Personas for Real
A new design method that I recently encountered is the Personas For Real worksheet. In lieu of constructing the traditional “persona”, as is the standard for most designers, this method promotes the use of only real material from each individual interview subject. The only resources required to utilize this method are a copy of the worksheet, and notes from a prior interview. If you’re using physical copies, sticky notes may also be beneficial. The purpose of this tool is to assemble data pertaining to the details of a subject’s life and unique perspective, which is collected during an interview. This worksheet provides a section for general biographical information (name, age, education level, occupation, etc), as well as a profile picture. Personas for Real also includes sections wherein the designer may record their notes regarding the interviewee’s connection, goals and aspirations, and barriers and challenges relating to the problem space. Additionally, this worksheet boasts designated space for quotations that support each of those three sections. At the end of this post I have included screen shots of a couple of the Personas for Real profiles that my design team and I recently constructed, but in order to respect the privacy of our interviewees I have covered their names and faces.
The primary advantages of this design method reside in its function as a review tool. Referencing one’s interview notes while completing this worksheet section by section allows the designer to thoroughly sift through their data and parse out the key takeaways. Through the use of this method, my team and I were able to isolate the most important feedback that we received from each interviewee, which will undoubtedly be advantageous for the upcoming “Define” stage of our design process. That being said, there are a few disadvantages of this method. The biographical section of the worksheet includes “Gender identity” and “Racial/Ethnic identity” which, while often important factors to take into consideration, in the event that those specific questions are not asked during the course of the interview and the designer is not previously acquainted with the interviewee, may force said designer to make assumptions or leave a few lines blank. Additionally, a designer may find themselves having to reconfigure their notes to align with the specifications of the aforementioned three sections.
My team began to employ this method after completing our first large chunk of interviews, and we plan to continue to use it for each of our succeeding interviews. This is an optimal time for the use of this method because the designer has the necessary data available, but is also still in the thick of the data gathering stage and is therefore able to take his or her time to create their Personas for Real. I recommend this design method because it serves to reinforce and support the transition between the empathize and define portions of the design thinking process. Every designer hopes that, through all their research and hard work, they will reach a solution that is preferable to whatever was previously available. However, before a designer can even hope to initiate that solution, he or she must ensure that they have a comprehensive and detailed understanding of their stakeholders, and that is precisely the intention of this design method.
