Personas and roleplaying in product discovery and agile processes.

1. @gil_zilberfeld
Interview with the
Vampire

2. @gil_zilberfeld
Hello!
I AM GIL ZILBERFELD
www.gilzilberfeld.com
www.everydayunittesting.com
@gil_zilberfeld

3. @gil_zilberfeld
Agenda
◉ Personas
◉ Building personas
◉ Role-playing
◉ Interviewing techniques

4. @gil_zilberfeld
The goal
◉ Understand the user
◉ Create better products
◉ Build the important stuff
◉ Test better
◉ Prove and disprove assumptions

5. @gil_zilberfeld
Persona
“Fictional characters created
to represent the different
user types that might use a
site, brand, or product in a
similar way.”

6. @gil_zilberfeld
Persona
◉ Name
◉ Life story
◉ Daily lives
◉ Likes and dislikes
◉ Everything we think that can help us to
empathize

7. @gil_zilberfeld
Example
http://fakecrow.com/free-persona-template/

8. @gil_zilberfeld

9. @gil_zilberfeld
Exercise – Create a persona
◉ Vampires!
◉ Who are the they
◉ Where do they live?
◉ What are their secret ambitions?
◉ What do they hate?
◉ https://app.box.com/v/vampirepersona

10. @gil_zilberfeld
◉ Diversity and groups
◉ Problems
◉ Assumptions
Do not discuss with others, the competition is
listening!
Exercise – More personas

11. @gil_zilberfeld
Role playing
“Enacting the persona”

12. @gil_zilberfeld
Role playing
◉ To take on a “role”
◉ To try and think like
another person in
another context
◉ To experience and
identify with a “virtual”
world

13. @gil_zilberfeld
Role playing
◉ Some hints
• Don’t deny the story!
• You look good when others
look good
• It doesn’t have to be funny

14. @gil_zilberfeld
Exercise – Interview
◉ Re-organize
◉ Vampire, interviewer, spectators
◉ Vampire briefing
◉ Interview and debrief
◉ How much did the persona you built fit?

15. @gil_zilberfeld
Exercise – More interviews
◉ Same groups
◉ Vampire briefing
◉ What is important to the vampire?
◉ Debrief

16. @gil_zilberfeld
Summary
◉ Know thy user
◉ Interviewing works not just on users
◉ You’ll have a better product

17. @gil_zilberfeld
Thanks!
ANY QUESTIONS?
You can find me at:
@gil_zilberfeld
gil.zilberfeld@gmail.com