Personas & Scenarios
Each of the provisional personas below were informed by the themes generated from our research analysis. Personas are used in the user-centered design process to avoid "one-size-fits-all" solutions to design problems. User needs are more easily met when one considers the most specific use scenarios. Our personas, Patricia and Frank, exist to show how our design fits within the context of an individual's reality.
Frank
Patricia
Scenarios
User Scenarios are a natural extension of our provisional personas, Frank and Patricia. The scenarios exist to provide examples of how real-world users will interact with our product. In each scenario, our personas have a realistic goal in mind that is based on the analysis of our design research. They then encounter an obstacle which, if not for our product, would have prevented them from achieving their goal. In addition to showcasing the real-world use of our product, the scenarios also serve as a foundation for the collaborative sketches which succeed this part of the process.
Patricia
Patricia is a 26-year-old Seattle native who lives on Capitol Hill with two friends. Five days a week, Patricia commutes from her apartment to downtown Seattle via the brand new Link Light Rail station that just opened in Capitol Hill. Everyday, Patricia wakes up early to work out and make breakfast. She then gets ready for work and leaves her apartment, making sure to stop by the Valhalla Coffee Roasters stand to grab a latte. Patricia walks to the Capitol Hill station, stares at her phone while waiting for up to 15 minutes for a train, then takes the 5 minute ride to downtown, where she departs at Westlake Station and walks 3 blocks to her work.
Being a relatively poor young woman working a minimum wage (plus tips) job, Patricia finds it difficult to repeatedly make ends meet. One solution she has considered is to begin biking to work. Saving an extra $2.50 to $5 a day could make a big difference in the long run. However, she feels that the bike ride back home from work is too difficult considering it’s an uphill climb. She has considered riding her bike downhill and then commuting on the train back home, but her bike is annoying to bring along on the train ride, and usually she convinces herself that the extra $2.50 is worth the convenience after a hard day at work.
Patricia uses her ORCA card to pay for her commute. She fills up her card monthly in coherence with her frugal budget, and has gotten in trouble once for forgetting to “tap off” after leaving the train. She was given a warning by Fare Enforcement that next time would warrant a fine. During her commute, Patricia likes to listen to Spotify to zone out. She finds that the 10-20 minute commute is a great time to let her mind wander, and relax. She doesn’t enjoy making small talk to other riders and prefers to just keep to herself. Apart from using the train to commute to work, Patricia occasionally uses it to get around the city to visit friends or experience night life. However, since she rides it every day, she tries to avoid using the train when possible, as it usually reminds her of work and stress.
Frank
Frank is in Seattle for the night and has to board a plane to Honolulu by 6a.m. the next day. Alaska Airlines is paying for his hotel in Downtown Seattle, which happens to be located near the light rail tunnel. Despite his early flight, Frank decides that it is worth the risk of sleep deprivation to go out and try to make new friends. He has visited Seattle before, and Capitol Hill is his favorite area although he does not have any regular contacts there. While there are places in the neighborhood that he has fond memories of, he has the goal of finding a new bar on this trip.
As Frank leaves his hotel for Capitol Hill, he realizes that he forgot to charge his phone. His battery is clinging for life at 3%, and his phone dies unsurprisingly by the time he arrives at Capitol Hill Station. While Frank originally had the goal of going to a bar, he spontaneously changes his mind upon arriving in Capitol Hill to seeing live music. Unaware of any music venues in the area, he immediately heads towards one of several interactive displays on the station platform after getting off of the train. He views a map of the surrounding area that shows local businesses and venues, finds out that Neumos is only a few blocks away, and decides to head there.
Frank receives walking directions from the interactive display in the station, and arrives at Neumos in the middle of a show. He uses the little time he has to introduce himself to others at the show. He eventually found several individuals with common tastes, and was able to give them his contact info before heading back to the hotel. Although he has since left Seattle, Frank is still in regular contact with the people he met that night.