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3. Must Insert Background Image
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2- Select “Picture from File”
3- Scale your image to fill the page
by dragging the corner
Background Image must be “sent to back”
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Creating innovative customer
experiences isn't just thinking
outside the box.
EXPERIENCE
INNOVATION
Changing behaviors is central to
the challenges facing both
society and business.
BEHAVIOR
CHANGE
Modern technology is
accelerating innovation
and transforming business.
DIGITAL
SOLUTIONS
4. FINANCIAL WELLBEING
Retail Banks Insurers
Wealth Management
& Investment Companies
We work within the Financial Services domain to
translate customer data into personalized experiences.
Multi-line Financial
Services Companies
15. DEMOGRAPHIC BASED PERSONAS…
Don’t tell us what users need
Don’t tell us how people will react to products and services
Don’t tell us why people might do what they do
16. WHAT COMES TO MIND?
Blonde woman in her early 40s,
married with children.
21. TRENDS THAT CHALLENGE STEREOTYPE:
Most gamers are men Women who dominate the gaming industry
High-end or luxury goods are only
bought by high net worth
individuals
Baby Boomers don’t like using technology
Millennials like to do everything digitally
Low to middle income earners who
consume high-end or luxury goods
Baby Boomers who are increasingly
tech-savvy
Millennials who respond to direct mail and
paper coupons
(Source: https://www.zionandzion.com/consumer-experience-stereotypes-personas-and-demographics/)
25. TO COMPARE THE TWO…
• Overwhelmed by complexity
• Wants to be “told” what to do
• Doesn’t research her options
• Chooses what’s easiest
• Doesn’t always follow a
budget, but financially
responsible
• 30+ years old
• Married, no children
• Masters level education
• Works in a design company
• Lives in Boston
• Expat
OPTION #1:
DEMOGRAPHIC
OPTION #2:
BEHAVIOR-BASED
26. BEHAVIOR ATTRIBUTES CAN GUIDE DESIGN
• Overwhelmed by complexity
• Wants to be “told” what to do
• Doesn’t research her options
• Chooses what’s easiest
• Doesn’t always follow a
budget, but financially
responsible
BEHAVIOR-BASED
PERSONA
• Give her simple, step by step directions,
so she knows exactly what to do
• Educate her about options, and explain
the benefits of each one
• Provide the support she needs to meet
her savings goals and stick to her
budget
HOW TO DESIGN FOR THIS
PERSONA
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30. 30
RESEARCH TO INFORM BEHAVIOR-BASED DESIGN
Use research-based insights and/or anecdotal
evidence, if available
Use primary and/or secondary data if available
31. 31
USING ANECDOTAL EVIDENCE
Personal observations, reflections, and
authority/experience
Gained through direct interaction with end
users
• Financial Advisors
• Benefits administrators
• Bank tellers
• Call center representatives
• Researchers with past experience
Pro Tip: Assumptions or one off
stories are not the same as
anecdotal evidence. Be wary of
assumptions. Seek out relevant
people in your organization.
Someone might have
experience with the
information you’re looking for.
31
USING ANECDOTALEVIDENCE
Personal observations, reflections, and
authority/ experience
Gained through direct interaction with end
users
• Financial Advisors
• Benefits administrators
• Bank tellers
• Call center representatives
• Researchers with past experience
Pro Tip: Assumptionsor one
off storiesare not the same as
anecdotal evidence. Be wary of
assumptions. Seek out relevant
people in your organization.
Someone might have
experience with the
information you’re looking for.
33. 33
USING PRIMARY RESEARCH DATA
Ethnographic Observations
User Interviews
Surveys
Focus Groups
Usability Testing (Lab- and Field-based)
Experiential audits (Secret Shopping)
Social media listening
User Behavior Analysis via Analytics
Pro Tip: Verbatim quotes can
be a rich source of behavioral
data as you’ll see today.
35. 35
BEHAVIOR ATTRIBUTES
Behavior attributes are personality
traits that bring a persona to life —
and help build empathy.
These personality traits affect how
people interact with and
experience products and services.
36. 36
BEHAVIOR ATTRIBUTES
We display attributes on a spectrum, with each end representing an
extreme of that attribute. In this case,
“I just chose the funds
our plan administrator
suggested. I’m not an
investment expert!”
“I don’t need an
expert to tell me
what to buy. I do my
own research and
follow my gut.”
37. 37
WE WILL USE THESE BEHAVIOR ATTRIBUTES TODAY
Human service – Prefers to interact with another person before making
decisions or taking action.
No preference – Might lean one way or the other – human or digital
service – depending on the complexity of the task or situation.
Self-service – Thinks that it’s faster and easier to take care of tasks
themselves rather than with another person’s help.
38. 38
WE WILL USE THESE BEHAVIOR ATTRIBUTES TODAY
Novice – Uncomfortable with technology and unfamiliar with
advanced digital capabilities.
Savvy – Actively seeks out the latest technology.
39. 39
WE WILL USE THESE BEHAVIOR ATTRIBUTES TODAY
Delegator – Prefers to leave decision-making to a trusted expert.
Validator – Comfortable making and acting on decisions, after
they’ve been validated by an expert.
Soloist – Makes decisions without external guidance, but may
seek help and validation when highly stressed.
Note: Sometimes attributes include a midpoint, which represents more than just a wishy-
washy personality. In this case, a validator has specific traits.
40. 40
WE WILL USE THESE BEHAVIOR ATTRIBUTES TODAY
Easily influenced – Bases opinions on other people’s thoughts,
opinions, and experiences.
Rarely influenced – Disregards the opinions of others and bases
judgments on direct experience.
41. 41
WE WILL USE THESE BEHAVIOR ATTRIBUTES TODAY
Deep dive – Reads the fine print, sweats the details, knows
where every dollar is going, and wants detailed insights.
Surface level – Focuses on the big picture. Comfortable with less
detailed oversight.
42. 42
WE WILL USE THESE BEHAVIOR ATTRIBUTES TODAY
Strict – Adheres to deadlines, sticks to a budget, etc.
Lax – Comfortable with missing deadlines, overspending, etc.
43. 43
WE WILL USE THESE BEHAVIOR ATTRIBUTES TODAY
Dissatisfied – Spends a lot of time worrying about their current
financial situation and seeks to change it.
Satisfied – Doesn’t think much about money on a day-to-day
basis and is comfortable with their current financial situation.
44. 44
WE WILL USE THESE BEHAVIOR ATTRIBUTES TODAY
Micromanaging – Frequently checks up on financial products and
services to make sure things are on track.
Hands-off – Comfortable with less frequent oversight. Prefers to
set up their accounts and then occasionally check in.
46. 46
LISTEN FOR CLUES
How people describe their experiences is important. Even if your
research wasn’t designed to specifically understand where
someone falls on a behavior attribute spectrum you can infer things
based on what you hear.
For example:
“I just chose the funds
our plan administrator
suggested. I’m not an
investment expert!”
“I don’t need an
expert to tell me
what to buy. I do my
own research and
follow my gut.”
47. 47
ATTRIBUTE SHEET
While listening to today’s
interviews, make note of any
“clues” to how the interviewee
might handle their personal
finances.
Based on what you hear, mark
where you think they fall on each
of the attribute scales.
48. 48
MOCK INTERVIEW SCENARIO
Scenario: You’re designing a budgeting app for young women, to
help them establish good financial habits and to offer education,
guidance, and support in the future.
The purpose of these interviews is to understand the
perspectives of two Millennial women. What makes them unique?
Is it their demographics or their personalities?
Your task:
Take notes!
Mark where the personas fall on each of the attribute scales
50. 50
TEAM SYNC-UP — 10 MINUTES
Your table = your team
Compare attribute sheets and
discuss differences and
similarities
As a team, create a single
attribute sheet for your
designated persona (This sheet
will be your “source of truth” for
the next activity.)
52. 52
UI SCAVENGER HUNT — 15 MINUTES
Using your attribute worksheets, evaluate the app screens for
your table-specific persona
Fill out the worksheets as a team
If you don’t get to each screen, don’t worry!
53. 53
SHARE OUT— 15 MINUTES
What did you learn?
Did anything surprise you?
How can you envision using this in your practice/organization?
What else would you need to feel empowered to do so?
55. 55
USING PERSONAS IN REAL LIFE
Q: How do you handle multiple personas?
Decide which one represents your audience best and when making
design decisions, prioritize them.
This is the age of personalized experiences. Adaptive content is your
friend
Think about how you could bring about business innovation and
differentiation by designing your products based on customer’s
behavior attributes.
56. Must Insert Background Image
To do so:
1- Select “Insert” in the file menu
2- Select “Picture from File”
3- Scale your image to fill the page
by dragging the corner
Background Image must be “sent to back”
To do so:
Right click the Image, select “Send to Back”
Make sure Arrow Box and Mad*Pow
Are viewable.
Come by our booth to chat more.
We’re also raffling off one kit today!
We’re glad you could join us today to hear about behavior-based personas, and about MPACT
Mad*Pow is an EXPERIENCE DESIGN CONSULTANCY
We’re based in Portsmouth NH, but, all of us are all based in our Boston office
Essentially we leverage HUMAN-CENTERED DESIGN to help improve people’s interactions with both large organizations and technology
We have TWO PRIMARY PRACTICE areas–healthcare, financial services
We’re a PURPOSE-DRIVEN company…and mission really is to help IMPROVE WELLNESS — health and financial
That said, we pride ourselves on being firmly ROOTED IN REAL WORLD SOLUTIONS
We work with health leaders to understand behavior and inspire change, both inside and outside of the organization.
EXPERIENCE INNOVATION
Innovation isn't just a matter of thinking outside the box. To develop truly unique experiences that thrill customers, we embrace a systematic approach fueled by deep empathy and an understanding of behavior, directly aligned with business goals, and hyper-aware of organizational dynamics.
BEHAVIOR CHANGE
Changing real world behaviors is central to addressing the key challenges facing both society and business. We leverage behavior science and motivational psychology to help people achieve greater health and wellness, financial wellbeing, education, and sustainability.
DIGITAL SOLUTIONS
Modern technology is accelerating innovation and transforming business and society. We partner with our clients to design and build scalable, beautiful, usable and accessible digital solutions that deliver the seamless and compelling experiences that produce measurable business results.
We understand the intricate and complex health ecosystem of government agencies, life sciences, insurance companies, hospitals, non-profits, patients, caregivers, and doctors. Our passion, combined with decades of experience in health, gives us the unique ability to see opportunities for engagement and improvement where others see only obstacles.
Working with all these clients over the years… we’ve developed a lot of tools…
So, let’s start by taking a quick look at personas, in general.
Here’s one definition.
In this one, a persona is like a character sketch. It describes a personality type.
When you hear things like a “public persona,” it can have negative connotations, like it’s some kind of mask people put on.
Our definition is slightly different:Personas are representations of your audience: The people that will download your app, use your product, visit your hospital, open an account at your bank, etc.
They’re a useful tool for design teams. Because they help build shared understanding and empathy for the people that are going to do all those things I just mentioned..
Understanding and empathy are key to designing solutions that are all the things you want them to be: engaging, empowering, effective.
Personas have been a requisite part of the designer’s toolkit since the 90’s, when Alan Cooper, the renowned UX designer and author, described them in his book, “The Inmates Are Running the Asylum.”
At the time he was writing a software program for project managers. As he was working, he found himself thinking about his friend Kathy, a project manager.
Imagining how a person he knew might think, feel, and act within an imaginary scenario did two things:
It helped him feel empathy for the struggles she faced
And it helped him understand how to design a program that eliminated or reduced those struggles. https://www.cooper.com/journal/2008/5/theoriginofpersonas
Persona creation is an integral part of many Mad*Pow projects. THE MPACT kits you’re using today came about because of this work.
So, I’m curious: Who has USED PERSONAS BEFORE?
CREATED them before?
Personas give us insight to how people think, feel and act when they’re using products or services, or in certain scenarios.
They help us think about their goals — and how we can help them achieve them.
It helps us identify content and functionality that helps them.
Since the 90s, Cooper’s technique has been widely applied.
Google “personas,” and you’ll see that they come in all shapes and sizes.
Personas are a powerful design tool, but they don’t guarantee success. WHY?
One big reason:
Our beliefs. Our assumptions. Our experience. Not research.
Personas built on “fuzzy science.”
Others:
Siloed teams
Going through motions
No buy-in
Priyama’s going to review the most common reasons for failure.
Organizations often build their personas on demographic information alone: age, race, gender, income bracket, education level
When we rely on that we are not focusing on what people are doing.
But even worse, it can introduce bias.
Barbie is a stereotype.
Personas often end up becoming or serving stereotypes
At Mad*Pow, we believe that behavior-based personas are more valuable
Because they’re more actionable
That’s why we developed a methodology to help teams create them.
Behavior-based personas help us visualize or imagine or even predict how a persona will react in specific situations
THINKING, FEELING, SAYING, DOING
Will they follow a budget? Save without prompts to do so?
Behavior-based personas provide ACTIONABLE INFORMATION— the kind of information you can use to make better experiences.
DEMOGRAPHIC DATA CAN BE HELPFUL AND VALID. We just prefer to start with BEHAVIOR AS FOUNDATION.
If clients have rich demographic data, we can absolutely overlay that data onto our behavor-based personas.
Together, behavior attributes = our persona, an ARCHETYPE of a particular kind of user
<DANA>
So, if we imagine that I’m designing a budgeting app, which persona do you think would be most effective?
OPTION #1 OR OPTION #2
Is there a way to design for a married 30 year old?
<DANA>
I’d go for Option #2, because knowing about her behavior helps me make informed decisions about how to design for her.
<PRIYAMA>
MPACT is a persona-building framework for anyone who wants to use an understanding of human behavior and the power of play to design better products and services.
It takes a facilitator and a team of diverse stakeholders on a step-by-step journey, from user research to project objectives to a mutually agreed-upon design direction.
The activity that we’ll do today came out of our work creating MPACT.
<PRIYAMA>
<PRIYAMA>
<PRIYAMA>
<PRIYAMA>
don’t send this slides to participants
<PRIYAMA>
Here’s an example from the finance kit, in the management constellation.
For the MPACT framework, we grouped attributes in thematic “constellations.”
There are six of these constellations in the MPACT for Finance Kit, but we limited ourselves to three for today’s activity.
Starting with Execution, which has two attributes
Service Preference
Technology Savviness
For the MPACT framework, we grouped attributes in thematic “constellations.”
There are six of these constellations in the MPACT for Finance Kit, but we limited ourselves to three for today’s activity.
Starting with Execution, which has two attributes
Service Preference
Technology Savviness
For the MPACT framework, we grouped attributes in thematic “constellations.”
There are six of these constellations in the MPACT for Finance Kit, but we limited ourselves to three for today’s activity.
Starting with Execution, which has two attributes
Service Preference
Technology Savviness
For the MPACT framework, we grouped attributes in thematic “constellations.”
There are six of these constellations in the MPACT for Finance Kit, but we limited ourselves to three for today’s activity.
Starting with Execution, which has two attributes
Service Preference
Technology Savviness
For the MPACT framework, we grouped attributes in thematic “constellations.”
There are six of these constellations in the MPACT for Finance Kit, but we limited ourselves to three for today’s activity.
Starting with Execution, which has two attributes
Service Preference
Technology Savviness
For the MPACT framework, we grouped attributes in thematic “constellations.”
There are six of these constellations in the MPACT for Finance Kit, but we limited ourselves to three for today’s activity.
Starting with Execution, which has two attributes
Service Preference
Technology Savviness
For the MPACT framework, we grouped attributes in thematic “constellations.”
There are six of these constellations in the MPACT for Finance Kit, but we limited ourselves to three for today’s activity.
Starting with Execution, which has two attributes
Service Preference
Technology Savviness
For the MPACT framework, we grouped attributes in thematic “constellations.”
There are six of these constellations in the MPACT for Finance Kit, but we limited ourselves to three for today’s activity.
Starting with Execution, which has two attributes
Service Preference
Technology Savviness
You may remember that when we talked about research, we mentioned that vertbatim quotes are a great source of behavioral data.
Well, the best way to get verbatim quotes is by conducting user research and listening for those behavioral clues.
We’re now going to conduct two mock user interviews, to give you a chance to practice that kind of listening for yourself.
One of the things that the MPACT framework does best is foster collaboration and discussion. So, we’re going to give you a chance to practice some of that now.
Compare your attribute sheets with the folks at your table. Do you mostly agree? Disagree?
Your job is to complete one master attribute sheet that you all agree on. One for Nedret. One for Priyama.
Now imagine that you’ve been asked to evaluate the wireframes for this new app for Millennial women.
<
<Priyama>
We can kick this off by asking a question we hear very often
One question we get a lot when we speak about MPACT and personas is: What do you do if you have two personas and they’re totally different?
MPACT is a persona-building framework for anyone who wants to use an understanding of human behavior and the power of play to design better products and services.
It takes a facilitator and a team of diverse stakeholders on a step-by-step journey, from user research to project objectives to a mutually agreed-upon design direction.
The activity that we’ll do today came out of our work creating MPACT.
IF YOU WANT TO FIND OUT MORE ABOUT MPACT OR BEHAVIOR-BASED DESIGN, PLEASE STOP BY THE MADPOW BOOTH.
WE’LL BE THERE TO ANSWER QUESTIONS AND CONTINUE THE DISCUSSION.