To better understand and empathise with the users, I have created a couple of user personas. These personas will help me better understand the perspective and motivations of the users, and design solutions that are more user-centered. By analysing the characteristics and behaviours of the personas, I can identify common needs and challenges that the users might face, and design solutions that address these issues. Also, by understanding the needs and goals of the different personas, I will be able to prioritise the features and functionality that are most important to them and design solutions that align with these priorities. Creating these user personas can also ensure that anyone who gets involved with the project has a clear understanding of the users and their needs and that the design solutions align with these needs.
Below are the two user personas that I have created so far.
Frank represents students who is studying abroad and relies on public transport to get around.
By understanding the needs and goals of this user persona, I can design a transport app that is tailored to their needs. For example, the app could include features such as real-time updates on service disruptions, a journey planner that suggests the quickest and cheapest routes, and the ability to purchase tickets in advance. By addressing the frustrations and desires of this persona, the app could improve the overall user experience and make it easier for this student to rely on public transport.
Ciara represents someone who lives outside Belfast and uses public transport to travel into the city for work during the week, and occasionally uses taxis for leisure activities on the weekends. The persona's goals include traveling to work as quickly as possible, planning her journey in advance, and booking taxis in advance to ensure that she and her friends are on time for events.
The persona's frustrations include unreliable taxi services, buses that are late and cause her to be late for work, and difficulties with pre-booking taxis. She also experiences frustration with the inconsistency between the bus times on the boards and the app.
The persona's desires include the ability to pre-book taxis with confidence that they will show up, more transparency into why buses are late and when they will arrive, and the ability to rely on buses to get her to work on time.
Overall, this user persona highlights the importance of reliability, transparency, and convenience for someone who uses public transport and taxis for travel in and around Belfast. Design solutions that address these needs and frustrations could improve the user experience for this persona and others like her.
By creating user personas and using them in my project, I have gained a deeper understanding of my users and their needs, as well as the challenges and frustrations they may face. I’ve learned who my users are as user personas have helped me to identify the key demographics, behaviors, and goals of my users, which can inform my design decisions and ensure that I am designing for the right audience. By analysing the needs and desires of my user personas, I can identify the features and functionality that are most important to them, and design solutions that align with these needs. From identifying the pain points and challenges of my user personas, I can design solutions that address these issues and improve the user experience. By understanding the needs and goals of my user personas, I can prioritise my design efforts and focus on the most important aspects of the product or service. Overall, using user personas will help me to design a product that is more user-friendly, intuitive, and effective for my intended audience.