the UEgroup » Services » Usability

Making good feature and design decisions often involves a consensus being reached across various groups and levels within the organization. In cases where large groups of stakeholders are involved, packaging information about the users in an easily consumable form allows people to quickly come to decisions that are in the best interest of the product as well as the organization. Developing Personas and defining Use Cases are two excellent techniques for accomplishing this goal.

Personas are archetypal definitions of your "typical users." Rather than being defined by people's opinions, they are developed through on-site observation and interviews of your current or prospective customers. Areas covered in the definition include general attitudes, motivations, typical needs, the context of interaction with your offering, and how they feel about it. Personas are defined for each type of user.

Use Cases are also developed through on-site research and cover specific contexts and scenarios under which your offering is used. They "paint a picture" of when people would use your offering and why.

Together and individually, Personas and User Cases provide a perspective on who your users are and what they are going to do with your offering, that all levels of the organization can understand and use on a daily basis.