To aid us with our user centred HCI project design we have used the Microsoft web page to help us understand personas meaning and its beneficial usage within the project.
Persona – A fictional character that can be used as a tool in the design process by cresting task analysis and characteristics to allow the development of ideas in solution creation and also aid in evaluating design features by applying the user centred design techniques on them.
The Microsoft website defines four main problem areas that are encountered when using personas they are:
1. The characters were not believable; either they were obviously designed by committee (not based on data) or the relationship to data was not clear.
2. The characters were not communicated well. Often the main communication method was a resume-like document blown up to poster size and posted around the hallways.
3. There was no real understanding about how to use the characters. In particular, there was typically nothing that spoke to all disciplines or all stages of the development cycle.
4. The projects were often grass-roots efforts with little or no high- level support (such as people resources for creating and promoting Personas, budget for posters or other materials to make the Personas visible, or encouragement from team leaders: .thou shalt use these characters.).
taken from: http://research.microsoft.com/research/coet/Grudin/Personas/Pruitt-Grudin.pdf
To overcome these problems they must be considered when designing our personas. These are the ways in which each of the above problems where tackled in the creation of our personas.
1. They are based on grandparents of the team and our experiences with them and their everyday lives including the design probes used in two houses highlighting areas of importance with that age group.
2. Extensive detail produced into each persona including likes activities ambitions and a day in the life of. Also photos make the personas appear more life like and believable.
3. The product is based on the usability issues and requirements arisen from the age group that the personas are members of.
4. By using a diverse range of ages and lifestyles, we managed to address the fact that the personas don’t limit the observed users to a specific niche market.
These points allow us to understand the theoretical implications when creating personas and therefore develop the best personas for our project.
Catherine Turner Persona
DescriptionCatherine is a active 70 year old that enjoys the countryside and being with her friends. She lives the countryside town of Bedford. Her husband died in his sleep twenty years ago and she lives on her own. She lives in a semi-detached house with a large garden. As she has been in the house for a long time she hasnt decorated it in years and she prefers it this way. She has all the modern appliances with the exception of a computer. She can drive and has been known to have cheap cars that last her 2 years at the most. She finds good fun in helping out at her local church for all of the typical services and to help raise money to keep the church from running. With her help the church built a museum in tribute to John Bunyan, a Christian preacher that was put in prison for his preaching. She loves dogs and watching the tennis at Wimbledon, she also spends large amounts of time looking after her much older friend Elsie. She still has very good help for her age and is very independent, she wont let anyone touch the washing up when they are over and loves to spoil her grandchildren when ever possible by taking them to the sweet shop!
Interests
Cath enjoys playing Badminton with her grandchildren when she looks after them in the summer and plays for fun at the local sports hall despite not having great movement she still gets to most shots and smash is not something to be messed with. She is proud of her garden and spends large amounts of time in her garden making presentable to all the local squirrels and birds that feed on the nuts and bread that leaves out for them. She loves flower decorations and makes them often for her church for events like Easter and Christmas. She is often seen walking one of the many family dogs around the local river where she is often seen picking flowers for her displays. Being a woman shopping is favorite past time with her best friend Pat this is often great for catching up. Whilst watching her Soap opreas she is often does some sewing to help past the time. And when she is in the mood for a challenge she finishes her current jigsaw project.
Daily Life, an average day
Mrs Turner gets up at 6am everyday, has a her morning shower before she makes her usual breakfast of weetabix and hot milk with a cup of tea. She then takes her pills and does the daily chores. Around 10am she will leave the house for town, despite being able to drive and owning a car she prefers to walk to the local shop and then onto her church. She has buy her newspaper here as the shopkeeper has run out of paper boys. Whilst at church she helps to make the tea and coffees for the visitors whilst catching up with her friends.
Cath then walks to Marks and Spencers, where she had worked for years and now has ex staff discount to pick up a much needed jumper. Cath likes to take the scenic route home via the local river Ouse, when she has some spare bread she likes to feed the ducks. Once at home she makes herself a good sandwhich and listens to the 'Wireless', After the Archers has finished she spends her time doing a jigsaw puzzle, if the weather is good she does this in her garden. Around late-afternoon one of her grand daughters, 'Nicky' pops over to say hello and brings the family dog Sam. Sam knows exactly where the biscuits are kept and waits patiently at the cupboard.
After the teas have been finished Nicky heads home with a begrudged Sam, who enjoys the extra attention Cath likes to give. She then makes Dinner for herself and watches her favorite soaps Emmerdale and Coronation Street whilst completing her sewing project. Around 9ish she often gets a phone call from her sister in London Winnie whos tells all about the goes on in the busy capital. Around 10.30pm its time for bed.
Other Activities
Cath looks after her grandchildren every Friday and picks them up from school to take them to the sweet shop, she will then look after them until her son comes home from work. She loves to play games like I spy with them and they give her energy to keep going. She has also been known to love holidays in Malta, despite having been there so many times she still feels that she hasn't explored it all yet.
Goals, Fears and Aspirations
Cath's daily goal is too get everything done before early afternoon so that she can spend time chilling out, doing one of her favourite activities. Her greatest fear is that something bad will happen to one her of immediate family, she cares greatly for them.
Computer Skills/Technology Knowledge and Abilities/Attitude
Cath has never owned a computer and her house phone is 40 years old. However she constantly points out that is still works and has never failed her. She does own a DVD player and flat screen TV though, it was brought for her by her family as her last tv's were hand me downs and lost colour. She does struggle to use these as the tv instructions change for each tv and it annoys her as all she wants to do is record her favourite soaps. Cath does own a mobile phone and she finds it a bit confusing, she cant text, but she can call people and find names in a phone book. She doesn't like the fact she does not know what all the symbols on the screen.
Caths Quotes
"Would you like a sweet, i have plenty."
"now rap up warm and make sure you ring me when you get home"
"God Bless"
"Look at those lovely flowers!"
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