Unlocking the power of personas: product management and research

Personas are fictional representations of a company's customers. They are based on real data and research, and include information about the customer's demographics, goals, pain points, and behaviors. Personas are used to inform product development and marketing strategies, and to ensure that a company is meeting the needs of its target customers. In this article, we'll explore how to create personas from customer interviews, and how to focus questions during user research to gain a deeper understanding of these personas.

‍

Creating Personas from Customer Interviews

Here's a step-by-step guide to creating personas from customer interviews:

1. Conduct user research. Use a variety of methods, such as in-person interviews, phone interviews, and online surveys, to gather data on your target customers.
2. Analyze the data. Analyze the data collected through user research to identify patterns and insights.
3. Create segments. Based on the data, create segments of customers that have similar needs, pain points, and behaviors.
4. Create personas. For each segment, create a persona that represents the typical customer in that segment. Include information about the persona's demographics, goals, pain points, and behaviors.
5. Validate the personas. Once you have created the personas, validate them by sharing them with a small group of customers and gathering feedback. Use this feedback to refine the personas as needed.

‍

‍

Using Personas to Focus Questions During User Research

Once you have created personas, they can be used to focus questions during user research. This can help to gain a deeper understanding of the target customer and inform product development and marketing strategies. Here are a few tips for using personas to focus questions during user research:

1. Tailor the questions to each persona. Tailor the questions to the specific pain points, goals, and behaviors of each persona. This will help you to gain a deeper understanding of the target customer.
2. Ask about pain points and goals. Ask questions about the customer's pain points and goals. This will help you to understand the persona's unique needs and will help uncover product opportunities specific to this persona.

‍

Target personas

Once personas have been created and validated, it is important to decide on a "target" persona (or personas). This is the persona that the organization will focus on and prioritize when developing products and services. Target personas are typically high-value customers or those that have the most significant potential for growth. By focusing on the target persona, organizations can ensure that they are developing products and services that meet the needs and wants of the customers that are most important to meeting organizational goals and objectives.

For example, let's say an organization is developing a new online shopping platform. After conducting user research and creating personas, they may identify a target persona of a "tech-savvy urbanite" who values convenience and is willing to pay a premium for a seamless shopping experience. By focusing on this target persona, the organization can prioritize features such as same-day delivery, easy check-out and a personalized recommendation system to ensure that the platform meets the needs of this high-value customer.

‍

It's worth noting that you can have multiple target personas and organizations should be aware of the different segments and their specific needs. However, it's important to choose one or a few to focus on, as it allows us to deliver a better user experience.

‍

‍

‍

‍

Conclusion

Personas are fictional representations of a company's ideal customers that are used to inform product development and marketing strategies. Creating personas from customer interviews involves conducting user research, analyzing the data, creating segments of customers, creating personas for each segment, and validating the personas. Personas can also be used to focus questions during user research to gain a deeper understanding of the target customer and inform product development and marketing strategies. By using personas to guide user research, product teams can ensure that they are on the right path to meet their target customers' needs.