Promoting a product without knowing who your target audience, or what your target audience wants, is an impossible task.
You’ll just be making decisions based on what you think they want. That’s not sustainable over the life of any brand.
That’s why creating user personas is important for any company that wants to grow.
Don’t know how to start creating one? Use Venngage’s user persona diagram templates as a starting point.
What is a user persona?
User personas are representations of your target customers. Creating user personas involves researching and outlining your ideal customer’s goals, pain points, behavior, and demographic information.
The research involved in putting together a user persona report will not only help you understand your target audience but will also help you create a better product for them.
Things like life goals, education level, age, and common problems will determine how you serve these customers in the future, especially when it comes to making marketing decisions.
Even small factors like location or salary can influence how those people make decisions, and in turn, use your product.
User personas are important for creating a targeted marketing plan, and for influencing your growth strategy.
22 tips on how to create a user persona guide + typical user persona examples
Not sure where to start? I have compiled 20+ user persona examples, tips and templates to help you create some amazing user persona examples from scratch.
1. Create 3-5 unique and detailed personas to start
If you’re creating your first customer or user persona guides, I would design one for each of your main customer groups. Most resources recommend between three and five distinct personas, and I’m inclined to agree.
Start with one ideal user persona and slowly expand to other types of customers. Here’s an idea user persona example for a cafe:
Persona example 1: Jannelle Robinson, PhD student
Description: A busy PhD Student who needs a quiet place to study and read without distractions. She spends a lot of time on campus, refuels often and is a major coffee lover. She is the ideal customer for Julia’s Cafe. She wants to receive quick and professional service; order online from her smartphone to avoid lineups, and not deal with over-conversational staff members.
Demographics
- Age: 26
- Gender: Female
- Location: Los Angeles, CA
- Education: Bachelor’s Degree (Undergraduate)
Motivations:
- High quality, strong coffee
- Quiet atmosphere for studying
- On or close to the college campus
Frustrations:
- Hates waiting too long for her coffee
- Doesn’t want to be bothered by the staff while studying
- Actually relies on strong coffee to help her concentrate later in the day
Goals:
- She needs information on the type of coffee a cafe serves, in order to determine the quality.
- She wants to find the menu and the daily specials as quickly and easily as possible.
- She wants to order with her smartphone, avoid the usual line-up, and experience minimal distractions.
Remember to maintain a minimum of 3-5 personas. More than that number will be hard to reach. Fewer personas will narrow down your audience too much.
2. Highlight products your audience already uses in your industry
Including well-known products in a user persona guide is a simple way to add a wealth of secondary information. For example, if this user only buys Apple products and only shops at Whole Foods, you can make a lot of assumptions rather quickly.
Or like in this persona guide example, the brands that they trust can help shape that persona. I mean, a user that watches Netflix, games and uses Moz is going to have different needs than one that only reads the Economist.
Buyer persona example 2: Lisa Montoya, software architect
Description: Lisa is the software architect at Blue Cable. She sees that larger companies have a difficult time implementing improvements. She wants to streamline communications and automate as many things as possible, to maintain an agile team.
Demographics
- Age: 32
- Gender: Female
- Location: New York, NY
- Education: Bachelor’s Degree (Undergraduate)
Motivations:
- Ease of use
- Creativity
- Solves problems
- Frequent updates
Frustrations:
- Change is always met with resistance
- Learning curves slow down productivity
- Larger companies are more risk averse
Goals:
- Discover new tools for communication, reporting, tracking and measuring
- Use small teams for large projects
- Update old frameworks to meet present standards
3. Use a customer journey map template to help create each persona
If you’re having some trouble putting together your user personas, a customer journey map may help. This is a great way for you to look at the customer’s journey from a different angle, and hopefully come out the other side with better insights.
Just like in this example, you can learn a lot about your personas by just studying how they use your product.
Click the template above to enter our online customer journey map maker. Customize the template to your liking–no design experience required.
4. Use icons to emphasize information in your persona guides
I’m a huge fan of icons and illustrations, especially on infographics. These little visual helpers allow you to add context and information rather effectively. Plus, people are relatively familiar with icons, so there is no learning curve.
Because of that, they can also be used on a persona guide to illustrate a complex concept or idea. Just take a look at this example where the icons are used to showcase the user’s interests and hobbies.
Persona example 3: Sarah Bennett, marketing manager
Description: Sarah has been working in the marketing field for over eight years. She has a strong background in digital marketing strategies and holds a master’s degree in business administration. Sarah joined TechSolutions Inc. two years ago and has been leading a team of five marketers.
Demographics
- Age: 32
- Gender: Female
- Location: London, UK
- Education: Bachelor’s Degree
Motivations:
Sarah is motivated by achieving tangible results and driving business growth through effective marketing strategies. She values creativity, collaboration, and continuous learning. She believes in building long-term relationships with customers based on trust and delivering value.
Frustrations:
Sarah faces challenges in effectively utilizing data analytics to optimize marketing campaigns. She finds it difficult to keep pace with the rapidly evolving digital marketing landscape and struggles to balance the demands of her role with her personal life.
Goals:
The primary goal is to increase brand awareness and market share for her company’s products. She aspires to lead a team of marketers and eventually become a marketing director. She also seeks opportunities to enhance her knowledge of emerging marketing trends.
5. Find a common metric to track across your different personas
When it comes to analyzing your different user personas, you should try to have at least one similar metric between them. Otherwise, you’re going to compare really abstract things like their bio, keywords or some other written metric.
Something like a score or point can generally be compared across the board.
6. Keep layouts consistent between persona guides
Other than creating one of the most unique persona examples in this collection, this example from Shopify does something exceptionally well. Almost as well as they know e-commerce, entrepreneurship and inventory management.
The designers kept the layout consistent throughout each card.
Consistency is key when creating an effective user persona because it allows for quick comparisons. It’s not efficient to have people aimlessly searching for info because the designer wanted to switch things up.
7. Visualize persona data in a memorable way
Providing real stats and metrics are a fantastic way to take your persona guide to the next level. But make sure that the data you’re presenting is actually useful and memorable.
You can achieve this by creating data visualizations, like we see in the example below. By combining icons with important data the designers were able to create a visual that can be easily recalled.
If you don’t have much (or any) experience creating data visualizations, starting with a user persona guide template like this one below, can help.
Customer persona example 4: Maria Isabella, UX designer
Description:
Maria has been working as a graphic designer for the past 8 years and has built up a solid portfolio of work. She has a Bachelor’s degree in Graphic Design and is always looking for ways to improve her skills. Maria is married with two children and enjoys spending time with his family.
Demographics
- Age: 28
- Gender: Female
- Location: Las Vegas
- Education: Bachelor’s Degree
Motivations:
- Explore new interests, spend quality time, and give back to the community. Add new experiences and professional friends.
Frustrations:
- Balancing client expectations and creative freedom, often leading to compromises in her design vision and style, which may affect her overall job satisfaction.
- Juggling multiple projects simultaneously, leading to potential time management issues and an increased workload, which may impact the quality of her work or cause burnout.
Goals:
- To create visually compelling designs that communicate effectively with clients and their target audience.
- To constantly improve her design skills and stay up-to-date with the latest design trends and technologies.
- To develop a strong portfolio of work that showcases her abilities and attracts new clients.
8. Highlight the differences between your personas
Different people have different goals, problems, and preferences. To help keep your marketing campaigns segmented and your product features focused, it can be helpful to highlight the differences between your personas.
Take a look at how this user persona example uses pie charts and custom illustrations to show the differences between each type of person:
9. Turn your user persona guide into an infographic
Infographics are an outstanding way to communicate visually. So why not turn your persona guide into an infographic?
The below user report includes visuals like icons, fonts and conceptual images to be more engaging. Venngage has a ton of free infographic templates that you can use as a starting point.
10. Make sure the designs reflect the personas
To make your user persona guides more memorable, use design elements that reflect each individual persona. Think about how you can use design to reflect their age, their jobs, and their interests.
For example, if one of your personas is a 20-something-year-old student, use modern fonts and a light color palette to reflect that.
Just take a look at this simple example and you can see how design choices influence the perception of the ideal user, as well as the written content.
Marketing persona example 5: John Edwards, marketing and sales manager
Description:
John Edwards is a seasoned Marketing and Sales Manager with a comprehensive understanding of financial reporting, sales strategies, and marketing operations. He is adept at providing strategic direction to his team, ensuring the effective engagement of beneficiaries, and presenting crucial data to stakeholders.
With a strong focus on both internal employee training and external public communication, he effectively harnesses a diverse range of visuals to convey his brand’s essence to the sales team and the wider audience. John’s dedication to storytelling serves as the cornerstone of his approach to marketing, enabling him to connect with audiences on a deeper and more meaningful level.
Demographics
- Age: 30
- Gender: Male
- Location: Seattle, Washington
- Education: Bachelor’s Degree
Motivations:
John is driven by the opportunity to create impactful marketing and sales strategies that resonate with both his team and the wider audience. He finds fulfillment in effectively engaging beneficiaries and stakeholders, thereby contributing to the overall success and growth of his organization. John’s passion for storytelling serves as a catalyst for building strong brand narratives and fostering meaningful connections with clients and customers, ultimately driving business growth and success.
Frustrations:
- Balancing the diverse responsibilities of overseeing both marketing and sales operations, potentially leading to time management challenges and a high-pressure work environment.
- Finding ways to effectively convey the brand’s story and value proposition to the sales team and wider audience, particularly when facing communication barriers or limited access to creative resources and tools.
Goals:
- Create a series of visually compelling assets and materials to convey the brand’s essence and value proposition.
- Implement comprehensive financial reporting systems that provide accurate and detailed insights into the organization’s sales and marketing performance, enabling data-driven decision-making and strategic planning.
11. Thoroughly research your users’ motivations and pain points, then highlight them
When you start the actual research into specific personas it’s important to look at both the motivations and pain points of each. A few guides that I saw while collecting user persona examples focused on only one or the other.
To truly create an accurate user persona, you need to thoroughly research both your users’ motivations and pain points. You can speed this up using user research tools, which will allow you to explore your users and help you recruit them for your research.
For example, this highly qualified influencer may find it difficult to attend events. You can position your product as a solution for them.
Persona example 6: Tracy Chadwick, director of sales
Description:
Tracy is a Director of Sales for an ad agency. Her problem is that traditional ads look boring. She is specifically looking for highly customizable designs that can be used to create slides for a presentation. She is motivated to be more creative and have her work stand out.
Demographics
- Age: 29
- Gender: Female
- Location: Portsmouth, NH
- Education: Bachelor’s Degree (Undergraduate)
Motivations:
- Affordable pricing
- Saves time
- Ease of use
- Boosts creativity
Frustrations:
- Difficulty in finding presentation tools that align with her specific needs for creating visually appealing and engaging sales pitches.
- Time-consuming processes involved in manually designing and customizing slides, leading to inefficiencies in her workflow.
Goals:
- Incorporate innovative visual elements into her presentations to make them more engaging and memorable.
- Discover new design tools or platforms that offer unique templates and themes for sales presentations.
- Implement interactive features in her presentations to make them more engaging and encourage audience participation.
12. Include goals that your product or service may not directly impact
Obviously, the goals that your product or service directly impacts should be featured in each user persona example. But you should also take it a step further and highlight the other goals this persona may have.
Maybe your product is a content marketing agency. You can provide solutions for users to achieve their indirect goals, like in the example below. It may not be something your product will influence or impact, but they are still important in understanding the persona.
Persona example 7: Hector Cortez, real estate agent
Description:
Hector Cortez is a family-oriented real estate agent who values spending time with loved ones and hosting social events. Committed to continuous learning and professional development, he actively pursues networking opportunities and educational resources to stay updated on market trends and cutting-edge technologies. His dedication to providing exceptional service to his clients drives him to prioritize building strong relationships and delivering tailored solutions that meet their specific needs.
Demographics
- Age: 38
- Gender: Male
- Location: Brooklyn, NY
- Education: High School
Motivations:
- Establishing a strong reputation in the real estate industry, thereby securing a stable and successful career for himself.
- Building a strong network of satisfied clients and fostering long-term relationships with them, leading to a thriving referral-based business.
Frustrations:
- Inability to collaborate with professionals
- Accessing new markets
- Content creation
Goals:
- Connect with professionals; access new real estate markets; increase proficiency by accessing low-hanging fruit.
- Build and maintain brand image, faster content-creation turnaround.
13. Begin your user persona guide with a helpful introduction paragraph
Part of creating a well-rounded user persona is giving them a backstory. It really doesn’t have to be much, but enough to help highlight key traits or aspects.
You can use this intro to talk about what makes your personas tick. Outline why your company should care about this persona. Or make it purely biographical, like in the user persona example above.
I like this approach because you can use it to tell a real story instead of just listing facts and figures.
Persona example 8: John Edwards, program coordinator
Description:
John is a Program Coordinator for a children’s early education program. He is responsible for keeping stakeholders informed about program enhancements and its impact. Since his reports have an impact on future decision making and program funding, he is looking for a new and engaging way to make his data “pop”. Mark thinks of himself as more of a data guy.
Demographics
- Age: 35
- Gender: Male
- Location: Seattle, WA
- Education: Bachelor’s Degree
Motivations:
- Ensuring that program enhancements and achievements are accurately represented through engaging data presentations, leading to increased support and funding for the program.
- Using data analysis and visualization to showcase the program’s success, thus reinforcing his role as an effective and valuable Program Coordinator.
Frustrations:
- Difficulty in presenting complex data in an engaging and understandable format, leading to potential misunderstandings or underappreciation of the program’s achievements.
- Limited access to user-friendly and effective data visualization tools, making it challenging to create impactful and visually appealing reports that capture stakeholders’ attention.
Goals:
- Develop interactive reports that facilitate better understanding and interpretation of the program’s performance, leading to informed decision-making for future improvements.
- Utilize data-driven insights to identify areas for program development and enhancement, thereby improving the overall quality of early childhood education.
14. Design a fully visual persona
There are no rules that say your user persona has to be a document or a poster. Honestly, it can be whatever helps your brand build better experiences for your users.
If you can create one that doesn’t fit into any of the traditional conventions. I mean, with just a handful of items, Jason Travis was able to paint a rich tapestry for each user.
Alternatively, you can craft a user persona presentation to show your team exactly who your customers are – their preferences, quirks and what they’re into. It’s like sharing a sneak peek to help everyone get the hang of your audience.
15. Include details like geographic location and salary range
Factors like location and salary are extremely useful, especially if your customer base is mostly in one geographic region. This user persona example from GB Lee made sure to feature both, but some guides omitted it completely.
Think about how different customers living in LA and NYC are, or how different the rent is when living in San Francisco and Kansas City.
Those are massive things that you can’t afford to ignore, or your persona guide will be a wasted effort.
Persona example 9: John Doe, PhD student
Description:
John is a graduate student at UCLA who cares deeply about animal rights. He spares his own time to volunteer at the local animal shelter and to promote pet adoption. He wishes to order some design artifacts to raise awareness at his school.
Demographics
- Age: 28
- Gender: Male
- Location: Los Angeles, CA
- Education: PhD
Motivations:
- Easy-to-use design tools
- Affordable pricing
Frustrations:
- Some vendors charge way too much for the designs
- Connecting with the local vendors require extra time on his end
- If he ends up not getting the funds, he has to put his own money
Goals:
- Create designs that promote animal adoption
- Order design artifacts such as posters, badges and buttons to distribute them to students
- Help with crowdfunding
16. Use sliding scales or progress bar to accurately define a user
Generally speaking, the more specific your user persona guide is, the better. Take a look at the previous tip to see a few of those concrete factors.
However, other sections or factors are better defined if there is a little more gray area.
Like in this example, where personality traits are more accurate if they are graded on a scale. It’s better to say that Jerome is a bit more extroverted than introverted. Labeling him at either extreme would paint an inaccurate picture.
Persona example 10: Jerome Carter, senior communications executive
Description:
Jerome has been in communications for ten years, and he works for a medium-sized enterprise in a senior position. He loves to problem solve, create innovative solutions, improve efficiency and productivity. He manages important clients for the company and oversees major projects by working with small teams of 7 people.
Demographics
- Age: 32
- Gender: Male
- Location: New York City, NY
- Education: Bachelor’s Degree (Undergraduate)
Motivations:
- Eco-friendly
- Personalization options
- Ease-of-communication
Frustrations:
- Confusing UX leads to more inquiries
- Lack of standardization leads to more follow ups
Goals:
- To reduce emails sent
- To reduce inbound calls
- To automate more process
- To keep track of everything
17. Assign each user persona example a real name
Thinking about these personas as actual customers or people can make the whole process of developing personas more effective. That’s why I believe that assigning them a real name is so essential.
Take a look at this persona example, if they would have used a single keyword or something like “Runner McGee” the facade is broken immediately.
Then you run the risk of your persona guide being just another document that your team ignores. Your personas should guide your marketing plan.
Persona example 11: Daniel Strope, illustrator
Description:
Daniel Stroupe is a skilled and imaginative illustrator with a passion for creating captivating visual narratives through his artwork. With a background in fine arts and a focus on digital illustration, he combines traditional techniques with modern technology to produce intricate and compelling illustrations. He is known for his attention to detail and his ability to convey complex emotions and stories through his artwork.
Demographics
- Age: 23
- Gender: Male
- Location: New York City, NY
- Education: Bachelor’s Degree (Undergraduate)
Motivations:
- Daniel is driven by the desire to evoke emotions and inspire imagination through his illustrations. He finds fulfillment in using his artistic abilities to tell stories and communicate ideas in a visually engaging and thought-provoking manner. His passion for creating meaningful and impactful art fuels his dedication to continuously refining his craft and exploring new techniques and styles to enhance his creative expression.
Frustrations:
- Facing challenges in effectively communicating his artistic vision and style to clients, potentially resulting in misunderstandings and revisions that could affect project timelines and overall client satisfaction.
- Balancing the demands of managing his freelance business, including client communications, project deadlines, and administrative tasks, which may encroach upon his creative time and energy.
Goals:
- Develop a strong online presence and a reputable brand as an illustrator by actively sharing his work on social media platforms and building a dedicated following of art enthusiasts and potential clients.
- Enhance his technical skills and proficiency with digital illustration tools and software to streamline his creative process and produce high-quality illustrations efficiently.
18. Break down a day in the life of your user persona
To help think like your persona, it can be helpful to imagine what a day in their life is like.
An easy way to illustrate a daily or weekly routine is by using a timeline infographic. You can use icons to illustrate the different activities they do or obstacles they face, and
Plus like Monica Miller did in the user persona example, you can impart a lot of information in a rather small package.
Persona example 12: Olivia Jones, IT specialist
Description: Olivia has been living with her roommate, Julie Plasseti for 2 years. Olivia is a very devoted gamer, has a number of new electronics including a PS5 , Xbox 1080 and a powerful desktop computer. They split the utility bill even though Mara’s product likely consume considerably more energy.
Demographics
- Age: 26
- Gender: Female
- Location: London, UK
- Education: Bachelor’s Degree
Motivations:
- Olivia does not want her roommate paying more than her fair share. Leaving her electronics on too long affects their longevity
Frustrations:
- Olivia is a very forgetful person and leaves many of her electronics on and running
- Olivia keeps the A/C running constantly during the summer season, due to the heat her products generate in her room
Goals:
- Lower monthly bills
- Reduce energy consumption/increase efficiency
19. Present all personas guides on one page for easy comparison
Comparing the similarities and differences between your personas can be helpful when creating your marketing plan. You can make comparison easy by showing your personas on one comparison sheet (or even a comparison infographic).
In this user persona example, they presented all three personas on one graphic. You can compare each aspect in a matter of milliseconds, instead of swapping screens or shuffling papers.
20. Summarize each user persona with a few keywords
What drive each of your user personas? Try and summarize them in a few powerful keywords.
These persona examples come from our friends at Mailchimp. I can confidently say they are my favorite in this roundup.
Not only are they visually unique and can be used as posters around the office. These guides also tell you all you need to know about each persona with only a few keywords.
21. Highlight social media or tech use
The social media platform or tech a persona uses on a daily basis should definitely be included on each guide. This tip, and user persona example, is especially useful for any brand or company that’s internet-based.
Not knowing both of those factors could spell trouble from the beginning, Because if we were to target one of these personas on the wrong device or platform, all our efforts would be a waste.
So take the time to really find out where your personas are hanging out, and what device they use to do that.
Persona example 13: Juan Vindas, dispatcher
Description: Juan Vindas is a dedicated and efficient dispatcher with a strong background in logistics and transportation management. With a keen attention to detail and a solution-oriented mindset, he effectively oversees the scheduling and routing of resources to ensure timely and efficient delivery of goods and services.
Demographics
- Age: 45
- Gender: Male
- Location: Desamparados, Costa Rica
- Education: High school
Motivations:
- Cultivating strong relationships with vendors and suppliers to negotiate favorable terms and agreements for cost-effective procurement.
- Solving complex logistical challenges and ensuring the smooth execution of logistics operations.
Frustrations:
- Balancing the demands of coordinating multiple dispatch operations simultaneously, potentially leading to increased stress and pressure to meet strict deadlines and service level agreements.
- Handling communication breakdowns and misunderstandings among team members or external stakeholders, leading to potential disruptions in the logistics process and customer dissatisfaction.
Goals:
- Enhance operational efficiency by implementing advanced logistics management systems and optimizing resource allocation to minimize delivery times and maximize cost-effectiveness.
- Foster strong communication and collaboration among drivers, suppliers, and customers to ensure a streamlined and well-coordinated delivery process that meets and exceeds customer expectations.
22. Never use recognizable faces or celebrity photos
I mentioned already that you should give each persona a real name, and the same can be said when it comes to using images or headshots.
Creating the impression that this is a real person is key, so don’t use any celebrities, people from your office or recognizable faces. This could lead to people subconsciously adding traits from these people to the personas.
In this persona example, they did the right thing and used a random person. It’s almost like you’re looking at a blank slate, which really is ideal.
Persona example 14: Andrea Martius, graphic designer
Description: Andrea has been working as a graphic designer for the past 8 years and has built up a solid portfolio of work. He has a Bachelor’s degree in Graphic Design and is always looking for ways to improve his skills. Andrea is married with two children and enjoys spending time with his family.
Demographics
- Age: 28
- Gender: Male
- Location: Las Vegas
- Education: Bachelor’s Degree
Motivations:
- Explore new interests, spend quality time, and give back to the community. Add new experiences and professional friends.
Frustrations:
- Struggling to find creative inspiration and maintain a consistently high level of creativity, potentially affecting her ability to produce innovative and unique design solutions for her clients.
- Difficulty in effectively communicating design concepts and ideas to clients or team members, leading to misunderstandings and revisions that may prolong project timelines and increase stress levels.
- Limited access to professional development resources or training opportunities, hindering her ability to expand her skill set and explore new areas of graphic design that could further enhance her career.
Goals:
- To create visually compelling designs that communicate effectively with clients and their target audience.
- To constantly improve her design skills and stay up-to-date with the latest design trends and technologies.
- To develop a strong portfolio of work that showcases her abilities and attracts new clients.
6 Types of personas for effective audience engagement
When it comes to understanding target audiences and designing effective marketing strategies or user experiences, personas play a crucial role in providing valuable insights into the diverse needs and behaviors of specific user groups.
Here are some of the common types of personas that businesses often utilize to tailor their approaches to different segments of their audience:
- Buyer personas: These are the fictional characters that represent the customers who might buy your stuff. They’re all about understanding why people make the choices they do, so you can cater to their wants and needs.
- User personas: Focus on the characteristics, behaviors and needs of individuals who interact with a product, service, or system. User personas help designers and developers create user-friendly experiences and products tailored to the target users’ requirements.
- Marketing personas: These personas are usually based on demographics, behavior patterns and preferences of the target market. They help marketers understand their target audience and create effective marketing strategies to reach and engage potential customers.
- Customer personas: These are the characters that show you what your current customers are all about. They help businesses tailor their products and services to meet the evolving needs of their customer base and improve customer satisfaction and loyalty.
- Service personas: Service personas help service providers understand the specific needs and expectations of each user group to deliver a seamless and satisfactory service experience.
- Brand personas: These personas are all about nailing down your brand’s vibe and personality. Brand personas help businesses establish a consistent brand identity and effectively communicate their values and messaging to their target audience.
Conclusion
Now that you know how to create an ideal user persona, it’s time to actually go do it!
These are going to take a while, and involve a lot of research but don’t get discouraged.
In the end, they will be worth it because you will be able to help your customers better.
When in doubt, start with a persona guide template.