How to Create Personas: Three Persona Creation Methodologies with Implications for Practical Employment

Authors

Bernard J. Jansen, Qatar Computing Research Institute, QatarFollow
Soon-Gyo Jung, Qatar Computing Research Institute, QatarFollow
Lene Nielsen, IT University of Copenhagen, DenmarkFollow
Kathleen W. Guan, University College London, United KingdomFollow
Joni Salminen, Qatar Computing Research Institute, Qatar; Turku School of Economics at the University of Turku, Finland; School of Marketing and Communication, University of Vaasa, FinlandFollow

Abstract

Background: Personas are a technique for enhanced understanding of users and customers to improve the user-centered design of systems and products. Their creation can be categorized using three persona creation methodologies: Qualitative, Quantitative, and Mixed Methods. Despite the apparent differences in these methodologies, no previous review has systemically compared and contrasted the strengths and weaknesses of each of these methodologies for persona development.

Method: This manuscript maps and navigates persona literature to identify the benefits and challenges of these three persona creation methodologies. Furthermore, the strategies and opportunities of the different methodologies are presented.

Results: The results summarize the strengths and weaknesses of each of the three principal persona creation methodologies and offer suggestions of the benefits of their employment.

Conclusion: In conclusion, we offer insights into the construction and usage of personas for practitioners and researchers, and we propose a framework to determine which persona creation methodology is most suitable for a given context.

Keywords: Algorithmically-Generated Personas, Persona Analytics, Persona Science.

Recommended Citation

Jansen, Bernard J.; Jung, Soon-Gyo; Nielsen, Lene; Guan, Kathleen W.; and Salminen, Joni (2022) "How to Create Personas: Three Persona Creation Methodologies with Implications for Practical Employment," Pacific Asia Journal of the Association for Information Systems: Vol. 14: Iss. 3, Article 1.
DOI: 10.17705/1pais.14301
Available at: https://aisel.aisnet.org/pajais/vol14/iss3/1

DOI

10.17705/1pais.14301