Mobile app user persona: How to plan and develop an app with the user in mind

Planning a mobile application requires analysis, description, and planning of a number of documents and issues. At the heart of this process is the user. Therefore, a user persona is an excellent tool for understanding who they are and what their problems, expectations, and preferences are.

Creating personas is, in a sense, stepping into the user's shoes and creating a description of a fictional person that reflects

• User demographics
• Needs and expectations
• Behaviors and uses of the phone or app
• Potential situations in which the app will be used

Identifying the above data will help you reduce the risk of mismatching your app with your audience. In addition, having a full cross-section of personas allows you to design your app to maximize user engagement.

Ultimately, analyzing the user personas and writing down information about them will allow you to create an app that will satisfy them. And that will affect the growth rate of your project because nothing drives app growth like satisfied users who leave positive feedback and recommend the app to their friends.

What if you don't create a user persona?

The mobile app market is littered with examples of apps that don't engage users. According to Fyresite, 99.5% of consumer apps and 87% of business apps fail.

One of the reasons is the absolute lack of any analytics, let alone a full product discovery process. As a result, developers are taking a gigantic risk:

• Mismatch between the application and user preferences and expectations
• Low or no interest
• poor reviews, and lack of satisfaction

Poor sales and the closure of the project or the collapse of the startup after a few months of operation are the result. Therefore, it is safe to say that creating a user persona is a step towards adapting the application to the market, and thus a tool to reduce the risk of failure.

How does one create a user persona?

Creating a user persona is an analytical process that involves gathering data about the future users of the application and looking at the project from their perspective. However, to get the process of creating a user persona right, it's a good idea to start with a goal.

To start, talk to your team or identify and describe the purpose for which you are creating a user persona document. This could be, for example:

• Learn about user needs and preferences
• Finding a concept for the best user interface
• Selecting the most important features of the application
• Increase the number of satisfied and loyal users
• Supporting the ongoing design process
• Gain a deeper understanding of the market and competitors
• Understand the psychographics and demographics of the target audience
• Improve the marketing and sales processes of the application
• Better alignment of sales channels

The next step is user research. This is the time to collect and analyze data. At this point, it will be useful to use all available research methods, such as:

• Surveys and research with potential users
• Analysis of market and competitor data
• Personal interviews with users
• Observation of user behavior while using the application
• Creative personas (e.g. drawn characters)

Then, divide the collected data into smaller segments based on similarities in descriptions, data, or behaviors. From the segments you have created, select repeatable (representative) user characteristics, such as expectations and preferences, to create a fictional user persona.

At this stage, make sure the user description is accessible and easy to understand. Many people will be working with this document in the future, and a good description will save time on explanations and comments. At this stage, you should also make sure that the persona is properly introduced to the team; this will help to set the right direction for future work.

What information is key to creating a user persona?

The most important thing in terms of the data collected is to match it to the purpose of the persona created, but there is a set of basic information that will facilitate the work of analysis, these are

• Demographics (age, gender, location)
• Preferences, habits, and behavior when using the application
• Purpose of using the application
• Interface and functionality expectations
• Preferred communication channels

What mistakes should I avoid when analyzing user data?

Even the best analysis will make mistakes. When working with a research team, there are a few things to keep in mind that will help you avoid the pitfalls of incorrect conclusions. Common mistakes include

• Assuming that users are always consistent in their preferences
• Using outdated information or misinterpreting the data at hand
• Overlooking changes in user trends
• Focusing on the results of only one type of research (e.g., a survey)
• Not focusing on business outcomes and overlooking them in the design phase

Efficient and error-free analysis will help you move smoothly into the application design and execution phase.

What about user personas if the application already exists?

Creating a user persona at the beginning of the application design process is a great starting point. But that's not the only time you can use this tool to better understand your users.

Once your app is installed on users' phones, the user persona becomes a great analytics tool. With it, you can easily

• Monitor changes in user behavior
• Conduct regular user surveys and benchmark tests
• Analyze app usage data
• Relate trends and changes in the market to the situation of your users

Regular user analysis allows you to guide the development of your application in the right direction and align new features with the real needs of the market and users. Once again, user persona influences reduce the risk of unnecessary work and wasted resources.

How does user persona help with app planning and development?

User persona is a very valuable tool that can help you avoid mistakes and loss of time and money, or even save a project from total failure. Understanding the key factors of future and current application users and aligning them with your business goals will help you make the right decisions. I hope this article has convinced you of the value that user personas bring to the project process.

Photo by Jenny Ueberberg on Unsplash.