Personas as a web design tool

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Personas as a web design tool

• Heather Cunningham
• Gerstein Science Information Centre
• May 2005

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Greg helped design newspaper website

• Lives in Santa Rosa, CA
• Senior loan manger
• Interested in kids activities adult splurges
• Collects local events info
• Reads paper online during breaks at work

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Personas

• stand-ins for actual users
• Drive decision making for interface design
  projects
• Defined with precision
• Interfaces built to satisfy personas needs
  goals

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Design for just one person

• To please the many design for just one

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Design for just one
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Design for just one
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Personas end the elastic user
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What is user friendly?
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Goal directed design
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Design for primary persona
Chuck business traveler Ethan games Marie
business traveler Clevis crotchety PC Luddite
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Creating a persona
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Net Generation
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Lee undergraduate

• Faculty of Arts Sciences
• Life sciences
• Minimal library experience
• Commutes 45 min.
• Part-time job
• No online tutorials
• Expects fulltext

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Pat graduate student

• Faculty of Medicine
• T.A.
• Uses e-journals e-indexes
• Doesnt know ILL
• English is second language

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Personas bring focus to a team