When designing an interactive product the user is the always considered first before going ahead and designing the product. The user is the purpose for why the an interactive is bing designed so it is important that the interactive is designed to be suitable for the specific user or group of users the product is being designed for. The users needs and objectives determine the function and content required that lead to the interaction design and information architecture that leads to the visual design. It is important to identify the users properly as the knowledge of the user has an overall effect on the entire project.
User personas are a fictional representation of the real users that will engage with the product. The overall personality including the users age, gender, goals, behaviours, attitudes, cultural backgrounds, likes and dislikes of a hypothetical group of users is all considered in a user persona. Personas are developed from data collected from users with descriptions of their personality, environment of product usage and context. The goal of a user persona is to understand the mind set and behaviour of type of people who will be using the product being designed. Personas allow the designer to design with a product with a clear understanding of the user in mind.
It is important to make sure that the designer considers a core audience that the interactive is purposed for to make sure that the design is will be suitable and work well for that audience primarily. It is also important to broaden the scope and look at general features that can make the interactive more applicable to a wider range of users and work out ways to best work for a larger group without making it any less effective for the primary users that the product is being designed for.
A user persona should identify how a user will perform a certain task and how they will get to the end destination. All users are different and will have different ways in going about how they get to the desired destination or achieve a certain objective. It is important to develop multiple paths and methods that users can follow to work for different user mindsets. Some users may want to explore and browse a website or app whilst other users may want to find a specific thing they are looking for, designing options for exploration is important and users also need to have the opportunity of alternate routes to get to the outcome faster. It is important to understand the different devices the personas are using as well as certain age groups will be involved in using certain devices over others for example teenagers and young adults will use mobile devices more often compared to middle age and more senior adults.
It is essential to understand the two main approaches to designing an interactive for users which is knowing if the interactive is task dependant or user dependent or both. Task dependent interfaces are designed for user discovery and have a specific path designed for the user to follow to a certain outcome. A user dependent interactive is designed for the user to be free to search and explore what they are seeking to find and choose how they can go about it. User interfaces can also be both task and user dependent depending on what the interactive is about and is inclusive of the different types of users.
Artefact Personas
Artefact personas are developed after the creation of user personas. The artefact persona is the description of the personality of the interactive product being designed and how it will engage with the users. The Artefact persona proposes the visual style and design of the product, the personality, impressions on the user, the type of approach for example, content or image focused, type of language used etc. Artefact personas are important as the personality of the interactive can determine how and who will use the interactive and how well will the users engage with the interactive. Interactive designs are become more are more relatable to people which is why the personality is important for example a product designed for children should have a child like personality through the use of colour, visuals, text and the type of language use, sound etc where as an interactive design for a middle age adult will consist of a more sophisticated approach. An interactive designed for specific genders, interests or different intellectual people will all have an artefact that will have a personality that will best fit for that type of user.
Figure 4: Waterson, S. (2019). [Image]. Retrieved from https://vimeo.com/319375751 
Figure 5: Waterson, S. (2019). [Image]. Retrieved from https://vimeo.com/319375751
Artefact personas are important to make the user feel like they are talking less to a machine and more towards a person and type of person they are comfortable talking to. Artefact personas are usually created by investigating the user group being targeted and asking them what type of characteristics they like in a certain user relating to the context of what the interactive is being designed for. The best way to develop an artefact persona is to collect a range of key words that describe the personality and break it down to a specific set of key words that sum up the personality that would be best suitable. From the certain keywords and personality descriptions the designer can then go ahead to design the interactive with the interactives personality in mind. An artefact persona is also a good way to check and look back on to critique the design to see if the interactive has fulfilled the desired personality.
Figure 6: Waterson, S. (2019). [Image]. Retrieved from https://vimeo.com/319375751 
Figure 7: Waterson, S. (2019). [Image]. Retrieved from https://vimeo.com/319375751
Understanding the user is essential when designing an interactive product so it is important that user personas and artefact personas are taking into careful consideration.
Tutorial Activity: Writing up User Scenarios
Studio activity: Developing a site map for the interactive Design Project
Draft site map
Site Map
Designing for Interactivity 