Persona Creation

Persona Types

Research-Based Personas

• Built from actual user research (interviews, surveys, analytics).
• Based on patterns across multiple users, not one person.
• Updated as you learn more.

Proto-Personas

• Hypothesis-based, created before research.
• Used to align the team on assumptions.
• Must be validated (or invalidated) through research.

Persona Components

• Name and photo (make them feel real, but don't use real people).
• Context (situation, not demographics).
• Goals (what they're trying to achieve).
• Pain points (what frustrates them today).
• Behaviors (how they currently solve the problem).
• Quote (something they might actually say).

Anti-Patterns

• Personas based on demographics alone ("Sarah, 34, marketing manager" tells you nothing about behavior).
• Personas nobody references after creation.
• Too many personas (3-5 maximum for a product).
• Fictional personas presented as research-backed.
• Personas that confirm what the team already believes.