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To help in the analysis and interpretation of the output consultation data collected, part of the process will involve user personas. A number of Census user personas have been developed through a combination of interviews with user groups and from responses to a UK online survey.
So what are personas? Personas are based on methodology pioneered by Alan Cooper in his book About Face: The Essentials of User Interface Design - now widely regarded as accepted practice for understanding user needs. Here they were described as "a precise descriptive model of the user, what he/she wishes to accomplish, and why". In practice, personas are
The benefits of using them are that they
So essentially they can help to highlight the similarities and differences in requirements within and across user communities. So how can they be used? Persona research can help us to understand the needs of the user, the products or services that are being developed, and how users will use the product or service. The Census personas are a tool that we can use to help us design a suite of products and services which should meet the needs, in terms of dissemination, metadata, and type of output, for all different types of user. The personas which emerged form the research work conducted can broadly be classified into 3 groups. These were designated community, professional and specialist. Each of these groups demonstrate a few similar, but far more unique characteristics, in terms of what they want from the Census, how and in what form they want it to be available, and how they want to use it. For example the specialist personas often require datasets that are complex with detailed functionality, such as user defined outputs. Community personas on the other hand might require easily digestible pre-packaged smaller chunks of data but which are very easily and readily available. Look for more about personas and how we will be using them soon. In the meantime let us know what you think of the persona principle. «« Previous post Plans for more detailed findings from the consultation See other posts similar to this one: |
Scotland’s Spring 2010 Census Consultation: Statistical Outputs, created: 1266486505|%O ago, 0 response(s) 2011 Output Consultation - Main Statistical Outputs, created: 1260870597|%O ago, 0 response(s) Autumn 2009 output consultation events, created: 1256552153|%O ago, 0 response(s) |
User personas - a brief introduction
I think there is a danger in this persona in that whilst they may 'require datasets that are complex with detailed functionality, such as user defined outputs', that those people being represented in this persona will have very different requirements.
Therefore as raised at the last (joint) advisory group meeting this should not be used as a reason to cut down on the large number of datasets provided as a standard ouptut.
What this strategy could help do is humanise the process of understanding and distributing the data it collects which I think is very important in making the Census relevant to a broader range of people.
For the personaas to be successful in terms of helping with research and getting 'us' to interact I would advise approaching them not as a amalgamation of people but as a three dimensional characters who you may know or see in a television drama - it doesn't have to be included but what are their lives outside of the Census? Otherwise they could be cardboard cutouts that do little more than the present system