Sept 23, 25 — Maintenance practices...

Empathy Maps

A way to unpack and synthesize information after doing user interviews. They typically have four areas:

• Say — What are some defining quotes, phrases, words, that the person said during the interview?


• Think — What might they be thinking? What does this tell you about their motivations?


• Do — What were they doing during the story or stories they shared? What was their tone / attitude / body language like?


• Feel — What emotions might they be experiencing?

They can be visualized in quadrants, see Empathy Maps on Are.na for more.

Personas

A persona is a visual map that lays out important information about the person / user. It's a semi-fictitious profile or archetype derived from the empathy maps. Maybe it's derived from one person or a few people you talked to.

The essence of user personas is empathy. By understanding a specific human, we design with a purpose, making products that truly resonate specifically for them.

By developing research-based and distinct personas, we will develop a clear picture of our users. That way, every design choice, from medium to navigation to aesthetics, is made with intention.

When creating personas:

• Prioritize narrative over numbers — While demographics have their place, the power of a persona lies in the story—goals, frustrations, hobbies, and the digital environments they inhabit.


• Avoid generic and stereotypes — One common mistake is creating personas that are too generic and resemble a checklist rather than a character. Such personas are shallow stereotypes lacking the depth and nuance needed to represent a user segment.


• Add not just any data — The data fueling your personas should be relevant and specific to your product, not just any statistics you come across.

Personas often have:

• Name or Alias


• Depiction of Person — stock photograph, icon, or drawing


• Demographics


• Backstory and/or Important Quotes


• Circuit Board — takes a specific behavior and shows where persona falls on this spectrum

See Personas on Are.na for more.