Identifying User Groups
Introduction
The process of identifying the broad categories of users of the site is an essential step in user research. This will help site owners and other stakeholders understand generally who their users are. The different user groups identified will then need to be refined in to distinct user profiles to provide a clear picture of the target user base.
Techniques and activities
Different techniques and activities can be used to identify potential users and user groups, including:
- reviewing available information and documents,
- interviewing stakeholders, and other internal staff,
- holding workshops or focus groups to brainstorm ideas, or
- developing user personas.
These activities do not need to be formal sessions but should be documented. It is important to have a designated scribe or note-taker.
Existing internal resources
The following are useful internal resources for identifying potential user groups.
The agency's:
- core customer base as defined by the portfolio,
- website's business case or design documents,
- website feedback forms,
- prior user or market research results,
Examples: Prior usability tests, or survey results. - web development team,
- business development team, and
- customer service or helpdesk personnel.
Questions for brainstorming sessions
The following questions could be used to brainstorm information about the potential users of the website:
- What is the subject matter of the website?
- Who do we think are the primary users of the website?
- What are our assumptions about the users?
- What do we already know about them?
Examples: Age, gender, profession, computer literacy, computer access and platform, education. - How does the user currently get this information?
- What does the website aim to do for the user?
Examples: Purpose or functionality of the website. - Do we currently have access to users for profiling? Who are they?
Note: These may be from an existing list or database of users who have agreed to participate in surveys, focus groups or interviews.
Developing user personas
Development of personas is a technique used to turn amalgamated data into illustrations of 'real users', and to help the design team to focus on users.
The first step is to gather preliminary information from different sources and collate it into user groups. Then the data is refined into unique and individual user personas.
The following details could be included in a persona:
- a name and picture,
Important: Pictures should be taken from stock artwork. Do not use photos of real users or persons. - general description,
Examples: Age, gender, occupation. - description of relevant technology used, and
- overview of the goals and concerns.
See also: "Perfecting Your Personas" by Kim Goodwin http://www.cooper.com/newsletters/2001_07/perfecting_your_personas.htm [
] for additional information on developing personas.
Contact for information on this page: nsip@finance.gov.au