Use Cases for Interactive Persona Analytics Systems

The APG Team at the Qatar Computing Research Institute (QCRI) has engaged in a multi-year research effort developing a state-of-the-art personas analytics system and associated techniques. The data-driven personas are algorithmically created from user behavioral and demographic data and function as interactive interfaces to the persona system and user data.

We have shown in peer reviewed research that data-driven personas outperform analytics alone in an user understanding task.

Once created, however, how do you employ these data-driven personas to make better decisions?

In our book, Data-Driven Personas, we present 12 use cases for data-driven personas divided into 3 general categories of:

1. Analytical use cases: focused on finding insights from the user data using descriptive information and passive observation.
2. Interactive use cases: analyzing the user data based on flexible system functionality and the active participation of persona users for modifying and manipulating that data.
3. Team-centered use cases: practical activities for user understanding in an organizational setting.

The 12 specific use cases (UC) are:

• ANALYTICAL USE CASES
  • UC1: CUSTOMER JOURNEY MAPPING
  • UC2: BEHAVIORAL MODELING
  • UC3: MARKET GAP ANALYSIS
  • UC4: LONGITUDINAL ANALYSIS OF USER INTERESTS
• INTERACTIVE USE CASES
  • UC5: ON-DEMAND PERSONA GENERATION
  • UC6: USER SENTIMENT ANALYSIS
  • UC7: CHAT WITH A PERSONA
  • UC8: PERSONA RECOMMENDATIONS
• TEAM-CENTERED USE CASES
  • UC9: COMMUNICATING DATA VIA PERSONAS
  • UC10: CHALLENGING EXISTING ASSUMPTIONS
  • UC11: SUPPORTING DESIGN ACTIVITIES
  • UC12: SPLIT TESTING WITH PERSONAS

We discuss each of these 12 use cases with recommendations on employment and with examples from APG, our persona analytics system.

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.