Going Beyond "Know Thy User"

Going Beyond "Know Thy User" - Developing and Using Personas and Scenarios

Come spend the day with Dr. Ginny Redish, STC Fellow and internationally-recognized technical communicator and usability specialist, at this special workshop hosted by the Canada West Coast STC in Vancouver, BC. Ginny will lead a highly-interactive, hands-on workshop about personas and scenarios.

Personas and scenarios make your users and your users' work come alive. They engage project teams in ways that traditional user profiles and task analysis don't usually achieve. They make you - and the developers and other specialists you work with - think in new ways about your product's users. And that can help you bring more value to your work.

With discussion and practical exercises, we'll cover these topics:

• Setting the context - usability and user-centered design
• Gathering data for personas and scenarios
• Turning data into personas
• Turning users' tasks into realistic scenarios
• Using personas and scenarios as you design and write
• Using personas and scenarios as you evaluate

We'll discuss important issues, such as:

• Persuading others of the value of personas and scenarios
• What to do when you can't go out to collect data
• Making personas and scenarios meaningful to developers and team members

And, of course, you'll have plenty of opportunity to join in the discussion, to practice new ideas and skills, and to ask your own questions.

Ginny was the founder and first director of the Document Design Center at the American Institutes for Research in Washington, DC. Since 1992, Ginny has been an independent consultant focusing on usability of documents, software, and web sites. She works with many government agencies as well as with organizations like AARP and with private companies.

A Fellow of STC, Ginny is also a former member of the STC Board of Directors, and co-founder of the STC Usability and User Experience Community.