The concept of personas is well known to marketers. To create a persona, marketers develop multiple fictional character profiles that describe their real and potential customer base. Based on these personas, they then develop content that resonates with them. L&D professionals can also leverage this user-centered approach to create better and more engaging learning.

What Are Personas?

You can think of personas as fictional, generalized characters, each with individual goals and needs. Marketers observe behavior patterns among their real and potential customers and couple those observations with educated guesses, which help them understand their customers better. A persona can include the following information:

• Job role and responsibilities
• Biggest challenges
• Industry
• “Watering holes” (Where do these learners go to get their information, such as blogs, websites, publications, etc.?)
• Demographic
• Personal background

Marketers research personas by capturing specific information through forms on websites, interviewing current customers, looking for trends in databases and asking for feedback from the sales team. Developing three to five personas typically results in the best outcomes. Some personas are very detailed, while others are a brief sketch of each user. Either way, marketers usually include a fictional name and a picture in the persona. When reading a persona profile, the “person” comes to life, helping marketers create products and content that align with his or her needs, goals and interests.

Developing a Learner Persona

Why should L&D professionals care about personas? They can help you can create the right content, for the right audience, at the right time.
Here are some questions you can ask, or extract from learners’ personal information you have on file, when developing your learner personas:

• What is your job role?
• Are you a manager?
• How many years have you been with this organization?
• Have you changed roles within the organization?
• How would you rate your tech-savviness?
• Do you prefer learning online or through face-to-face training?
• Are you an early bird or a late riser?
• Are you involved in volunteer work organized by our company?
• What do you do in your free time?

Ask these questions, but also use data from your learning platform. Many platforms enable you to see when and how content has been accessed. If your system doesn’t capture these data, try to collect them using Google Analytics on any activities that are happening outside the LMS, and combine them with data you can gather using your LMS. The combination of questions, learning platform data and demographic data will result in a variety of profiles, and you can then categorize your learners into different groups.

Creating Engaging Content That Resonates With Your Learner Personas

Let’s look at two examples of learner personas:

• Burt, 43 years old, he has been with your company for six years. He’s a manager in the support department, overseeing five staff. He is extremely tech-savvy and loves to learn about new technologies in his free time. Burt learns best after work hours and prefers to access learning through his mobile device on his commute home. He volunteers his time twice each year to help with charity events organized by your organization.
• Apama, 23 years old, is fresh out of university. English is her second language, and she works as an administrative assistant. She enjoys getting up early and going for a run before coming to work. Apama loves her iPhone and is good at using her Mac, but she isn’t as familiar with PCs, which your company uses. She isn’t really interested in new technologies and learns best in face-to-face training where she can asks questions on the spot.

Burt and Apama are, of course, not real people, but their personas can be extended to other people in your organization who have similar interests and job roles. To create content for “Burt,” you might develop a training solution that is quickly accessed through a mobile device and shorter than eight minutes in length, delivered over a couple of days. You can push this content to those learners shortly after 5 p.m., which is when they are on their way home. “Apama,” on the other hand, would need the same content in a face-to-face training session, where she can ask questions, ideally held in the morning.

Developing multiple training solutions for the same content is more labor-intensive and might not always be possible. However, considering the positive outcomes you will be able to achieve (more engaged learners, better on the job performance, etc.), it might be worth the investment, especially for programs you run on a regular basis, such as onboarding or annual compliance training.

Design thinking is becoming more and more prevalent in training design. Consisting of five stages (Empathize, Define, Ideate, Prototype, and Test) [link to previous articles], it is a human-centered design approach that helps designers create outstanding learning experiences.

Through interviews, observations, the creation of empathy maps and learner personas, designers connect with the learner and gain valuable insights in the Empathize and Define stages. In the Ideation stage, data collected in the first two stages is interpreted and designers define a problem statement before ideating some concepts. Equipped with a variety of ideas collected through brainstorming, mind maps or analogies, designers move on to the Prototype stage, in which they produce a number of  inexpensive, scaled down versions of the solution. The prototype should be shared within the team and a wider audience to get as much feedback as possible. In this stage, designers move from an abstract idea to a more tangible product. Once a prototype is in place, the designer can move on to test the solution.

Test

It’s most important to remember that, despite the fact that testing is the last step in the design thinking process, it is certainly an iterative process. Meaning, results from the test phase are used to redefine problems, inform the understanding of users, how people think, behave and feel. Rigorous testing should be done not just by the designer, but by other evaluators to ensure the solution meets the learners’ needs. As a result, designers may have to go back to the drawing board and come up with a different solution.

User Testing

User testing can certainly happen throughout the design thinking process, but let’s take a look at some ways of conducting good usability tests. It is best to use a natural setting to test the prototype, meaning the familiar environment the learner is used to. The goal should be to have learners use the prototype like they would in real life as much as possible. Follow these guidelines for best outcomes:

• Tell the user that you are testing the prototype, not the user
• If possible, have alternatives for the prototype so you can test which version works best
• Do not over explain the prototype but watch the learner use it, and write down your observations
• Ask users to talk through their experience when using the prototype
• If you only want to test certain portions of the prototype, have specific  tasks ready that the learner should perform
• When you observe the learner, make sure you don’t disrupt the user’s interaction
• Ask follow-up questions to clarify what the user is describing
• Think about having an additional person to take notes and write down observations so you can focus on the learner

Negative and Positive Feedback

Don’t be discouraged by negative feedback. On the contrary, negative feedback can provide lots of insights into your solution. It can help designers find new ways to solve the same problems, or help discover previously unconsidered problems. Designers have to seek feedback wherever possible, conduct test using real end-users, analyze the results to determine what’s working and what isn’t. The end goal is a desirable, feasible and viable solution.

Desirable and Feasible Solutions

Desirability relates to the focus on people. It is at the heart of design thinking: human-centred design. A solution always needs to be appeal to the needs, emotions, and behaviours of our learners. Feasibility refers to the technology in place and answers the question if your design solution is technically possible. Technology shouldn’t hold you back, but sometimes a solution cannot be implemented without occurring huge costs.

To summarize, despite having five, as it seems liner stages, the design thinking process is fluid, iterative and flexible. Stages feed into one another and form iterative loops, they don’t follow necessarily any sequence in a project. The best gauge of success is when your training solution satisfies the desirability and feasibility tests.

Instructional designers are not only tasked with traditional design projects anymore, but are expected to design in a more human-centered approach. The design thinking process can help designers achieve exactly that. It consists of five stages that aren’t necessary linear, but require the designer to go back and forth in order to create the best learning experience. The five stages are Empathize, Define, Ideate, Prototype, and Test.

Designer connect with the learner and gain more insight in the Empathize and Define stages [link to previous posts] by interviewing learners, observing them, creating empathy maps and learner personas. Once designers interpreted the data from these stages, they define a problem statement and are ready to ideate [link to previous post]. In the Ideation stage, designers are looking at every possible angle for their problem statement. Methods like brainstorming, brainwalking, worst possible idea, mind maps, storyboards or analogies can help designers in this stage to come up with a list of possible solutions. Equipped with a multitude of ideas, designers move to the Prototype stage.

Prototype

In this stage, the design team produces a number of inexpensive, scaled down versions of the solution. The goal is to investigate which problem solution is the best possible solution for the design challenge at hand. It is recommended to share prototypes within the team and if possible with a wider audience. In this experimental phase, designers accept, improve and re-examine or reject solutions based on the user’s experience. Through this process, the design team will be better able to tell how a real user would behave, think and feel when interacting with the learning solution. In this stage, designers move from an abstract idea to a more tangible product.

Types of Prototyping

Prototyping doesn’t have to be time-consuming, expensive or difficult. Different fidelity levels allow designers to come up with solutions quickly. Fidelity means the level of detail, functionality or interactivity that a prototype has. Here are some ideas.

Low-Fidelity Prototyping

Low-fidelity means that the prototype doesn’t have a lot of detail, no images or colors. Instead, it uses placeholders for images and text, but shows the flow and functionality of a solution. It can be created on paper and be a simple visualization and doesn’t require any expensive software. Storyboarding, sketching and card sorting are two very inexpensive and simple ways to create low-fidelity prototypes. Low-fidelity prototyping is quick and inexpensive, and allows for instant changes. It helps designers to get an overall view of the end-solution using minimal time and effort. On the other hand, low-fidelity has a lack of realism and may lack validity

High-Fidelity Prototyping

These prototypes look and function closer to the finished product. It could be a 3D model with moveable parts or using a prototype tool to build out the experience on a phone or desktop computer. This prototype has most design assets and components developed and integrated. High-fidelity prototypes are more engaging for the users to test and it is easier to judge if this solution will work. They do, on the other hand, take much longer to create and users might focus more on small details instead of the content presented. It takes longer to update high-fidelity prototypes as well and sometimes, it is difficult for a designer to make changes after hours and hours have been invested in building the prototype.

Guidelines for Prototyping

Designers might start with low fidelity and then move to high-fidelity at a later stage in the design process. Don’t overthink this process and simply start building a prototype. It will help you think about the learning solution in a different way and potentially give you different insights. Don’t spend too much time, money and resources on the prototype as to not get emotionally attached to it, in case you have to make changes later. Never lose sight of the issue you are trying to test with your prototype, and always build with the user in mind.

Design thinking finds its way more and more into training, and instructional designers are tasked with using this human-centered approach. It consists of five stages: Empathize, Define, Ideate, Prototype, and Test.

In the Empathize and Define stages, designers connect with the learner and gain more insight into what drives and motivates them through interviews, observations, empathy mapping and learner personas. Equipped with that knowledge, designers can leverage all this information and organize, interpret and make sense of it, which helps them define a problem statement. A good problem statement is human-centered, broad enough for creative freedom, narrow enough to make it manageable, and actionable. Designers can use a simple post-it technique to gather their thoughts, use the Point of View (POV) problem statement approach, or use the How Might We Question (HMW) question technique to define the problem statement. The first two stages are the basis for the Ideation stage in which designers generate ideas. In the Ideation stage, designers think outside the box to identify new solutions to the human-centered problem statement. In order to stimulate free thinking, there are a couple of different techniques designers might use to get as many ideas or problem solution as possible.

Ideate

Generating ideas can be a challenging task if designers are not in the right environment and are able to take a step back. The Ideation stage is about looking at every possible angle for the well-defined problem statement. It is about pushing boundaries and effective collaboration. Some best practices for the Ideation stage include having a skilled facilitator leading the session, working in a creative environment featuring the work from the two previous stages, setting a time limit, and having a “there are no bad ideas” mindset. Designers should be bold and curious, challenge common beliefs and explore each other’s ideas. It is also not to late too flip ideas over to reveal new insights.

Ideation Techniques

The sky’s the limit when it comes to ideation techniques, however, they should combine the rationale with the creative and must match the kind of ideas designers seek to generate. It’s about using our imagination to come up with the best possible solution.

The most common technique is brainstorming, in which designers collaboratively build good ideas based on the problem statement defined, as well as the team’s idea. Once certain ideas form, designers might want to categorize them and dedicate certain areas in the room for specific ideas. The team can then add their additional ideas as they walk around the room (brainwalking).

Another useful technique is the worst possible idea which is better suited for more reserved individuals to produce bad ideas, which in turn result in valuable threads. It’s a also a fun way to flip the Ideation stage on its head and help relax everyone on the team.

A more graphical approach to ideation is the use of mind maps, which allow designers to connect ideas and find major and minor qualities for each. Or designers might want to sketch or storyboard their ideas using rough sketches or diagrams to express possible solutions. In order to dive deeper into solutions for a problem statement, the SCAMPER technique can be a great tool to produce solutions. SCAMPER stands for Substitute, Combine, Adapt, Modify, Put to another use, Eliminate, and Reverse. Designers can use the action words to question the problem statement at hand. A great example for this technique are new services such as Uber or AirBnB. The founders thought about ways to change the current cab and hotel industry, and voila Uber and AirBnB were born. The SCAMPER  technique can go hand in hand with the use of analogies to draw comparisons to communicate ideas better. For a more outgoing team of designers, consider role-plays in learner journey steps to find solutions. If a design team is stuck at any point, it can always fall back to their target audience and have them help crowdsource ideas. And sometimes, we just have to take a step back and take a creative pause in order to refresh our minds.

The Ideation stage is really the heart of the design thinking process. It is here that designers come up with human-centered design solutions. Choose an ideation technique that best matches the problem statement at hand, as well as the experiences of your design team. One technique might work well one day, but not the next. MIx them up to get the creative juices flowing and push the envelope to come up with outstanding solutions that help your learners succeed.

The design thinking process takes a human-centered approach towards training and consists of five stages:

• Empathize
• Define
• Ideate
• Prototype
• Test

In the Empathize stage, designers should connect with users or learners and gain insights into what drives and motivates them. Designers want to consider interviews and observations, as well as empathy mapping and the use of learner personas. Once designers know who their audience is and what really drives them, they can move on to the second stage in the design thinking process, the Define stage.

Define

In this stage, designers leverage all the information they have gathered in the first stage and organizes, interprets and makes sense of it. This allows to define the problem that is at the core of the design challenge. Meaning, designers have to define an actionable and meaningful problem statement that needs to be solved.. This design challenge will guide the designer and kick-start the ideation process rather than just defining learning objectives.This stage is about clarity and focus. Without it, it’s like stumbling in the dark. So let’s bring some light into the design thinking process.

A Good Problem Statement

The first step to shed light onto a design challenge is a good problem statement. It will guide a designer and add focus to their work, and it is the starting point to spark off new ideas in the Ideation stage. A good problem statement is:

• Human-centered
• Broad enough for creative freedom
• Narrow enough to make it manageable
• Actionable

There are multiple ways to define a problem statement that designers can follow with their teams.

Define a Problem Statement – Space Saturation and Group & Affinity Diagrams

This process might sound daunting, but is quite simple. Designers collect their observations and findings in one space using, for example post-it notes. This creates a collage of experiences, thoughts, insights and stories. Once all thoughts and insights are up on the wall, it is easy to draw connections between individual stories and insights and develop even deeper insights which help define the problem.

Define a Problem Statement – Point of View

In order to develop a problem statement in a goal-oriented manner, a point of view (POV) is a meaningful and actionable way to do exactly that. A POV allows designers to reframe a design challenge by combining three elements: user, need and insight. The following sentence can be helpful when developing a POV:

[User] _______ needs a way to [verb] ________ because [surprising insight] ________.

The measure of a successful POV is the number of different questions it will lead to as these questions are the base for the Ideation stage. Keep in mind that a POV should never contain a specific solution or how to fulfill a user’s need, but provide a wide enough scope to get the design team thinking.

Define a Problem Statement – How Might We Questions

Start using the POV by asking specific “How Might We” questions (HMV). These questions need to be built on the observations a designer collected in the Empathize stage. HMV questions should be broad enough for a wide range of solutions, but narrow enough that specific solutions can be created for them. Just like with POVs, the more questions a design team can come up with, the better. It opens up the design challenge to more solutions. HMW questions are really the launchpad for brainstorming sessions in the Ideation stage. To take it even further, ask “what is holding us back” for each HMV question to develop additional insights for the Ideation stage.

The Define stage is the crucial link between the Empathize and Ideation stage. It is however important to note that these stages don’t necessary happen in a linear way, and a design team might realize they have to go back and forth in order to find the best solution for their design challenge. The Define stage will help a design team gather great ideas to establish what possible elements would be part of the training solution.