Personas
/pərˈsoʊnəz/
nounB2plural
Definition
Personas are the different roles or personalities that someone can show in different places or times. For example, a person might act one way at work and another way with friends. In business or design, personas are made-up characters that show typical users to help understand their needs.
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See It in Action
Different roles or identities a person shows in life
- •She has many personas: a serious worker and a fun friend.
- •People often change their personas depending on who they are with.
- •His online persona is very different from his real-life personality.
Fictional characters created to represent typical users or customers
- •Designers create personas to understand what users want.
- •The marketing team developed personas to target their ads better.
- •Personas help companies imagine their customers’ needs.
Make It Stick
- ✓Think of "personas" like "people," but these are not real people—they are different faces or roles one person can have.
- ✓Picture a mask that changes for different events—each mask shows a different persona.
- ✓It’s the feeling when you behave differently with family than with strangers—showing a different side of yourself.
- ✓Sounds like "person-as" → imagine a person putting on different hats (as in "different roles") for each situation.
- ✓In stories or movies, actors play many personas by acting as different characters.
- ✓NOT like "person" (one real individual), personas are many versions or images of a person.
- ✓NOT like "character" (a role in a story), personas can be real or made-up for understanding people better.
Try Other Words
- •Characters: fictional or real people in stories or situations (Use when talking about story or acting)
- •Identities: who someone is or feels like (Use when emphasizing personal or social self)
- •Profiles: descriptions of typical people (Use in business or design when describing user types)
Unboxing
- •Word parts: persona (Latin for "mask" or "character") + -s (plural)
- •Etymology: From Latin "persona," meaning a mask worn by actors in plays to show a character or role
- •Historical development: Originally a theatrical term, now used more broadly for social roles or user types
- •Modern usage: Used in psychology, marketing, design, and everyday life to describe different sides or models of people
Reflect & Connect
•How do your own personas change when you are with family, friends, or at work?
•Can understanding personas help you communicate better with different people? How?
Fill in the blanks
1.People often show different personas depending on the ___ they are in.
2.Designers create personas to better ___ the needs of their customers.
3.His online persona is very different ___ his real personality.
4.Unlike real people, personas are often ___ to help understand groups.
5.Someone’s persona can change because of their ___ or feelings.
6.Personas help companies decide how to ___ their products to users.
7.When acting, an actor uses different personas to play many ___ in a story.