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Module 04 · 20 min

User persona

A persona is one or more fictional characters that represent most potential users of an app or website, with conventional user demands. You build them from quantitative and qualitative research — not from guesswork.

Why personas help

Personas make the design task less complex. They guide the process and help you aim for a good experience for the target user instead of designing for “everyone.”

  • You stop designing only from your own habits and step into the persona’s shoes.
  • You recognise that different people have different needs and expectations.
  • You get clearer on needs, experiences, behaviours, and goals.

Impact across the team

A shared persona helps more than the UX designer alone.

  • Stakeholders evaluate feature ideas against a real target user.
  • Information architects build better wireframes, labels, and behaviours.
  • Visual designers set look and feel for the right audience.
  • Engineers choose flows and approaches based on user behaviour.
  • Writers match content tone to the appropriate audience.

Elements of a user persona

Include enough detail that the character feels real, without inventing a novel.

  • Demographics
  • User scenario — when and why they use the product
  • User needs
  • Pain points
  • Technology — devices and comfort level
  • Personality
  • Brands they like

Example persona: Bazaar

Use your Module 3 research to fill a card like this for your own app.