A user persona is a fictional user, ideally based on real user research as part of the design process. The character, skills, priorities, and goals of this persona are used as a key point of reference during the rest of the design process.
A great definition that made me understand user personas is from Shlomo Goltz. “A persona is a way to model, summarize and communicate research about people who have been observed or researched in some way. A persona is depicted as a specific person but is not a real individual; rather, it is synthesized from observations of many people,” he said.
Here is an example of a user persona for my new travel/surf news blog.
Name: Robert
Job Role/Company: Owner of Surf & Adventure
Why reach them? He is the owner of a local surf shop, he could help spread awareness of my new site that could help & inform locals about local surf industry news, etc.
Age: 40, Married & Middle Class
What do they care about? His family, company, surf shop, local community, surfing, biking, traveling.
Where will they be looking at your site? At work or home
What do they want out of your site? To stay informed about local surf events, news, and potentially buy used boards for his shop.
What other media do they consume? Facebook and Instagram
Where do they hang out? What groups? Surf and biking groups, locals of Sandbridge Beach
How are you going to make your site serve them? My site will be about promoting and shopping at local surf shops and the products/services they provide.
References: https://trydesignlab.com/blog/user-personas-what-are-they-why-use-them/
