to get a complete understanding of your users.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch2 id=\"lean-persona\"\u003eLean Persona\u003c/h2\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"image\"\u003e\n  \u003cimg\n    src=\"https://s3.amazonaws.com/digitalgov/_legacy-img/2014/12/600-x-405-Lean-Persona-New-Template-600-x-425.jpg\"\n    alt=\"This simple persona is for Scientist Steve who is a government researcher for GlobalChange.gov. It has a photo, and three short lists identifying his role, work goals, and needs.\"/\u003e\u003cp\u003eProvided by Jonathan Rubin, User Experience Program Manager at GSA, for Globalchange.gov\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n\n\n\u003ch2 id=\"complex-persona\"\u003eComplex Persona\u003c/h2\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"image\"\u003e\n  \u003cimg\n    src=\"https://s3.amazonaws.com/digitalgov/_legacy-img/2014/12/600-x-425-Complex-Persona.jpg\"\n    alt=\"A very detailed persona from HHS has a photo of a woman named Alcia and the user\u0026#39;s demographics, copy summarizing their background, primary goal, frustrations and challenges, and reasons for visiting hhs.gov. There are also colorful charts and graphs for additional info, like which devices they use, how tech-savvy they are, what features they want on the website, and a word cloud of terms.\"/\u003e\u003cp\u003eProvided by Kathryn Messner, Usability.gov Program Manager at HHS\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n\n\n\u003cp\u003eIf you still have some lingering questions about personas, be sure to check out some \u003ca href=\"/preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2014/12/08/from-taste-testers-to-explorers-developing-personas-for-open-opportunities/\"\u003eexamples\u003c/a\u003e and \u003ca href=\"/preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/resources/digitalgov-user-experience-resources/digitalgov-user-experience-program-usability-starter-kit/\"\u003etemplates of personas\u003c/a\u003e being used in the federal government.\u003c/p\u003e\n"}
  ]
}