Contextual research is not enough to ensure that a design or strategy is really user-centered. It is important to keep the user in mind and understand everything from their perspective. Developing personas that characterize the different types of users that were identified through research and tracing their journeys through a design, helps ensure a better product. However, this is not a substitute for, but a compliment to, co-creation sessions, testing and prototyping.

Persona Development

The development of personas has varied a lot through my different projects. One thing in common is that they represent a vast range of users and behaviors that the design or strategy must consider. In some cases they have been more formal and detailed, while other times they have been more conceptual and represented not only human users but cities.

Leveraging Multiculturality

Library User Experience Toolkit

User Journeys

Developing a persona gives a face to the user you are trying to understand and design for. A user journey integrates personas with the design to understand how they are affected by it.