Persona

What did we learn about them?

Overview

We often use abstract labels like “citizen”, “user”, or “resident”. But these terms mask the wide diversity of needs, capacities, and lived realities that shape how people engage with services. Without a clear understanding of who we are designing for, it's easy to develop services that don’t meet real needs—especially for those most at risk of exclusion. Persona helps teams build realistic, human-centred reference profiles based on actual interviews and observations. These are not fictional characters, but representative summaries of different types of people you have encountered during your discovery research. Personas ensure your decisions are guided by real users, not assumptions.

Open in Google Slides

⏱️ Time: 45–60 minutes

👫 Participants: Team members who conducted or reviewed the research

🛠️ Materials: Persona template, interview notes, markers/post-its

Input

Before completing this canvas, ensure you have completed the following steps:

User InterviewUser Observation

Context

Use this tool once you’ve gathered qualitative insights (e.g. interviews, observations) and begun to notice patterns among different types of users. It is especially helpful before ideation or prototyping, to ensure solutions are grounded in lived experience and include the perspectives of diverse or underserved groups. You may have many types of users and stakeholders. Choose one key user groups first to represent with a persona. You can repeat the exercise later for other user groups if needed.

Recipe

1

Identify patterns in your research

Review your notes from the interview and observation, and cluster people with similar situations, needs, or behaviours.

2

Build a representative profile

For each group, create one persona using the template. Include:

• Name and quote that reflects their voice

• Context: where they live, what their life is like

• Role or type of user (e.g. single parent, first-time applicant, informal caregiver)

3

Clarify their goals and challenges

What are they trying to achieve when they interact with your service? What do they struggle with?

4

Add key actions

List steps they take before, during, and after using the service.

5

Identify what would improve their experience

Based on your insights, note what would be some opportunities to help them feel more supported or empowered.

Results

A small set of clear, grounded user profiles that represent the range of people affected by your service. These can be used to:

• Align your team on who you’re designing for

• Test ideas against real-life needs

• Avoid designing for a hypothetical “average” user

• Ensure inclusion of less visible or underserved groups

Tips

• Base your personas on real evidence—not just what “seems typical”.

• Avoid stereotypes or over-simplification. Focus on meaningful differences that impact the service experience.

• Don’t wait for perfect data—start with what you know, and refine as you learn more.

• Include perspectives that might otherwise be ignored: low literacy, disability, rural users, etc.

• Use them actively—refer back to them during idea generation, testing, and decision-making.

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Share Your Experience

We'd love to hear how you're using this tool! Please share your examples and feedback to inspire others and help improve the Booster. Submit your example today and be part of our community.