3 Step Process for Deploying Data-Driven Personas in Your Organization

Data-driven personas are algorithmically created from user behavioral and demographic data. They can be a valuable tool in an organization for communication across divisions to get a consistent user understanding.

However, we hear from many clients that deploying personas within an organization can be challenging.

So, how do you deploy data-driven personas in an organization to make better decisions?

In our book, Data-Driven Personas, we put forth a 3 step process for onboarding personas in your organization dubbed Educate—Invest—Employ (EIE). The steps are as follows.

1. Step 1: Educate—Introduce, define, and clarify data-driven personas. Ensure stakeholders understand the costs and benefits of data-driven personas and how to best use data-driven personas. Lay the foundation in data, technology, capabilities, and management support.
2. Step 2: Invest—Get key stakeholders involved with data-driven persona creation from the outset. Get stakeholders invested in creating data-driven personas to ensure trust and further use of the personas in the future. This requires organization expertise in data, technology, and understanding. If these readiness features do not exist internally, then the organization needs external expertise.
3. Step 3: Employ—Set up the processes and culture where data-driven personas are used in the organizational workflow. Assist stakeholders in ensuring that data-driven personas’ benefits are tangible and incorporated into the organization’s workflow and
   the measured key performance indicators (KPIs). It is essential to have a persona champion and managerial support.

In the book, Chapter 2, we discuss each of these 3 step with actionable recommendations for implementation.

You can get your copy of the book from the publisher, Data-Driven Personas

Or through Amazon Data-Driven Personas

Jansen, B. J., Salminen, J., Jung, S.G., and Guan, K. (2021). Data-Driven Personas. Synthesis Lectures on Human-Centered Informatics,1 Carroll, J. (Ed). Morgan-Claypool: San Rafael, CA., 4:1, i-317.