Monthly gold is where I pick some gems that I have found recently and aim to replicate as I learn and grow my craft as a User Experience designer. This monthly we focus on Personas.
What Is a Persona?
A persona is simply a user archetype – whose goals and behavior patterns are well understood. By designing for the archetype, you can satisfy the broader group of people represented by it. Personas are synthesized from a series of ethnographic interviews with real people and then captured in a one to two page descriptive document that includes attitudes, behavior patterns, goals, skills, and anything else deemed important for the specific project, with a few fictional details and a photograph to help bring the persona to life.
MailChimp’s DesignLab set out with an idea to emphatize with their users, and in turn design for and delight them. They embarked on a long-term study of our customers to learn who they are; what, why, and how often they send; what kinds of issues they face; where they work; and what kind of people they are. This helps us understand how MailChimp fits into their day-to-day lives, which in turn empowers us to design smarter.
Jason Travis decided to take a photographical approach to personas by understand what is in their bag.
The UX lady showcases their template for personas with this comprehensive example
Proto personas for a Car Care app by Athena Petropoulos
Other gems
Design and conquer 