Renowned American software designer and programmer, Alan Cooper introduced the concept of personas as a practical design tool. He invented user personas during the course of implementing a design methodology that was user-centric. Since then, user personas have become critical design tools to understand user needs and preferences with regard to digital interfaces.
By creating user personas, providers of UX research services formulate effective design strategies to build engaging digital products. Whether the final product is a website, mobile app, or online service, user personas guide the design process to provide a quality user experience. In addition, personas enable a design and development project’s decision makers to differentiate between overall marketing strategies and specific end-user scenarios.
This blog post provides a step-by-step guide to build user personas for digital businesses.
Understanding User Personas and their Significance in UX Design
A user persona is a fictional representation of a single user type of a digital product or service. It highlights the needs, expectations, behavior, and challenges of a user with respect to a specific digital interface.
However, user personas are not based on imaginary conclusions about the target audience of any business. UX consultants must avoid using abstract or generic information to build user personas. The process of creating user personas should follow in-depth research about realistic user attributes that can influence the final design.
For instance, a user persona targeted to build an online grocery store will include details along the following lines.
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Name- Ally Age- 38 years Gender- Female Vocation- School teacher
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About Ally-Ally is a working mother who juggles between school and kids.
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Goals-1) To buy grocery items online including a wide range of products for both adults and children. 2) Being time-constrained, she prefers a digital grocery store that is easy to navigate and interact with. |
Needs-1) A mobile optimized site with a wide range of products; better if it has pre-organized monthly grocery packages. 2) Ease of ordering and availability of different modes of payment including credit or debit cards 3) Simple and clear navigation process with minimal creative designs and animations. |

It is advisable for businesses to conduct research about user personas as early as possible. UX researchers can use online surveys, contextual interviews, questionnaires, field study, and other research methodologies to profile user personas. Typically, UX consulting services involve two to three user personas to design a digital product.
The primary objective of user personas is to empathize with users and their needs. Statistical data along with well-defined profiles of user personas enable UX designers to make effective design decisions.
Quick and Effective Steps to Build User Personas
1. Conduct UX research
In-depth user research and analysis is an indispensable prerequisite for creating user personas. Businesses should prepare a checklist of questions pertaining to a digital product’s usability.
It includes-
(i) Which age bracket, gender, or profiles are most likely to use your product?
(ii) How often are they likely to use your services?
(iii) What percentage of these users prefer desktop site as compared to mobile users?
2. Identify Common user traits
UX researchers should identify users with common traits, attitudes, and needs from the raw data gathered by them. It is essential to minimize the number of user personas and focus on fulfilling the most essential user requirements through design. Also, providers of UX/UI consulting services often associate certain user personas with a specific need to enable easy recall and implementation.
3. Defining realistic goals and needs
Distinct user personas should have a realistic background and scenario. Businesses can use the traditional “Say | Think | Does | Feel” methodology to extract specific user goals and needs. It is critical to consider real-life examples and strictly avoid imaginary assumptions.
4. Involving teammates
User Personas should lead to a final design that accurately captures user needs and expectations. Users’ choices have an impact on everyone from the on-field data team to UX designers to final decision makers. It is, therefore, essential for businesses to involve as many teammates as possible create user personas. It enables businesses to acknowledge different opinions, suggestions, and insights to create an effective design.
You may also like to read- Using Information Architecture to Organize Website Pages
UX Research Services for Global Businesses
The UX research consultants at Oodles Studio conduct in-depth research about the digital requirements of multiple industry businesses across the globe. Our UX research services include definite User Personas, Competitive Analysis Reports, Information Architecture Diagrams, and other UX reports. Talk to our UX/UI design team to build intuitive and effective digital interfaces for your business.
