Alan Cooper's Concept of the Persona - Essay Example

1. 6 April 2006 Critically Assess Alan Coopers Concept of the "persona" as a Means of Identifying Human Factors Requirements in Software Development Alan Cooper, described as the father of Visual Basic wrote his book, The Inmates are Taking Over the Asylum - Why High Tech Products Drive us Crazy and How to Restore the Sanity in 1999 in an attempt to revolutionize the way in which computer software was being designed and developed. He has over 20 years experience in this field, and won many awards and much recognition for his work. He recognized the high-tech nature of the products becoming more and more technical and complicated. He saw that the developers and engineers (these are the inmates referred to in the title) had no great regard for the needs of the end user, so he sought to address this by his concept of personas, goals and scenarios. Making this the model with which all software he and his company design, he has proved time and again that it is a concept which really does work. In this essay, I aim to define his concept and show how it is used to advantage in the design of interactive software. In order to do this, his book and other relevant pieces of information will be used. I will show my understanding of the concept and its application in program design and development, following the processes as he outlines them. In addition, I hope to show how the effectiveness of the concept is used in other companies and how it is transferable to other disciplines. I hope to inform others of its usefulness while at the same time, demonstrating my own understanding, learning from, and ability to apply the concept to real situations in the area of software creation. The basic premise of the concept is that software should be designed in such a way that is 2. easily used by the people who need to use it! Since 1992, Cooper had been developing a method called Goal -Directed Design, as stated earlier, used in his company for all projects. To achieve this, the idea of designing for just one person is employed, this being what he describes as the hypothetical archetype. He says, Trying to please too many different points of view can kill an otherwise good product. However, when you narrow the design target to a single persona, nothing stands between that persona and complete happiness. (Cooper, p125 1999) So, what are personas and how do they work? Personas are made-up users of software, identified via interviews and observations at the initial investigation stage. A cast of characters is then devised, usually between 3 and 7 in number. Each cast will have one primary persona for whom the interface will be designed. More than three primary personas is not feasible. The interface can be added to in order to meet the needs of the others, without affecting the primary personas ability and enjoyment. The characters, or personas, will have names, faces, skills, motivations and goals, all specific to them. Designers focus on these areas to meet the needs the persona has helped them identify. Programmers and developers also focus on them, which stops them seeing the software product only from their own viewpoint. The personas have to be hypothetical to prevent the quirks and perceived needs of real individuals disturbing the design process. They must be precise, not average, so that the goals stay in mind and drives what the finished product must be capable of. Each project has its own cast of personas, though sometimes they can be borrowed from previous projects, but not often. 3. Personas help by focusing in on a realistic definition of skill levels and by removing stereotypical assumptions. They serve as a communication tool, so that everybody involved is aware of who and what the end product is expected to serve (e.g. clients, buyers, directors, designers, developers etc.) The persona approach to designing interactions, good and better websites, has been adopted and adapted in many instances. If you put in the words Alan Coopers persona concept on Google, thousands of responses are made available. Almost any one chosen for further investigation will provide a positive slant on the theory, or give tips and views on how to use it. Some consultancies advertising their services are assuring potential clients of how effective a tool it is, and how they would employ it for the benefit of the client. This seems to verify Coopers belief in the concept of Goal Directed Design and its component parts and that its use will result in successful outcomes, both in products and user satisfaction. For example, Alison Heads article Personas: Setting the Stage for Building Useful Information Sites, explains how the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), in redesigning their huge, information-intensive website, used Coopers concept to bring about a successful achievement. Calling this part of her article, BBCs Gains, she says, The web team developed a set of seven representative personas, each of whom had goals the designers planned to meet through their re-design... (Head, 2003) The primary persona, Mandy, was a 36 year old harried, single parent, concerned with parenting, holiday planning, entertainment and consumer and educational issues. Translating Mandys qualitative life goals into design goals led to a home page design with an intuitive grid layout. The grid quickly oriented web neophytes on the run - like Mandy - with the sites contents. (Head, 2003) The design also accommodated the needs of the other personas in the cast - e.g. school children of 4. all ages, students, a company director and a self employed electrician and so forth. So the BBC homepage delivered clickless access to what users/personas wanted. A further advantage was that being a grid made it easier for BBC staff to maintain and update. Alison Head praises fully Coopers concept confirming what he has already stated, that personas are a great power tool, giving focus to interface design projects. When personas are used in combination with other user centered methods, such as task analysis, card sorting and usability testing, there is a strong likelihood that a more usable design will be developed. (Head 2003) Another positive view reaffirming the effectiveness of personas is that held by Guy Creese, an analyst with the Burton Group. His credentials and 25 years high tech experience add weight to his positive comments. In an article entitled Dont Design for a Mob - Design for Personas, he explains the theory with simple language and directs the reader to other detailed sources. One of these, an in-depth research and discussion of the topic, is that of Microsoft researchers John Pruitt and Johathan Grudin. Carried out in Microsoft itself in 2002, they found that using personas greatly assisted in development, design, communication, increased focus on the end user, all factors highlighted by Cooper himself. On a more critical note, they were concerned that once created, personas could be reused, be over stretched and not so useful in a project; that marketing and product development needed to be more collaborative; that personas may be over-used and replace other user-centered methods, ongoing data collection or product evaluation. They wanted to see the personas method merged with other approaches. The took his models and concepts further in the Discussion sectioon, with Theory of Mind, how personas work. While this is useful and informative, it should be noted that Cooper himself has incorporated footnotes and quotations from psychologists and motivational theorists. The difference between the Microsoft research paper and Coopers book, is that the latter is more accessible to a wider range of audience as the language is simpler and the concepts and ideas are not limited to one place (Microsoft), so it has a wider 5. application and appeal. In critically assessing the usefulness of the concept, I would have to say that I can find little fault with it, though it at first appeared odd to dismiss the wants of real individuals. However, the reasoning for this was sound, as in fact these needs were what drove the creation of the right personas. The idea of Goal Directed Design works, as can be seen from its popularity and acceptance, with the tools identified within it having been successfully used now for many years (1998 - ), its worth proved repeatedly. I believe that to fully appreciate how the persona works, (other than what has so far been described), that aspects of goals and scenarios need some mention. Cooper declares that these goals are why we perform tasks and tasks and goals are not to be confused. We have personal and practical goals. Good interactive design will allow people to meet practical goals i.e. making something work for them, while not upsetting our personal goals, defined as: Not feeling stupid Not make mistakes Get an adequate amount of work done Have fun (or at least not be too bored) (Cooper p.156) He states further, Practical goals bridge the gap between the objectives of the company and the objectives of the individual user. (Cooper p157) This makes a great deal of sense to me, as does the idea that if everyone recognizes this fact, then the result is happy, effective workers who benefit the company. With programmers in mind, he cites false goals which may be detrimental to achieving such a state of affairs, as they tend to focus on creating task-based interfaces. False goals relay on task, features and tools and while it is necessary to use new technology, it must not be such that the user cannot work with it. The persona will help prevent the false goals taking over. 6. The ideas within the concept are common-sense, experience-based and incorporate knowledge and research from valid sources such as the work of motivational theorists and psychologists. Cooper uses their findings and expertise to support his concept fully. Scenarios are what are used to examine the tasks in order to incorporate them accurately into the design. He explains these simply as, A scenario is a concise description of a persona using a software-based product to achieve a goal. (Cooper p179). Again, these are split into two important types - the Daily Use Scenario being the primary actions that users perform most often, and the Necessary Use Scenarios which include all the actions that must be performed but not frequently. Because of that infrequency, a user will follow what the program demands. Also mentioned are Edge Case Scenarios, which programmers often emphasize but I think of these as the what ifs? that can detract from the main point of the frequent use issue. The main thing is, the designers, developers, programmers act out the scenarios, using personas and keeping those personas goals in mind. This way, we can get away from what Cooper describes as the elastic user who programmers expect to bend and stretch to accommodate the software, instead of the software working for the user. He is convinced there is no such person, that real users are not elastic, and from my own experience with computers, I know this to be a universal truth. So if the model is correctly applied, it serves many purposes, as outlined in the description earlier in this essay. It focuses on the user, their goals and how they carry out tasks in order to reach them. Such achievement benefits the individual and the company, I can see this. Thinking of a child who manages to learn something new, and is praised or made aware of its achievement, then it will be motivated to go further, try harder. This is a human reaction and Cooper has put the human element into advanced technology. Persona concept also brings together the different parts of the team, from the ideas/artistic side of the designers, through to the more logical and code focused programmers, engineers and developers. With a real persona, referred to by name, who has 7. real, living attributes, a face to be remembered, all involved have a good communication tool. Clients too benefit from this persona, or cast, as they recognize how it reflects their people/workforce. I agree with Cooper when he states that human beings are the most valuable commodity a company can have. With that as the thinking behind the concept, it will work in more than just computer interactive designing. In terms of personal learning, the biggest point for me was the simplicity of the idea, but the careful and constant application of the concept in order meet the needs of the users. I was also interested in the idea of human relationships with computers and recognized at once what was meant by computers are human too. Thinking about myself and how I view my computer, it is like a friend who helps me do my work, and when things go wrong, I am disappointed as if a good friend has let me down. To be honest, I know sometimes this is a problem I have caused, I almost apologize and get a computer doctor to make it better. The persona became me, the user and I linked the personal goals to Maslows Hierarchy of Needs, in particular with the need for self-esteem, and realized how a badly designed interface would prevent me from reaching that level of self-esteem and moving upwards to do more and better (self-actualization). What Cooper says about motivation sits well with Maslows theory. As to how the concept fits with transferable skills, I believe it could be used in marketing, sales, and anyone involved in designing learning interventions could well adapt it to their needs. The early stages of initial investigation equate with training needs analysis, while the identification and creation of personas match with creating aims and objectives, and design and development have the same goals. In other professions, such as health, where there is a need for easily accessible programs where accurate record keeping is a must, the concept could well provide a greater user satisfaction. I believe that knowing how to use the concept would be of benefit to me,whatever project I was involved with. Using the persona, keeping in mind the needs of the user can only enhance any role or interactive experience. Works Cited Cooper, Alan. The Inmates are Running the Asylum Why High-Tech Products Drive Us Crazy and How to Restore Sanity SAMS 1999 - A Division of McMillan Computer Publishing, Indiana, U.S. Creese, Guy. Volume Analytics: Dont Design for a Mob - Design for Personas DM Review Online March 2005 http;//www.dmreview.com/editorial/dmreview/print_action.cfm?articleld=1023422 6 April 2006 Head, Alison. Personas: Setting the Stage for Building Useful Information Sites Info Today Online. Vol 27 No. 4 July/August 2003 http://www.infotoday.com/Online/jul03/head.shtml. 6 April 2006 Herrington, Andrew. Pateo Consulting article 6: Maslows Hierarchy, Societal Change and the Knowledge Worker Revolution. Copyright 1999-2004 Canada. 6 April 2006 Pruitt, J. and Grudin, J. Personas: Practice and Theory 2002 http://research.microsoft.com/research/coet/Grudin/Personas/Pruitt-Grudin.pdf- 6 April 2006 Read More