How do you avoid common pitfalls and biases when developing personas?

2 Use a clear and consistent framework

Another common pitfall when developing personas is to use a vague or inconsistent framework, that does not capture the essential information or align with your goals. This can result in personas that are too generic, too detailed, or too disconnected from your customer experience strategy. To avoid this pitfall, you should use a clear and consistent framework, that covers the following aspects of your personas: demographics, psychographics, behaviors, needs, goals, pain points, and scenarios. You should also use a common format and language, that makes your personas easy to understand and communicate.

3 Avoid confirmation and selection bias

A common bias when developing personas is to confirm or select the data that supports your existing beliefs or expectations, and ignore or discard the data that contradicts them. This can result in personas that are skewed, incomplete, or misleading, and that do not reflect the reality of your customers. To avoid this bias, you should be open-minded and curious, and seek out data that challenges your assumptions and reveals new insights. You should also use a diverse and representative sample of customers, and avoid generalizing or extrapolating from a few cases.

4 Avoid self-referential and empathy bias

Another common bias when developing personas is to project your own opinions, preferences, or emotions onto your customers, and assume that they share them. This can result in personas that are biased, inaccurate, or unrealistic, and that do not capture the unique perspectives and experiences of your customers. To avoid this bias, you should avoid using yourself or your colleagues as a reference point, and instead focus on your customers' own words and actions. You should also use empathy tools, such as empathy maps, customer journey maps, or user stories, to understand your customers' feelings, thoughts, and motivations.

5 Avoid over-simplification and over-complication

A final pitfall when developing personas is to over-simplify or over-complicate them, and lose sight of their purpose and value. Over-simplifying personas can result in personas that are too broad, generic, or unrealistic, and that do not capture the nuances and variations of your customers. Over-complicating personas can result in personas that are too specific, detailed, or complex, and that do not communicate the key information or insights. To avoid this pitfall, you should balance the quantity and quality of your personas, and create as many as you need, but not more than you can use. You should also prioritize the most relevant and actionable information, and use visual aids, such as photos, icons, or quotes, to make your personas more engaging and memorable.

6 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?