Learn in the textbookPractical Methods for Idea Generation and Validation
DefinitionThe persona method (ペルソナ法) portrays a typical user of a product or service as one fictional person, with a name, an age and even a lifestyle.
ExplanationWith a broad grouping like "office workers in their 30s", each person involved tends to picture someone different. Narrowing the profile to one person lets the team judge whether a feature is needed and how easy it is to use by asking how this person would feel, so everyone shares the same picture. It is used, for example, when design thinking (デザイン思考) needs a concrete image of the user.
AnalogyIt is the same idea as letter writing: words come more easily when you write to one particular person than to "everyone".
Memory hookIn Latin, persona was the mask an actor wore; from the role being played, it came to mean a character profile.