A persona you can actually use
Learning objective
Build a working learner persona that has constraints, context and a real ask.
01 · Hook
Why this matters
Most personas are decoration. Pretty headshot, generic copy, no constraint that would change a single design decision. Here is how to build one that does.
02 · Core
Five things, in order
Name and one-line summary
"Sara, secondary teacher, five years in."
Context and constraints
Device, bandwidth, time, environment. Be specific.
Prior knowledge
What can she already do?
Real ask
In her words. "One thing I can use on Monday."
What would make her quit
The friction. Design to remove it.
03 · Practice
Try it
Try it
For your current project, write three lines about the constraints your persona operates under. If you cannot, you have not built a persona — you have built a stock photo.
04 · Carry
One thing to take back to work today
Trim your project's persona list to two. Two forces you to choose. Seven turns into wallpaper.
Craig Stanley Studio · Microlearning 07 of 12 · Pairs with the Foundations of Instructional Design course.