Prescient Digital Media is an intranet consulting firm that discussed how personas can help organizations understand their website and intranet users; personas represent typical user groups through profiles that include attributes like age, department, and technology skills; creating personas allows organizations to design sites that meet the needs of all user types.

1. Understanding Web & Intranet
Users Through Personas
Watch the webinar video instead February 29, 2012
Adam Wasserman, Consultant
Prescient Digital Media
Carmine Porco, GM & VP
Prescient Digital Media
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2. Agenda
o Who we are
o Personas
• What are personas?
• Value of personas
• Persona elements
oQ&A
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3. Twitter Hashtag
@intranet2
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4. Who we are
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5. Who is Prescient?
o 11 years of rich history.
o Strategic Internet & intranet consulting, planning &
design services to many Fortune 500 & big brand
clients, small and medium-size leaders.
o More intranet engagements & clients than any firm
(class).
o A well defined and proven methodology.
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6. Listen. Understand. Deliver.
o We treat each client as unique;
• Listen to their needs, goals and challenges;
• Understand a client’s requirements and
potential; and
• Deliver highly effective and innovative website
& intranet plans, designs & solutions.
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7. Prescient Digital Media
o Some of our clients:
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8. Personas
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9. Luke Smith Veronica Chung Chris Miller Roberta Davis
-Human Resource -IT Project -Office Admin. -Manager
Supervisor Manager -South Division -West Division
-Eastern Division -North Division
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10. Age
Department Gender
Technology
Location
comfort
Intranet
Position navigational
preference
Name Work style
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11. Personas…
 Represent & describe typical intranet/website users.
 Help organizations understand the needs of their users
by thinking like the users (e.g. would Sue use this?).
 Help organizations make data-driven decisions.
 Ensure that all parts and aspects of the organization are
appropriately represented.
 Makes the website/intranet more user-centric.
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12. Personas are not…
 Every possible user or employee.
 Exact replicas of specific employee or user groups.
 Only used for usability testing.
 A replacement for other site development processes
(e.g. business requirements, usability testing).
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13. Value of Personas
o Allow organizations to consider all users needs when
redesigning or developing a site.
o Makes large user populations more manageable and
easier to understand.
o Replaces the needs to canvas entire user communities.
o Useful in all aspects of the business outside of the
web/intranet initiatives.
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14. Persona Elements - Intranet
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15. Geographic Location
o Different locations have different
information/language needs that should be
addressed.
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16. Age
o Older employees use technology different
than younger employees.
≠
Company A Company B
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17. Roles & Tenure
o Different levels of access (data, forms, tools)
and different levels of knowledge.
Role Tenure
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18. Business Unit/Department
o Different information needs (News, data,
forms, tools).
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19. Work Location
o Intranet needs reflect the work location
• Social media is important to increase sense of
community for somebody working from home.
• Someone in transit may require more access to an
employee directory.
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20. Personas Complement Usability Testing
Personas Jill Smith
Use Apply for benefits
Cases
Usability
20 seconds to find form
Testing
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21. Use Cases and Usability Testing
Task Difficulty # of Clicks Locations searched
Essential Links,
1. Fill in your timesheet Medium 3-4 Employee Resources,
Forms, Tools/Apps
2. Find out about your Essential Links,
Easy 1-2
benefits Employee Resources
3. Find employee Essential Links,
Hard 4-5
discounts Employee Resources
4. Fill out your Tools/Apps, Employee
Medium 3
expenses Resources
5. Find the rules on gift
Easy 2 Policies/Procedures
giving and receiving
6. Listen to CEO’s Home Page, Employee
Easy 1-2
update Resources
7. Edit your profile Hard 3-5 Header, Tools/Apps
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22. Challenges
o Personas are data-driven but the information
that is needed is rarely easily accessible.
o Prescient builds out relatable personas by first
understanding the organization (interviews,
workshops, surveys, research).
o Personas need to reflect strategy.
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23. Challenges (cont’d.)
Personas & Use Cases
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24. Q&A
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25. Contact Information
www.prescientdigital.com
Adam Wasserman Carmine Porco,
Consultant General Manager & Vice President
Prescient Digital Media Prescient Digital Media
e: awasserman@prescientdigital.com cporco@prescientdigital.com
m: 647-966-9604 www.Twitter.com/carmineporco
t: 416-926-8800 x 22 Skype:carmine.porco
www.Twitter.com/awasserman 416.728.2226
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