User Personas
Now that I have finally decided on a project direction, and have some solid user research, it’s time to deepen my understanding of the users that I am designing this product for.
User personas are a great way to group research data together, and think further about who it is I am trying to help.
Jaden is an artist who doesn’t understand what is causing his IBS flare-ups. I think that creating an app allowing people to compare their symptoms with possible causes, could be useful for a user like him.
Kerri is worried about taking so much time off work because of severe flare-ups, and the symptoms caused by them. Being able to fix her habits, and speak to a professional about ways to help, will be very useful for this type of user.
Anna is an organised person, who likes to be able to see everything in one place. The statistics screen will be a nice feature for someone like this. She doesn’t have technology as one of her main skills, so creating an easy-to-use UI will be the way forward for these types of users.
Grey has a lot of anxiety around speaking to professionals about their symptoms. They also fear going out for food because they are unsure of what may cause a flare-up. The online chat feature will be very useful for this user. I also hope that being able to track which foods cause issues will be useful in helping them feel more comfortable with going out and enjoying meals with friends again.
Thoughts:
I always enjoy compiling my research and creating user personas. It allows me to better empathise with the users that may be using my product. When I feel like I am in the shoes of the user, the final outcome is always a lot more effective. I hope that, with my user research considered, I am able to design an app that will successfully answer the design question:
“How can we design an app to help users understand, and control their IBS symptoms in a stress-free manner?”