Empathise - Part 2 (Needs Finding and Persona Development)

Needs Finding

Retrieved from: Design Thinking 

What is Needs Finding? 

Needs finding is a deep human process of making sense and transforming your observations and Deep user interviews into usable data cluster and meaningful insights to uncover the unmet needs of your users (citizens). When conducting needs finding you are looking for patterns and relationships in terms of SPICE and SAM (Think-Feel-Do) frameworks to uncover Insights, Aspirations, Motivations, Challenges, Pain Points, and Deep Needs.

When to use Needs Finding? 

The needs finding process is used to convert observations and deep user interviews into usable data cluster from which meaningful insights and needs of the users are discovered.

How to Find Needs 

Retrieved from: Design Thinking 

Uncovering USER INSIGHTS

User insights are not user needs but it helps to explain it. Good user insights reveal a deep discovery about your user that can be acted upon to creating new ideas and solution. User insight finding takes times and some serious probing and trying to understand the real ‘why’ of the behavior.

5 Principles of uncovering User Insights: 

1. User insight is a human truth A human truth that is moving and relatable. It connects to who we are as humans and why we feel what we feel. 
2. User insight digs deeper than observation Help uncover the hidden motivation behind a behavior 
3. User insight offers new, untapped understanding Offer undiscovered truths of the human complexion, something new, true and not obvious. 
4. User insights shapes new perspectives and challenges old assumptions Shape your perspectives and challenge you to question assumptions. 
5. User insight serves as a foundation to unlock creative thinking Give you the “aha” moment that inspire creative innovation. 

How to uncover User Insights: 
Look Everywhere; Recognize Relationship; Seek the Wisdom of “WHY?”

Retrieved from: Design Thinking 

Tool to Uncover User Insights: SAM (Think – Feel – Do) framework 

Social Context: who they do the ‘action or activity’ with? What is their relationship, social interaction? Why they behave the way they do?

Action (Behaviour): What is the behavior? What actions or activities they are involved? Why?

Motivation: what do they think? How do they feel? What are the reason(s) for actions and/or behaving that way? Belief? Values? Thinking? Aspirations? Emotions or Feelings?

Retrieved from: Design Thinking 

Uncovering User Insights to User Needs: 

Need is something that is missing. Need finding process is about looking through the situations or condition to find what is that ‘something’ missing for the target users. Need is a verb not a Noun. Needs are explicit or implicit (latent or unmet) needs. User Needs finding is a process or uncovering implicit, latent or unmet needs of the users. Latent or implicit needs are that the Users have but unaware or have not yet directly recognized, hence they are unable to clearly articulate. Latent needs are harder to find and defined but they are important source of inspiration for innovation.

Uncovering latent or unmet needs of the users require understanding the deep human needs and have to be drawn from the User Insights using S.A.M and SPICE Needs framework.

Understanding and Uncovering Deep User (Human) Needs: SPICE Needs Framework 

Retrieved from: Design Thinking 

SPICE Needs Framework

Retrieved from: Design Thinking 

Sample Needs Statements 

Retrieved from: Design Thinking 

Documenting User Insights and Needs 
It is important to document deep User Insights and Needs. User needs statements to be framed as verb – i.e. activities or desires with which your user could use help, not nouns (solutions).

Retrieved from: Design Thinking 

Persona Development

Retrieved from: Design Thinking 

What is Persona Development? 

Persona development is a process of humanizing your target user, giving voice and character and making them real. Personas are fictional characters created to represent your group of target users who exhibit similar behaviors, patterns, motivations and goals. A well created persona provide realistic and detail descriptions, that include Behaviors, Patterns, Motivations, Goals, Skills, Attitude, Challenges, and environment with a few fictional personal details, including a name, to bring personas to life.

When to use Persona Development 

Persona development is to create user models – characters with a clearly defined purpose and characteristics – who will represent your target users throughout the design process from brainstorming for solution ideas to designing ideal user experience journey. Development of personas support storytelling, foster user understanding and evolve design. Personas tell stories and stories are part of every community. Stories help organize and convey information in a compelling manner and evoke emotions and responses.

How to Develop Persona 

User personas are distilled from your observations and deep user interviews. Personas are developed as follows:

Retrieved from: Design Thinking 

Retrieved from: Design Thinking 

Templates for Needs and Persona Development 

Retrieved from: Design Thinking 

Sample Rapid Persona Development Canvas.

This is ised to complete step 3 of the persona development process (i.e. to describe and sketch out the Persona details.

Retrieved from: Design Thinking 

Retrieved from: Design Thinking