Need an organizational wheel alignment? Try a user-centered personas workshop

by | Jun 22, 2017

  1. Make sure it’s sponsored by a senior executive, so it conveys its importance and “gravitas.”
  2. Consider an outside facilitator to avoid any “grandstanding” by any single function (you know who you are!).
  3. Host it at an offsite location, and make sure everyone is “live” (sorry you can’t dial in to this one).
  4. Be sure departments are represented with equal footing (seniority and number).
  5. Clearly communicate objectives, goals and expectations.
  6. Back up the assumptions about user needs that you gather at the workshop with follow-on research that validates those assumptions (one-on-one interviews, market data and company information are great sources)
  7. Refine and narrow your list of personas and their needs, based on your research.
  8. Once you have your final personas and user needs, roll them out to your entire organization. Having a common vocabulary about personas and user needs is the first step toward alignment.
  9. Revisit and refresh. Consider repeating workshops periodically to keep your team in sync.

You’ll likely be surprised that sales, marketing and product managers come to a user persona workshop with their own unique view of your organization’s users, and inject different priorities, points of view and opinions.

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Paul Bonington, Managing Director

Paul has over 25 years of experience in senior operating roles where he has successfully built brands and launched businesses for organizations in all stages of maturity. At Mod Op Strategic Consulting, Paul is responsible for leading client engagements with a focus on business strategy, new products, business development, marketing and process optimization.

Explore additional executive insights and guidance from our team of consultants, all of whom have decades of operational experience making exactly the kinds of decisions you now face, or browse the library of case studies.

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