Persona development for information-rich domains

ABSTRACT

Designing information architecture for complex websites requires understanding user information needs and mental models in that domain. Personas, or user archetypes, created for such domains should also reflect types of information needs, and usage of information set. We have created a statistical technique to identify important underlying groupings of information needs. In a preliminary study, we show how designers can use this information in conjunction with data from interviews and observations to generate and refine personas.

REFERENCES

• 1: Åsa Blomquist , Mattias Arvola, Personas in action: ethnography in an interaction design team, Proceedings of the second Nordic conference on Human-computer interaction, October 19-23, 2002, Aarhus, Denmark [doi>10.1145/572020.572044]
• 2: Alan Cooper , Paul Saffo, The Inmates Are Running the Asylum, Macmillan Publishing Co., Inc., Indianapolis, IN, 1999
• 3: Andrew Dillon , Charles Watson, User analysis in HCI—the historical lessons from individual differences research, International Journal of Human-Computer Studies, v.45 n.6, p.619-637, Dec. 1996 [doi>10.1006/ijhc.1996.0071]
• 4: Grudin, J & Pruitt, J (2002). Personas, participatory design and product development. PDC 2002.
• 5: Moore, A. G. (1991). Crossing the chasm. Harper Collins Publishers, New York.

INDEX TERMS

Primary Classification:
  H. Information Systems
  H.5 INFORMATION INTERFACES AND PRESENTATION (I.7)
      H.5.2 User Interfaces (D.2.2, H.1.2, I.3.6)
          Subjects: User-centered design

Additional Classification:
  H. Information Systems
  H.1 MODELS AND PRINCIPLES
      H.1.2 User/Machine Systems
          Subjects: Human factors; Human information processing

  J. Computer Applications
  J.4 SOCIAL AND BEHAVIORAL SCIENCES
      Subjects: Psychology

General Terms:
Design, Experimentation, Human Factors

Keywords:
design, information architecture, personas, user profiles