dragoon0x 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.