Personas

What are Personas?

Personas are fictional but realistic representations of target users created to help teams understand and empathize with their audience. These profiles are based on user research, behavioural data, and demographic information. Each persona reflects the common goals, needs, motivations, and challenges of a particular user group. By using personas, teams can make informed decisions that align with user expectations throughout a project’s life cycle.

In project management, personas guide the development of user-centred strategies, especially in product design, marketing, and communication planning. They help ensure that project outcomes meet the actual needs of end-users rather than relying on assumptions about them.

Key Points

• They are not real individuals, but teams base them on real user data and insights.
• They typically include a name, photo, job role, behaviours, goals, pain points, and preferred tools or platforms.
• They promote empathy among project team members and help align project goals with user expectations.
• Using them can reduce the risk of building features or content that do not serve the intended audience.
• Well-defined personas support more accurate prioritization and decision-making in project planning.

Related Terms

• A stakeholder is a real individual or group with a vested interest in the project, whereas a persona represents a hypothetical user to guide design and communication.
• A user story often references personas to describe how specific types of users will interact with a product or service.
• Customer journey mapping uses personas to outline the typical experience a user might have while engaging with a product or service.
• Market segmentation provides the data and insights that inform the creation of meaningful personas.
• A target audience defines the broad group of people the project aims to reach, and personas narrow this down to specific, relatable profiles.

Personas: Example

A software company is developing a mobile app for personal budgeting and financial management. Based on user interviews and survey data, the team creates three personas. One is Emma, a 27-year-old freelance designer who wants a simple way to track income and expenses. Emma prefers visual dashboards and uses her phone for all financial tasks. Her goals include saving more and reducing subscription costs. This persona guides the design team to focus on simplicity, mobile responsiveness, and budget alerts.

Personas: Best Practices

• Base them on thorough user research, not assumptions.
• Keep each profile focused and concise, using only relevant details.
• Involve cross-functional teams in persona development to gain multiple perspectives and insights.
• Update personas regularly to reflect changes in user behaviour or project direction.
• Refer to personas throughout the project to guide decisions in design, content, and communication.

Additional Resources

Preparing for a PMI certification?

• Exam Prep Courses: PMP^®, CAPM^®, and PMI-ACP^®
• Exam Simulators: PMP^®, CAPM^®, PMI-ACP^®, PMI-PBA^®, PMI-RMP^®, PMI-SP^®, PgMP^®, and PfMP^®
• Professional Development Units (PDUs): 15, 30, and 60 PDU Bundles