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LeanUX NYC 2014
Enhancing Proto-Personas With CharacterizationApril 12, 2014
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Who are we?
Chelsey DelaneySenior UX Designer, Catalyst Group
@chelseD
catalystnyc.com
Introduction
Taren SterryPresident, Taren Sterry Communication Coaching
tarensterry.com
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Who are you?
Introduction
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Fill out a profile sheet(10 minutes)
Exercise
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About this workshop
Introduction
We’ll be learning ways to make personas -- proto-personas, in particular -- more valuable and useful in the LeanUX process by framing them as humorous characters.
Those ways include:- Improv- Sketching- Brainstorming- Design thinking- Discussion
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Why improv?
Characters
Dr. Barry KudrowitzMIT
It is believed that wit, being spontaneous humor production, is strongly related to creativity as both involve making nonobvious connections between seemingly
unrelated things.
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Personas & Proto-Personas
Proto-Personas & Personas
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Personas
Proto-Personas & Personas
Alan CooperCooper
The users fell into three distinct groups, clearly differentiated by their goals,
tasks, and skill levels... These three were the first true, Goal-Directed, personas.
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Personas
Proto-Personas & Personas
Jeff SauroMeasuring Usability
Personas are not what people tell you about themselves; they are observations and descriptions of why (motivation) a
person does what he or she does.
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Personas
Proto-Personas & Personas
Lots of people
Personas kind of suck.
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Proto-personas
Proto-Personas & Personas
Jeff GothelfNeo
Proto-personas give an organization a starting point from which to begin
evaluating their products and to create some early design hypotheses.
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Proto-personas
Proto-Personas & Personas
Todd WilkensIBM Design
Proto-personas highlight the importance of intuition in the process
of qualitative research. It is fundamental to invention and discovery.
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The difference
Proto-Personas & Personas
• Based on research
• Represents an observed and validated pattern across people/users
• Based on assumptions
• Represents a hypothesized pattern across people/users
Proto-Personas Personas
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The difference
Proto-Personas & Personas
research
• Represents an observed and validated pattern across people/users
assumptions
hypothesized pattern across people/users
Proto-Personas Personas
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So, what’s their real purpose?
Proto-Personas & Personas
• Communicate a user type
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But, what’s their real purpose?
Proto-Personas & Personas
• Communicate a user type
• Help us relate
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Characters
Characters
“It is often the source of the most important pieces of ‘fiction’ that end up in a truly powerful persona. Personas based purely on recorded fact without this crucial step of intuition and interpretation are lifeless and usually fail to create empathy or inspire good design.”
- Todd Wilkens, IBM Design
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What’s a character?
Characters
• “ the mental and moral qualities distinctive to an individual”
• “a person in a narrative work of arts”
• “the quality of a person”
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Why a character?
Characters
• Not too specific, not too abstract
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Why a character?
Characters
• Not too specific, not too abstract
• Character creation inherently forms an emotional bond
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Why a character?
Characters
• Not too specific, not too abstract
• Character creation inherently forms an emotional bond
• Characters evolve, as do people
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Why a character?
Characters
• Not too specific, not too abstract
• Character creation inherently forms an emotional bond
• Characters evolve, as do people
• Characters, particularly humorous ones, can make certain people more relatable
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Why humorous characters?
Characters
Comedy challenges assumptions and humor broadens perspectives, thus
enhancing creativity.
Dr. Peter McGraw Humor Research Lab,
The University of Colorado, Boulder
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Humor
Characters
• Humor is essential to humanity
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Humor
Characters
• Humor is essential to humanity
• Humor accounts for weakness in character
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Humor
Characters
• Humor is essential to humanity
• Humor accounts for weakness in character
• Sharing humor is sharing an understanding
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Humor
Characters
• Humor is essential to humanity
• Humor accounts for weakness in character
• Sharing humor is sharing an understanding
• Research shows that the brain can recall humorous content more easily than non-humorous content
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Improv & humorous characters
Characters
• Characters are built from our subconscious observance of people and patterns
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Improv & humorous characters
Characters
• Characters are built from our subconscious observance of people and patterns
• Traits are born implicitly and seamlessly from spontaneous action
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Improv exercise(30 minutes)
Exercise
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Creating characters
Characters
• How we create them depends on the information we have up-front
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Creating characters
Characters
• How we create them depends on the information we have up-front
• Start with a core and build, explicitly showing attributes
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Draw your character(10 minutes)
Exercise
Imagine that your character is using a website to find a new apartment in New York City.
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Break(10 minutes)
Break
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Brainstorming
Brainstorming
“I had no idea of the character. But the moment I was dressed, the clothes and the make-up made me feel the person he was. I began to know him, and by the time I walked onto the stage he was fully born.”
- Charlie Chaplin
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Giving purpose
Brainstorming
Communicate a user type
Help relate to the user
Name Gender
Age[Image]
Pain pointsNeeds Goals
AttitudesBehaviors
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Giving purpose
Brainstorming
Communicate a user type
Help relate to the user
Name Gender
Age[Image]
Pain pointsNeeds Goals
AttitudesBehaviors
Depends on the projectIt depends
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Some “It depends” elements
Brainstorming
• Experience and experience level
• Priorities
• Skills and skill level
• Technical skill and savviness
• Occupation
• Interests
• Hobbies
• Languages spoken
• Personal network / social groups
• Location
• Schedule
• Routines
• Marital status
• Family size & orientation
• Living situation
• Income
• Education level
• Disability or illness
• Cultural background
• Race & ethnicity
• Motivations
• Emotions and emotional triggers
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Remember
Brainstorming
• The variables you choose are assumptions, too
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Remember
Brainstorming
• The variables you choose are assumptions, too
• All choices should support one or both of the purposes
Communicate a user type
Help relate to the user
Name Gender
Age[Image]
Pain pointsNeeds Goals
AttitudesBehaviors
Depends on the project
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Remember
Brainstorming
• The variables you choose are assumptions, too
• All choices should support one or both of the purposes
• The choices you make can help inform assumptions about pain points and solutions
Communicate a user type
Help relate to the user
Name Gender
Age[Image]
Pain pointsNeeds Goals
AttitudesBehaviors
Depends on the project
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Remember
Brainstorming
• The variables you choose are assumptions, too
• All choices should support one or both of the purposes
• The choices you make can help inform assumptions about pain points and solutions
• Every project is / can be different
Communicate a user type
Help relate to the user
Name Gender
Age[Image]
Pain pointsNeeds Goals
AttitudesBehaviors
Depends on the project
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Mapping attributes
Brainstorming
Very general
Not useful Very useful
Very specific
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Mapping attributes
Brainstorming
Not useful Very useful
Very general
What’s an attribute that is important to document for all/most of my proto-personas?
Very specific
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Mapping attributes
Brainstorming
Not useful Very useful
Very general
Very specific
What attributes are useful to document, in that they help to fulfill the purpose of a proto-persona?
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Mapping attributes
Brainstorming
Not useful Very useful
Very general
Very specific
What attributes are worth documenting for specific personas, but may not be relevant for all/most?
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Mapping attributes
Brainstorming
Not useful Very useful
Very general
Very specific
What attributes aren’t worth documenting, and don’t contribute to the purpose of the proto-persona?
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Mapping attributes
Brainstorming
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The story of Mike
Brainstorming
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The story of Mike
Brainstorming
Del the Funky HomosapienDeltron 3030
Why should I hate you/ We ain’t that different/
We may act different in some ways/But we still group together like a survey
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Mapping attributes(15 minutes)
Exercise
Imagine that your character is using a website to find a new apartment in New York City.
What else do you want to know?
Not useful Very useful
Very specific
Very general
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Defining the User Type
Defining the User Type
“Every character, when born, is a stereotype.”
- Michael Patrick King,
Director, Writer & Producer
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Improv exercise(30 minutes)
Exercise
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Communicating a type
Defining the User Type
• Embody the character
• How you’ve framed your character should infer needs, behaviors, pain points
• Remember to ask, “If this, then what”
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Discover needs, pain points, solutions (20 minutes)
Exercise
Pair up.
Take turns ranting.
As your partner rants, write down pain points, ideas for solutions, whatever comes to you.
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Break(10 minutes)
Break
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Evolving Personas
Evolving Personas
“You cannot dream yourself into a character; you must hammer and forge yourself one.”
- Henry David Thoreau
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Choosing a character set
Evolving Personas
• A character is as good as the characters around them
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Choosing a character set
Evolving Personas
• A character is as good as the characters around them
• Pay attention to ALL of the attributes of the people you research with
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Refining after research
Evolving Personas
• Re-chart the usefulness of your variables and character data
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Refining after research
Evolving Personas
• Re-chart the usefulness of your variables and character data
• Aim to build on the character rather than start fresh (though sometimes this can’t be avoided)
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Refining after research
Evolving Personas
• Re-chart the usefulness of your variables and character data
• Aim to build on the character rather than start fresh (though sometimes this can’t be avoided)
• Create a format that works for you and the project
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Photos vs. drawings
Evolving Personas
Photos of real people are great, but you might end up with thoughts like...
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Photos vs. drawings
Evolving Personas
Photos of people are great, but you might end up with thoughts like...
• What’s this guy’s real name?
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Photos vs. drawings
Evolving Personas
Photos of real people are great, but you end up with thoughts like...
• What’s this guy’s real name?
• Is this guy really looking for a new apartment?
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Photos vs. drawings
Evolving Personas
Photos of real people are great, but you end up with thoughts like...
• What’s this guy’s real name?
• Is this guy really looking for a new apartment?
• What if this guy doesn’t deserve a nice apartment?! (MIKE!)
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Using the personas
Evolving Personas
The best personas are internalized.
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Using the personas
Evolving Personas
WW_D?
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Post and review your characters (10 minutes)
Exercise
And, see who you ended up becoming...
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Thank you!
Chelsey DelaneySenior UX Designer, Catalyst Group
@chelseD
catalystnyc.com
Thank You
Taren SterryPresident, Taren Sterry Communication Coaching
tarensterry.com