Week 7 – Personas

Introduction

To create a successful website or product, understanding your users is crucial. Personas are a powerful tool to help you achieve this understanding. Personas are fictional characters representing the different user types interacting with your website or product. They are based on research and analysis of your users’ behaviors, needs, and goals. I will discuss two primary approaches to creating personas, qualitative and quantitative [1], and we will use the Quantitative approach for creating the personas from the previous ToDo application.

Qualitative Personas

Qualitative personas are based on qualitative user research methods. Qualitative research is about discovering new things with a small sample size. User interviews and usability testing are examples of qualitative research methods [1]. With qualitative personas, you develop a deep understanding of your users’ behaviors, needs, and goals by talking to a few users. Qualitative personas are created by analyzing the data collected from qualitative research methods. This data is used to identify user behavior patterns and develop a set of characteristics that define each user type. These characteristics are then used to create fictional characters representing each user type. Qualitative personas are useful for identifying user needs and goals, as well as for developing design ideas and testing usability. They are also useful for communicating user needs and goals to stakeholders.

Quantitative Personas

Quantitative personas are based on quantitative user research methods. Quantitative research is about testing or proving something with a large sample size. Surveys and site traffic analysis are examples of quantitative research methods [1]. With quantitative personas, you develop a broad understanding of your users’ behaviors, needs, and goals by analyzing data collected from many users. Quantitative personas are created by analyzing the data collected from quantitative research methods. This data is used to identify user behavior patterns and develop a set of characteristics that define each user type. These characteristics are then used to create fictional characters representing each user type. Quantitative personas are useful for identifying trends in user behavior, as well as for validating design decisions. They are also useful for communicating user needs and goals to stakeholders.

Creating Personas

When creating a persona, there are some factors that need to be taken into consideration. These factors are listed as follows [2]:

1. Gather Data: Collect data from various sources such as user interviews, surveys, market research, customer support interactions, and analytics data. This data should provide insights into your users, their goals and pain points, and how they interact with your product or service.

2. Segment Users: Analyze the collected data to identify common patterns and characteristics among your user base. Segment users based on demographic information (age, gender, location), psychographic factors (lifestyle, interests, values), and behavioral traits (usage frequency, preferences).

3. Define Persona Attributes: Based on the identified segments, create detailed persona profiles that represent distinct user archetypes. Each persona should include attributes such as:
   

4. Name: Give each persona a fictional name to humanize them.

5. Demographics: Age, gender, location, occupation, education level, etc.

6. Goals and Objectives: What are their primary goals and objectives related to your product or service?

7. Pain Points: What challenges or frustrations do they encounter in achieving their goals?

8. Motivations: What motivates them to use your product or service?

9. Behaviors: How do they typically interact with your product or service? What features do they use most frequently?

10. Preferences: What are their preferences in terms of user experience, communication channels, pricing, etc.

11. Influences: What factors influence their decision-making process, such as recommendations from friends or online reviews?

12. Validate Personas: Once you’ve created persona profiles, validate them with real user data and feedback. Conduct user interviews or surveys to gather input from representative users and ensure that the personas accurately reflect their needs and behaviors.

13. Prioritize Personas: Prioritize personas based on factors such as their impact on business goals, size of the user segment, and alignment with the product’s strategic objectives. Focus on personas that represent the most significant opportunities or pose the greatest challenges for your product.

14. Use Personas for Decision-Making: Incorporate personas into your development process to guide decision-making across all stages, from ideation and design to development and marketing.

15. Iterate and Update: Regularly revisit and update personas based on new data, user behavior changes, or market trend shifts. Keep personas dynamic and reflective of evolving user needs to ensure ongoing relevance and effectiveness in guiding product decisions.

Sample Personas

For the Todo App, I used Open AI ChatGpt and Microsoft Copilot to fill in details [3][4] and create the images [5][6] for the Busy Professional and Student Quantitative personas.

Busy Professional

Name: Sarah Johnson

Demographics: Sarah is a 32-year-old female living in a busy urban area. She has a master’s degree in marketing and works as a marketing manager for a tech company.

Goals and Objectives: Sarah’s primary goal is to manage her work and personal tasks effectively in a busy environment. She wants to be able to prioritize tasks and stay on top of deadlines to maintain a work-life balance.

Pain Points: Sarah often feels overwhelmed with her workload and struggles to manage her tasks effectively. She finds it challenging to prioritize tasks and often ends up missing deadlines, leading to stress and anxiety.

Motivations: Sarah is motivated to use a to-do app that can help her stay organized, prioritize tasks, and achieve a sense of accomplishment. She wants to feel in control of her tasks and reduce her stress levels.

Behaviors: Sarah interacts with the to-do app frequently throughout the day, accessing it on her laptop and mobile phone. She uses the app’s features to categorize tasks by project, set reminders, and track her progress. She finds the app’s notification feature helpful in keeping her on track with her tasks.

Preferences: Sarah prefers a user-friendly interface that is easy to navigate. She values a to-do app that integrates well with her existing tools, such as her calendar and email. She is willing to pay for a premium version of the app if it offers additional features such as team collaboration and data analysis.

Influences: Sarah is influenced by online reviews and recommendations from her colleagues and friends. She values a to-do app with a good security and privacy reputation. She is also influenced by the app’s customer service and responsiveness to user feedback.

Student

Name: Alex Rodriguez

Demographics: Alex is a 20-year-old male pursuing a bachelor’s degree in computer science. He lives on campus in a college town.

Goals and Objectives: Alex’s primary goal is to stay organized and manage his coursework effectively. He wants to stay on top of his assignments, deadlines, and project timelines to maintain a good GPA.

Pain Points: Alex often struggles to manage his time effectively and prioritize his tasks. He finds it challenging to keep track of all his assignments, readings, and projects. He also experiences anxiety related to upcoming exams and deadlines.

Motivations: Alex is motivated to use a to-do app that can help him stay organized, focused, and productive. He wants to feel in control of his coursework and reduce his stress levels.

Behaviors: Alex interacts with the to-do app frequently throughout the day, accessing it on his laptop and mobile phone. He uses the app’s features to categorize tasks by class, set reminders, and track his progress. He finds the app’s notification feature helpful in keeping him on track with his tasks.

Preferences: Alex prefers a user-friendly interface that is easy to navigate. He values a to-do app that integrates well with his existing tools, such as his calendar and email. He is willing to pay for a premium version of the app if it offers additional features such as team collaboration and data analysis. Alex also prefers a to-do app that offers a gamified experience, where he can earn rewards or points for completing tasks.

Influences: Alex is influenced by online reviews and recommendations from his classmates and professors. He values a to-do app with a good reputation for reliability and efficiency. He is also influenced by the app’s customer service and responsiveness to user feedback.

Citations

[1] Steve Mulder and Ziv Yaar. 2006. The user is always right: a practical guide to creating and using personas for the web (First. ed.). New Riders Publishing, USA.

[2] OpenAI. “ChatGPT Prompt: As a UX Researcher, how would you create personas?.” ChatGPT 3.5, https://www.openai.com/chatgpt.

[3] OpenAI. “ChatGPT Prompt: Create a Quantitative persona of a Busy professional for a ToDo application.” ChatGPT 3.5, https://www.openai.com/chatgpt.

[4] OpenAI. “ChatGPT Prompt: Create a Quantitative persona of a Student for a ToDo application.” ChatGPT 3.5, https://www.openai.com/chatgpt.

[5] Microsoft. “Microsoft Copilot Prompt: Create a real image of “Sarah, a 32-year-old female living in a busy urban area. She has a master’s degree in marketing and works as a marketing manager for a tech company.” Microsoft Copilot, https://copilot.microsoft.com/

[6] Microsoft. “Microsoft Copilot Prompt: Create a real image of “Alex, a 20-year-old male pursuing a bachelor’s degree in computer science. He lives on campus in a college town.” Microsoft Copilot, https://copilot.microsoft.com/

Week 6 – Designing Questionnaires

Introduction

As someone who has never designed a questionnaire before, I was and still am very apprehensive about designing one. I spent some time thinking and researching the right type of questions to be put forth to the participants to elicit the right answers. So, for this week’s assignment, I developed questionnaires for the ToDo application from the previous assignment. The questionnaires were designed to gather feedback from two different types of users – business professionals and students. I did so because this would help me with my final project. I used these personas with the Todo App in mind, which I will use as my final project. I divided the process into two stages – user research and usability testing.

UX Research

As a UX researcher aiming to identify user needs and understand their problems, it’s crucial to frame questions that delve deep into users’ experiences, pain points, and challenges.

1. Start with Open-ended Questions: Begin the interview or survey with broad, open-ended questions to encourage participants to share their experiences freely.

2. Explore Specific Pain Points: Once the conversation flows, dig deeper into specific areas where users encounter difficulties or frustrations.

3. Probe for Context and Details: Follow up on users’ responses with probing questions to gather more context and detail about their problems. This helps you understand the underlying reasons behind their challenges.

4. Ask About Workarounds or Solutions: Inquire about any workarounds users have developed to cope with the identified problems. This can provide insights into potential solutions or improvements.

5. Probe for Unmet Needs: Explore areas where users feel their needs need to be adequately addressed by the current product or service. This can uncover opportunities for innovation and improvement.

6. Encourage Stories and Examples: Invite participants to share anecdotes or real-life examples that illustrate their challenges and frustrations. This provides a richer context and helps you empathize with their experiences.

In the Context of the ToDo App, some of the questions are shown below:QuestionnaireBusy Professional PersonaStudent PersonaIntroductionCan you describe a typical day in your professional life?

What are the main tasks you need to accomplish daily?Can you walk me through a typical day or week in your life as a student?

What are the main academic responsibilities and commitments you juggle?Pain points /

ChallengesWhat are the biggest challenges you encounter while managing your workload?

Can you walk me through any specific instances where you felt overwhelmed or frustrated with your tasks?How do you approach studying and completing assignments?

What are the biggest challenges you face when staying organized and productive?Time ManagementHow do you prioritize your tasks and manage your time effectively?

Are there any time-consuming activities or processes that you find particularly burdensome?How do you prioritize your academic tasks and manage your time effectively?

Are there any distractions or time-wasting activities that impede your studying?CollaborationHow do you communicate and collaborate with colleagues or clients?

Have you experienced any difficulties in coordinating with team members or stakeholders? Learning Environment What resources do you rely on for studying and learning?

Could any aspects of your learning environment (e.g., classroom, library) be improved?TechnologyWhat tools or technologies do you currently use to streamline your work?

Are any gaps or limitations in your current tools hinder your productivity?What role does technology play in your academic life?

Are there any digital tools or platforms you find essential for your studies?Work-Life Balance /

ExtracurricularHow do you maintain a healthy work-life balance amidst your busy schedule?

Are there any aspects of your work life that could be improved to alleviate stress?How do you balance your academic workload with social and extracurricular activities?

Have you encountered any difficulties in maintaining a balance between your studies and other commitments?Future needs /

AspirationsWhat improvements or features would make your work life easier and more efficient?

Where do you see opportunities for innovation or enhancement in your professional workflow?What are your long-term academic and career goals?

How do you envision technology supporting your academic journey and future endeavors?

Usability

The questions may vary depending on the type of usability testing being carried out.

5-second test

1. First Impression: These questions capture participants’ initial reactions and perceptions of the product or interface within the first few seconds of exposure.

2. Clarity and Memorability: These questions assess how well participants remember and understand key information presented in the interface.

Walk-around and Exploration Tests

1. Exploration Behavior: These questions aim to understand how participants navigate through the product or interface and which features they explore.

2. Discoverability: These questions assess how easily participants can find specific features or information within the product.

Essential Tasks Test

1. Task Completion: These questions evaluate participants’ success in completing essential tasks within the product.

2. Efficiency and Effectiveness: These questions assess participants’ efficiency in completing tasks and overall satisfaction with the process.

Surveys/Questionnaires

1. Demographic and Background: These questions gather information about participants’ demographics, experience, and usage patterns.

2. Experience and Satisfaction: These questions assess participants’ overall experience with the product and their satisfaction level.

3. Feedback and Suggestions: These questions invite participants to provide feedback and suggestions for improving the product.

In the Context of the ToDo App, some of the questions are shown below:QuestionnairesBusy Professional PersonaStudent Persona5-Second TestsFirst Impression / MemorabilityWhat are your initial thoughts or impressions upon seeing the Todo app interface for the first time? Does the app’s design convey professionalism and efficiency?Based on the initial impression of the Todo app’s homepage/landing screen, how likely are you to use it for organizing your academic tasks?

Does the app’s design and messaging resonate with your needs as a student?Walk-around and Exploration TestsExploration Behavior / DiscoverabilityPlease navigate through the app and explore its features. What stands out to you as particularly helpful or relevant to your workflow?

Are there any aspects of the app’s design or functionality that could be improved to accommodate your busy schedule?Take some time to explore the app’s features. Which features would most benefit keeping track of your assignments, deadlines, and study sessions?

Are there any functionalities or design elements that are confusing or less relevant to your academic workflow?Essential Tasks TestTask Completion / EffectivenessImagine you have a list of tasks that need to be completed urgently. Can you use the app to quickly add, prioritize, and manage these tasks?

How intuitive and efficient did you find the process of setting deadlines, categorizing tasks, and marking them as completed?Suppose you have multiple assignments and exams coming up. Can you use the app to create a study schedule, set reminders, and track your progress on each task?

How easy was it to find and use the features essential for managing your academic workload?Surveys/QuestionnairesExperience and SatisfactionOn a scale of 1 to 5, how well does the Todo app meet your needs for organizing and prioritizing your professional tasks?

What features or improvements would make the app more indispensable for managing your busy work schedule?Rate your satisfaction with the Todo app’s effectiveness in helping you stay organized and productive as a student.

What additional features or enhancements would make the app more conducive to your academic success and time management?

Conclusion

In my learning journey as a UX researcher, I realized that questionnaires are valuable tools for gathering systematic user feedback, which can inform the design, development, and optimization of user experiences. The questions should be clear, unbiased, relevant, and suitable for the participants. As a UX researcher, does this blog help you with insights in drafting your questionnaires? ( I hope I am learning to frame some questions here 🙂 )

References

Pervaiz, Muhammad Ahsan. “UX Design Process Simplified from User Research to Usability.” Packt Publishing, January 2020, https://learning.oreilly.com/course/ux-design-process/9781800208797/.

ChapGPT 3.5 prompt. (February 2024).

1. For user research and usability testing, what would be the criteria for asking good questions in one-on-one interviews, group discussions, and surveys?

2. As a UX researcher conducting research to identify user needs, how would I ask questions to understand user problems for a busy professional and a student persona for a ToDo app?

3. As a UX researcher conducting usability testing and conducting – 5-second tests, walk-around and exploration tests, essential tasks tests, and surveys/questionnaires, how would I ask questions for a specific to busy professional and a student persona for the Todo app, elaborate more?

Week 5 – Usability Testing

Introduction

This usability testing is intended to assess the user experience of a mock-up of a Todo application. The testing aims to pinpoint any possible usability issues and gather feedback on the overall usability of the application. The ToDo app being tested is a mockup of a task management application that allows users to create and organize their tasks intuitively. The application provides task creation, removal, priority adjustment, and task completion tracking options. The testing involved participants to complete predefined tasks using the application. Their feedback was collected to improve the usability of the application further.

Methodology

As part of the usability testing for the ToDo app, I have created a methodology that outlines the process we will use to conduct the testing. To begin with, I have created a mock-up of the app as part of the previous assignment, which I will use during the testing. The mock-up includes all of the app’s essential features and is designed to replicate the actual app as closely as possible.

Our methodology involves using the think-aloud technique during the testing. This technique requires participants to verbalize their thoughts and actions as they navigate the app. I will also be capturing audio and video of the testing using Screen-pal to analyze the user’s behavior, which will help us identify areas of the app that need improvement. Before the usability testing, the author has taken verbal consent from the participants. The usability testing consent and instructions script are in the appendix section.

To test the app’s usability, I selected the following two participants with varying levels of experience: Participant 1 Age: 13 Gender: Female Occupation: Middle schooler Experience with ToDo Apps: Beginner Frequency of ToDo App Usage: Rarely Preferred Platform: Web Additional Notes: Participant 1 rarely uses ToDo apps and relies mainly on the paper version of a Todo task organizer.

Participant 2 Age: 19 Gender: Male Occupation: College student Experience with ToDo Apps: Intermediate Frequency of ToDo App Usage: Daily Preferred Platform: Web/Mobile Additional Notes: Participant 2 uses ToDo apps daily and relies mainly on Google Keep to organize day-to-day work.

During the testing, I will monitor the participants’ performance and collect data on how long it takes them to complete each task, what difficulties they encounter, and how they feel about the app’s overall usability. This data will help the author identify the areas of the app that need improvement and make the necessary changes to enhance the app’s usability.

Observations

Usability Testing

ObservationsParticipant 1Participant 2 Add task(s)Was easily able to add 4 chores and tasksHelps you stay organized.

Was easily able to add the 6 tasksRemove a taskWas able to delete 1 taskWas able to delete 1 taskPrioritized the tasksUsed the up and down button to prioritize the taskUsed the up and down button to prioritize the taskEdit a taskWas able to edit the name of the taskDidn’t test this functionalityMark the task completeDidn’t test this functionalityDidn’t test this functionalitySearch a taskWas able to search for a taskDidn’t test this functionalityUse audio to add a taskFound this feature interesting and was able to add a task using the audioAdded 1 task with audioClear all tasksCleared all the tasks Cleared all the tasks

Post-Usability testing feedback

ObservationsParticipant 1Participant 2 Rating (1-10 scale)88.5Improvements

1. Instead of the Edit button, clicking on the task should allow you to edit the task

2. The background should be more colorful

3. Make the size of the up and down buttons smaller, or use arrows that can be used instead

4. Was easy to use and good for younger kids

5. The app was basic, without a background or colors/pictures to make it more appealing

6. Sorting by day and time would be usefulScreenshots

Recommendations

Based on the identified improvement, here are some actionable recommendations/feedback to improve the application’s usability, functionality, and user experience:

1. Add a theme or background: To make the application more appealing, consider adding a theme or background that aligns with the genre of the participant. This will make the application more visually engaging and help users feel more connected to the platform.

2. Improve the edit functionality: Rather than relying on an edit button, the edit functionality can be improved by allowing users to click on the task to edit it. This will save users time and streamline the editing process.

3. Prioritize functionality improvement: The prioritization functionality is useful but can be further improved by adding up/down arrows instead of buttons. Additionally, consider adding the ability to add a day/time for prioritization as another means for users to sort and manage their tasks effectively.

Learnings

I personally interacted with the participants during my testing process to help them record their experiences using Screen Pal. This involved setting up a face-to-face meeting to ensure the participant’s experience was accurately captured. However, if one wishes to use Screen Pal offline and still work with the participant, one must use a video application such as Zoom or Teams.

Usability testing may seem simple, but it requires a lot of practice to develop open-ended questions that don’t bias the participant towards specific app features. I made a conscious effort to avoid using app-specific terms such as “button” or “tab” in some places, but in other cases, I had to use these terms to ensure that the participant understood what was being referred to.

In a more realistic usability testing scenario, I would select participants based on the persona for the application. This would involve ensuring that the participants are representative of the target audience for the application and have the relevant characteristics that would make them the ideal users of the app.

Overall, usability testing requires attention to detail and precision to ensure that the results are accurate and reliable.

---

Appendix

Usability Testing Consent and Instructions

Introduction and Purpose

Hello! Thank you for joining me today. My name is Afshan Naaz, and I am in my role as a UX Researcher from Georgia State University. Today, I’m here to learn more about how people use an app to track or record their daily tasks and chores.

Voluntary Participation

Before proceeding, I want to emphasize that your participation in this usability test is voluntary. You are not obligated to continue if you feel uncomfortable or decide it’s not for you. Your decision to participate or withdraw will not have any consequences whatsoever. ScreenPal will record your interactions with the application throughout the test. ScreenPal captures both your screen activity and any audio commentary you provide. This allows us to closely analyze your interactions and better understand your thought process as you navigate the app. Are you comfortable moving forward under these terms?

Overview of Procedures

My role here is to listen to your thoughts and experiences as you use the app. Your feedback will help me understand what works well and what could be improved. There are no right or wrong answers – we’re simply interested in your honest opinions. By no means is this test for you, but rather, it is for the app.

So, feel free to explore the app as you normally would, and don’t hesitate to share any thoughts or questions you have along the way. Your input is incredibly valuable and will directly influence how we shape the future of this app. As you use the app, please speak aloud so I can understand your thought process.

Next, I’ll present you with a series of tasks to complete using the application. These tasks are designed to simulate real-world scenarios and will help us understand how intuitive and user-friendly the application is. You’ll be asked to create a new task, set a reminder, and mark tasks as complete. Please feel free to ask any questions or seek clarification at any point during the test. Your feedback is invaluable in helping us improve the usability of the application.

The app can be accessed using the following URL – https://afshannaaz-todo-app.w3spaces.com/todo.html

Confidentiality

I assure you that all information shared during this usability test will be kept confidential. Your privacy is of utmost importance to us. Any data collected, including your interactions with the application and feedback, will be used solely for research purposes and will not be shared with anyone outside our research team.

Instructions

Imagine you are a student or professional with a busy schedule, and you’ve decided to use an app to help you stay organized. Today, we’ll test this app to see how well it meets your needs.

1. Task 1: How would you go about making a note of all the tasks or chores you need to perform:

2. Task 2: If you have to make changes to the existing tasks or chores, how would you do about:

3. Task 3: How would you keep track of completed tasks or chores:

4. Task 4: How would you organize these tasks?

5. Task 5: Can you search for a task or chore?

6. Task 6: Does the app provide another way to record the tasks or chores?

Closing Questions

1. Share your overall impression of the app’s interface and design.

2. How would you rate this application on a scale of 1-10?

3. Were you able to complete the tasks easily?

4. Did you face any challenges?

5. Is there anything specific you liked or disliked about the Todo app?