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Avoiding Bullshit Personas avoidbspersonas.com #bspersonas Stephanie Carter Jill Christ

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1. Ashley – The Relationship Builder The most important of our personas, Ashley was born and raised outside Boise, Idaho, and in 1992 she moved to the Bay Area with her brother. She’s now a full-time mom of 1-year- old Cameron. Her husband Todd works as a union contractor installing sprinkler systems and likes to amuse Ashley with his ability to juggle and do card tricks. Ashley maintains a family blog chock full of photos for her family back in Boise and participates in a discussion board for moms on Yahoo! Groups. Lots of her friends are on Facebook, so she spends a few minutes here and there writing messages throughout the day...

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1. Ashley – The Relationship Builder The most important of our personas, Ashley was born and raised outside Boise, Idaho, and in 1992 she moved to the Bay Area with her brother. She’s now a full-time mom of 1-year- old Cameron. Her husband Todd works as a union contractor installing sprinkler systems and likes to amuse Ashley with his ability to juggle and do card tricks. Ashley maintains a family blog chock full of photos for her family back in Boise and participates in a discussion board for moms on Yahoo! Groups. Lots of her friends are on Facebook, so she spends a few minutes here and there writing messages throughout the day...

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John is "the egg man." He enjoys sitting on cornflakes waiting for traffic and in gardens waiting for the sun. Tends to cry. #badpersonas

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“the user” = you

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“the user” = your mom

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“the user” = a bunch of different people (with stuff in common)

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“Personas are not real people, but they represent them throughout the design process. They are hypothetical archetypes of actual users. Although they are imaginary, they are defined with significant rigor and precision.” - Alan Cooper, The Inmates Are Running the Asylum, 2004

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“Personas are not real people, but they represent them throughout the design process. They are hypothetical archetypes of actual users. Although they are imaginary, they are defined with significant rigor and precision.” - Alan Cooper, The Inmates Are Running the Asylum, 2004

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1. Ashley – The Relationship Builder The most important of our personas, Ashley was born and raised outside Boise, Idaho, and in 1992 she moved to the Bay Area with her brother. She’s now a full-time mom of 1-year- old Cameron. Her husband Todd works as a union contractor installing sprinkler systems and likes to amuse Ashley with his ability to juggle and do card tricks. Ashley maintains a family blog chock full of photos for her family back in Boise and participates in a discussion board for moms on Yahoo! Groups. Lots of her friends are on Facebook, so she spends a few minutes here and there writing messages throughout the day...

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Over the wintry forest, winds howl in rage with no leaves to blow. by Soseki

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“ needs to work for everybody”

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Who is everybody?

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Modular Personas

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personas without the B.S.

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I am a

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I am a I want to be a I can do ... if you want me to I’m not a ... but I need to do I really like doing

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data personas

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data personas preparation the right synthesis communicated appropriately without the B.S.

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data personas preparation the right synthesis communicated appropriately without the B.S.

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surprises over trends

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ask them to tell a story

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have them define their words

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“what do you mean by freedom?”

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“what do you mean by freedom?” to a new career to travel the world away from the daily grind

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keep asking why

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- Aaron, user 12

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I was in prison for 12 years. When I got out, I didn’t know how to send email.” - Aaron, user 12

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data personas preparation the right synthesis communicated appropriately without the B.S.

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1:3 rule

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define your dimensions

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define your dimensions

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Newbie Educator Student Freelancer Traditionalist

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Newbie ? Educator Student Freelancer Traditionalist

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Newbie ? Educator Student Freelancer Traditionalist http://www.whoisbolaji.com/n-is-for/newbie-erkle http://thetechtiger.blogspot.com/2010/12/newbie-spirit.html http://forexmersing.blogspot.com/2011/08/correct-position-sizes.html http://www.politicsforum.org/images/flame_warriors/flame_51.php

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define your dimensions

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? define your dimensions

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don’t forget about the ‘why’

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the why is the motivation

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don’t be afraid to push the language

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people before personas

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apply your model to everyone

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rearrange and group

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avoidbspersonas.com #bspersonas

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data personas preparation the right synthesis communicated appropriately without the B.S.

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Over the wintry forest, winds howl in rage with no leaves to blow. by Soseki

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Fluff is dangerous

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“What did the persona research say?”

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“What did the persona research say?”

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establishes a culture of asking

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Synthesize... one more time!

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to be vs. to do

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make it digestible

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and easy to share

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“what does this mean for my work?”

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discuss personally, small groups

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lunchtime is a neutral space

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data personas preparation the right synthesis communicated appropriately and used ^ without the B.S.

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First Names Angela Dan Peter Kim Rob Rhymes Sam I am a Maria I wanna be a Clyde on the Side Behavior I want to be a I am I can do I like to do I’m not a but I need to do Numbered 1 2 3 Relevant Labels Hunter Chameleon Underdog Extra Jack Situation Aspirational- Career Switcher Jack of all trades Hobbyist Hash Tag #iwan2b #iama

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http://creatingclassics.blogspot.com/2009/10/personas.html

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“Who was Emily again?”

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don’t allow others to make stuff up

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First Names Angela Dan Peter Kim Rob Rhymes Sam I am a Maria I wanna be a Clyde on the Side Behavior I want to be a I am I can do I like to do I’m not a but I need to do Numbered 1 2 3 Relevant Labels Hunter Chameleon Underdog Extra Jack Situation Aspirational- Career Switcher Jack of all trades Hobbyist Hash Tag #iwan2b #iama

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First Names Angela Dan Peter Kim Rob Rhymes Sam I am a Maria I wanna be a Clyde on the Side Behavior I want to be a I am I can do I like to do I’m not a but I need to do Numbered 1 2 3 Relevant Labels Hunter Chameleon Underdog Extra Jack Situation Aspirational- Career Switcher Jack of all trades Hobbyist Hash Tag #iwan2b #iama

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First Names Angela Dan Peter Kim Rob Rhymes Sam I am a Maria I wanna be a Clyde on the Side Behavior I want to be a I am I can do I like to do I’m not a but I need to do Numbered 1 2 3 Relevant Labels Hunter Chameleon Underdog Extra Jack Situation Aspirational- Career Switcher Jack of all trades Hobbyist Hash Tag #iwan2b #iama “Wait, that’s not Hunter..?”

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First Names Angela Dan Peter Kim Rob Rhymes Sam I am a Maria I wanna be a Clyde on the Side Behavior I want to be a I am I can do I like to do I’m not a but I need to do Numbered 1 2 3 Relevant Labels Hunter Chameleon Underdog Extra Jack Situation Aspirational- Career Switcher Jack of all trades Hobbyist Hash Tag #iwan2b #iama

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First Names Angela Dan Peter Kim Rob Rhymes Sam I am a Maria I wanna be a Clyde on the Side Behavior I want to be a I am I can do I like to do I’m not a but I need to do Numbered 1 2 3 Relevant Labels Hunter Chameleon Underdog Extra Jack Situation Aspirational- Career Switcher Jack of all trades Hobbyist Hash Tag #iwan2b #iama winner!

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active naming

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I am a I want to be a I can do ... if you want me to I’m not a ... but I need to do I really like doing

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share direct research

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subtle details are important

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subtle details are important

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make it engaging

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I can do ... if you want me to

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evangelize the personas

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“I’ve totally talked to people like that...” - Customer Service

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inform product directions establish a culture of asking communicated appropriately and used ^

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tactical and strategic

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queue the

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“the queue needs to work for everybody”

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“the queue needs to work for everybody” “everybody” = ME Photo Credit: Albert Watson

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so we tested it with our actual users

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“Hey, that’s just what I was asking for...” “I’d just use ‘my course history’... I just want to log in and finish what I’ve been working on.. Get in and get out.” “Is the queue new?”

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“Hey, that’s just what I was asking for...” YAY! “I’d just use ‘my course history’... I just want to log in and finish what I’ve been working on.. Get in and get out.” “Is the queue new?”

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“I’d just use ‘my course history’... I just want to log in and finish what I’ve been working on.. Get in and get out.” “Is the queue new?” “Hey, that’s just what I was asking for...” YAY! HUH?

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“I’d just use ‘my course history’... I just want to log in and finish what I’ve been working on.. Get in and get out.” “Is the queue new?” “Hey, that’s just what I was asking for...” YAY! HUH? NAY!

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Is this a design flaw?

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... all the NAYs are “I can do if you want me to...”

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tactical and strategic

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use the personas to prioritize

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“it would be cool if...” “I think our users would want...” “it would be cool if...” “I think our users would want...” “it would be cool if...” “I think our users would want...” “it would be cool if...” “I think our users would want...” “it would be cool if...” “I think our users would want...” “I think our users would want...” “it would be cool if...” stop making stuff you think is cool...

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NYTimes.com What’s next?

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Are Modular Personas right for me?

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Each one of us has products and features that we want to make a difference.

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Maybe you’re overwhelmed with feature requests... Maybe you’re trying to figure out who everybody is...

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Don’t default to what is comfortable. Have the courage to dig into the messy lives of your users.

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“his eye is not on the facts at all... he does not care whether the things he says describe reality correctly.” - Bullshit by Harry Frankfurt

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If you care, you can put authentic things into the world.

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Thank you! Jill Christ @jillchrist Stephanie Carter @neonmauve #bspersonas avoidbspersonas.com