7 Core Ideas about Personas and The User Experience

by Jeff Sauro

Personas are not what people tell you about themselves; they are observations and descriptions of why (motivation) a person does what he/she does.

1. Personas predate UX Research

2. A persona is not a hypothetical customer invented by the marketing department

3. A persona is not about customer likes and dislikes

4. Personas answer very specific questions

5. Personas can provide a very real benefit for user experience research

6. Don’t Overdo the Persona Process

7. Opinions are good but motivation is better