LeanUX NYC 2014: "Enhancing Proto-Personas With Characterization" (Workshop)

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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