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Personas Versus Participatory Design In Software Development

Lalique Gumbs-Prince. Personas Versus Participatory Design In Software Development. Advisor: Dr. John Bowles. University of South Carolina Summer Research Program. National Science Foundation Grant 0353627. Objective.

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Personas Versus Participatory Design In Software Development

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  1. Lalique Gumbs-Prince Personas Versus Participatory Design In Software Development Advisor: Dr. John Bowles University of South Carolina Summer Research Program National Science Foundation Grant 0353627

  2. Objective • To explore and compare the benefits and flaws of the Participatory Design and Personas techniques. • Report the experience with personas in a collaborative setting. [Lady Buggin Design Team]

  3. Introduction • Developing new software applications and products for consumers can be challenging for software development teams • The creation and use of personas, is a fairly new interaction design technique, is become increasingly popular among software development teams

  4. The Concept and Characteristics of Personas • Personas are fictional archetypes of users created by designers and engineers • Characteristics of personas include • Names and ages • Likes, hobbies, and pet peeves • Ethnicity • Families and socioeconomic status • Goals and educational achievement

  5. Uses of Personas • Enhancing reality • Building scenarios and data collection • Guiding decisions with • Product features • Visual design • Navigation and interaction

  6. The Participatory Design Approach in Software Development • Involves qualified users throughout the design process • Hypothesizes that good ideas come from the bottom up as well as from the top down • Involves prototyping and low fidelity mock ups

  7. Uses of the Participatory Design Approach • Giving workers better tools • Helping qualified users to determine how to improve their skills or work life • Addressing information technology within the context of the workplace

  8. L.B.D.T Experience with Personas • Developing a mobile application using J2ME • Creating three personas : 2 females and l male • 2 secondary personas • 1 primary persona • Choosing the correct primary persona • Once primary persona is pleased with the product, all potential users should be satisfied

  9. Primary Persona: Eve • 19 year-old Female from Austin, Texas • English Major • Reading, hanging with boyfriend, involved in campus clubs and activities. • Very punctual, outgoing, social, impatient, and motivated • Computer literacy and proficiency: Medium • Research, typing papers, news, and music for her IPOD • Cell phone use: High • Plays games for relaxation and calendar

  10. Secondary Persona: Bill • 48 year-old male from New York • Construction worker • Recovering alcoholic • 2 kids from previous marriage and now remarried • Fishing, camping, bowling, watches TV (Sports and Westerns) • Computer literacy and proficiency: Low • Does not own a computer • Cell phone use: Medium • For emergencies, to call his wife, business use, and takeout food

  11. Secondary Persona: Carey • 12 year-old from Beverly Hills, California • Favorite Subject: Art • Private School Student in the 6th grade • Shops with her mother, plays tennis, does paintings and draws • Father: Movie Producer • Mother: Clothing Designer • Computer literacy and proficiency: High • Research, Designing (Art Related), Shopping, Chatting. • Cell phone use: High • Has the latest technology with phone • Games, organizer, and talking to her friends and family

  12. Benefits of Creating Personas in the Software Development Process • Focuses on a specific target audience • Creates a strong focus on users and work contexts through the fictional setting • Enhances memory, attention, and organization of detailed user data through the power of narrative

  13. Potential Flaws of Creating and Using Personas • Reuse • Inaccuracy • Creating the wrong persona • Sets the development process back

  14. Benefits of the Participatory Design Approach • Benefits for the designers • Users more likely to accept the system • Designers know the needs of the user firsthand • Benefits for the participants (users) • Improves working skill • Influence changes technology • Both have a shared knowledge and understanding of this process

  15. Potential Flaws of the Participatory Design Approach • Confidentiality • User limitations • Time

  16. Conclusion • As research shows, the participatory design seems to lengthen the process of software development • As stated by Cooper, the personas technique “may take time to master", but are quick to develop. • Disagreements over design decisions can be sorted out by referring back to the agreed-upon personas

  17. Acknowledgements Cooper, Alan. (1999). The inmates are running the asylum. Macmillan Calabria, Tina. (2004). The introduction to personas and how to create them. Ehn, P. (1993). Scandinavian design: On participation and skill. Erlbaum Team members include Rob Jansen LaShea Johnson Carlos Rivera

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