Proto-Persona

Proto-Persona is a collaborative workshop that allows the creation of personas based on the internal knowledge of the team. This game is ideal for aligning team members on target users at the start of a project, without requiring extensive research. It encourages discussion and the sharing of each person's perceptions of the end user.

Walkthrough

1. 1

   Introduction

   10 min

   The facilitator presents the concept of proto-persona and its importance for the project. They explain that the goal is to create representations of users based on the team's experience and intuitions. The facilitator reminds that these personas are not final but serve as a starting point for future research.

   Tip — Use an example of an already created persona to illustrate what the team will produce.

2. 2

   Brainstorming

   20 min

   Ask participants to think individually for a few minutes about the possible characteristics of target users. Then, conduct a roundtable for everyone to share their ideas. Note all suggestions on a whiteboard or post-its so that everyone can see them.

   Tip — Encourage all ideas, even the most unlikely ones, to stimulate creativity.

3. 3

   Grouping Ideas

   15 min

   The facilitator guides the group to group similar ideas and start structuring the characteristics into categories (demographics, needs, behaviours, etc.). This helps to see trends and structure the proto-personas.

   Tip — Use different colours for the categories to facilitate visualisation.

4. 4

   Creating Proto-Personas

   30 min

   Divide participants into small groups and ask each group to create a proto-persona using the identified categories. Each group should give a name, a photo, and a story to their persona to make it more vivid.

   Tip — Provide magazines or image banks to help participants find photos for their personas.

5. 5

   Presentation of Proto-Personas

   20 min

   Each group presents its proto-persona to the rest of the team. Encourage other groups to ask questions and provide feedback. This allows for clarification and reinforcement of the characteristics of the personas.

   Tip — Limit the presentation time to 5 minutes per group to maintain energy and attention.

6. 6

   Conclusion and Next Steps

   10 min

   The facilitator concludes by reminding that these proto-personas are a starting point. Discuss the next steps, such as validating the personas through user research. Thank the participants for their contribution.

   Tip — Note the next steps on the board so that everyone can visualise them.

Variants

• Use pre-filled cards with user characteristics to inspire participants.
• Integrate usage scenarios for each proto-persona to better understand their interaction with the product.
• Conduct the exercise online using collaborative tools like Miro or MURAL for remote teams.