Personas for DOULS

1. Personas for DOULS October 2011

2. Explanation, overview of these personas and coverage Introduction

3. Explanation of these personas Personas are pen-portraits of typical users of a web site, computer system or other product of interest. They can help designers to focus on different features needed for disparate groups of users, or common elements used by everyone. These personas are based on: • The main set of personas developed by the Online Services team within the Open University Communications Group for use across the whole Open University • An initial view of how the personas would use features relevant to the DOULS project, developed by Niall Sclater • Data gleaned from participants in usability tests conducted as part of the DOULS project • Other data sources used by the Online Services team to update the personas for other reasons. Previous versions, and the details of the history, are available from the Open University on request

4. Overview of these personas There are 9 personas altogether in the Open University set They are designed to represent a cross-section of Open University enquirers and students, balanced for: • Demographic background • Subject of study • Qualification aim • Range of attitudes towards higher education • Information-seeking and decision-making behaviours. The next slides in this presentation show the subjects of study and the qualification aims of the personas.

5. Who studies what

6. BA (Open) BA (Hons) Cert F. D. Dip HE BSc(Hons) Dip BEng Cert Cert Cert Cert HE BA/BSc(Hons) BA(Hons) If they make it, here’s what they’ll study

7. ProfCert PGCE If they make it, here’s what they’ll study Martin reduces his intensity of study in years 2, 3

8. The personas when we first meet them, and their online behaviour DOULS personas

9. DOULS personas For DOULS, we are interested in personas with distinctive online behaviour, and selected 5 of them. Each persona is presented as two ‘interviews: • About the persona’s first encounters with the Open University • About their aims as a student, their online behaviours, and their use of DOULS and RAP tools.

10. Jason, school leaver Awareness/Exploration

11. Jason, gamer • 17 • 7 GCSEs,3 AS levelspredicted CDD at A • Lives in with Mum in Peterborough • Online style • web games, chats, texts • surfs fast but without direction • DOULS and RAP tools • Setting preferences • File format selection • Google calendar • Personal iGoogle start page / OU gadgets • Google docs RAP and DOULS

12. Rachel, Enthusiastic dreamer Awareness/Exploration

13. Rachel, Networker • 28 • GCSEs; A-levels: History, EnglishMedia Studies • Lives in London with partner • Receptionist • Online style • Facebook addict • Texting • Social networking • DOULS and RAP tools • Note-making tool – to help her plan her busy social life • Annotation tool – for sharing with other students • Personal iGoogle start page – if she can co-ordinate it with Facebook RAP and DOULS

14. Abila, looking for a way up Awareness/Exploration

15. Abila, handholder • 30 • GCSEs • Lives in Bradford with parents, child, and grandmother • Works in a care home • Online style • Nervous of technology • Erratic access to computers • DOULS and RAP tools • Google docs, because she can get to them anywhere • Uses OU forums RAP and DOULS

16. George, updating skills Awareness/Exploration

17. George, updating skills • 44 • HND, HNC, NVQ4 • Lives in Aylesbury with wife and teenagers • Works as a production manager • Online style • Tasters, planners, personal widgets • Computer is a tool • DOULS and RAP tools • Note-making tool – adds notes to remind himself about deadlines • Annotation tool – he studies mainly on paper now but likes the idea of having all his notes on one place on the computer • Google calendar – to keep track of study and busy family life RAP and DOULS RAP and DOULS

18. Martin, building a power career Awareness/Exploration

19. Martin, building a power career • 27 • BSc(Hons) Maths • Single, based in Singapore (but travels a lot) • Analyst for HSBC • DOULS and RAP tools • Note-making tool – plans ahead, notes date to study on each block • Annotation tool – notes on his progress, quotes for TMAs, exercises to come back to • Setting preferences – minimal view of StudentHome to use on mobile • File format selection – chooses exportable formats to download to read while travelling • Google calendar – juggles dates • Online style • Mobile access, e-books, cloud storage • Uses the cloud as much as he can • Constantly juggling calendars RAP and DOULS

20. The personas when we first meet them, and their online behaviour Personas not in DOULS

21. Personas not in DOULS For completeness, this section lists the four personas who were excluded from the RAP set. The reasons: • Win: excluded because she has been added to the overall set since the start of the DOULS project, and because her online behaviour is similar to Rachel’s • Josie: excluded because her online behaviour is similar to Abila’s • David: excluded because as a long-term OU student, his study patterns and behaviours are aligned with existing OU tools and he is not particularly interested in trying new ones • Margaret: excluded because she has little interest in experimenting with newer technologies unless they are compulsory.

22. Win, turn my job into a career Not in RAP Awareness/Exploration

23. Josie, empty nest new career Not in RAP Awareness/Exploration

24. David, persistent student Not in RAP Awareness/Exploration

25. Margaret, leisure learner Not in RAP Awareness/Exploration

26. Contact details For further information about the development and use of these personas, please contact: Judith Pickering, project manager j.a.pickering@open.ac.uk This document was created by Caroline Jarrett caroline.jarrett@effortmark.co.uk