"What's the big deal, right? We're often taught and encouraged to think about users early in the design process. It's user' centric design, so let's personify 3-4 of the people we think represent our target audiences so our work is aligned with their objectives and needs. My master's program was big on that and went deep into different approaches, strategies, and templates for documenting that research."
"First off, I love how Eric distinguishes what we typically refer to as the general type of user personas, like the ones I made to generalize an audience, from inclusive user personas that are based on individual experiences. Inclusive user research practices are different than a lot of traditional user research. While there is some high-level overlap in approach, know the majority of inclusive user research is more focused on the individual experience and less about more general trends of behavior."
Inclusive personas prioritize individual lived experiences rather than aggregated demographic or behavioral generalizations. Traditional personas abstract groups into representative archetypes to guide high-level design decisions. Inclusive research collects deep, contextualized accounts to surface barriers, constraints, and needs unique to marginalized or underrepresented users. That research shifts focus from pattern-driven product choices toward addressing accessibility, cultural, and experiential limitations that affect outcomes. Teams must reframe persona creation to distinguish blanket placeholders from person-centered artifacts that capture nuance, power dynamics, and intersectional factors. Organizations should adapt recruitment, interview, and synthesis techniques to center marginalized voices and avoid harmful stereotyping.
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