During the design process, UX Designers are trying hard to rally their team around their users. There are a few tools we use to achieve this – one is Personas. Using a real photo for a persona enhances realism, making them feel more authentic and relatable. It fosters a stronger emotional connection, ensures immediate recognition of key traits, and presents a professional appearance that avoids the abstraction of drawings or line art.
Let’s think really specifically about the importance of using a photo for a persona. Here’s an example I created recently to review jobs to be done for a Junior Doctor at a hospital:
Emotional connection
A photo makes the persona feel more relatable and human, fostering empathy. In Design Thinking sessions, I’ve seen participants start to refer to the persona by name and empathise with the pains they are going through to get their tasks done.
Credibility
A photograph adds authenticity, making the persona seem more like a real person rather than just a hypothetical user. A representation of a persona as line art or a drawing tends to reduce the credibility of the persona. Ultimately, we want to transform our proto personas (our assumptions) into real personas based on interviewing real users in that role.
Stakeholder engagement
Helps teams visualize and connect with the persona, improving discussions and decision-making. A photo of the persona means stakeholders take them more seriously, thus increasing trust and engagement.
Memory retention
People remember faces better than abstract descriptions, making the persona more impactful. A memorable persona means they stay in the mind of stakeholders. You might find they think about the persona even after a meeting is finished.
Realism in design
Encourages designing for real people rather than generic archetypes. Real people are easier to empathise with.
Cultural & demographic representation
Ensures diversity and accurate representation, avoiding stereotypes. With photos, we can concentrate on elevating voices from different backgrounds and represent a broader spectrum of personality types.
Better storytelling
Enhances narratives in user journeys, making pain points and goals more tangible. When we identify with what feels like a real person, we are more likely to empathise with them and want to help them do their job.
Photos show the why
Why are we working on this design? Well, it’s for Caroline – our Junior Clinician. Phoebe – our Programme Manager. Or Mark – our Marketing Coordinator. This why carries on throughout the Design Thinking process – up to stakeholders and sponders all the way to the developers building the software.