Developing Personas for Strategy

Dolores McDonagh Principal Consultant Charity Dynamics

What is a Persona?• A persona is a representation of

one of your key target audience members.

• Personas identify the motivations, expectations and goals of that site visitor and bring them to life by giving them names, personalities and often a photo.

Personas are also…

A really good way to AVOID THIS!

Websites are the Third Rail of Organizational Politics!

Other Benefits of Personas

• Helps us keep user scenarios in mind during the design process

• Ensures the design, layout and functionality of the site meet the needs of the audience

• Puts us “in the shoes” of each audience group

Using Web Personas throughout Website Design Process

Interviews

Site Recommendations

Web Analytics

Discovery

Key Themes/Personas

Surveys

Website Constituents:• Audiences

–General Website Visitors–Online Donors–Oversample Key Audiences

• Input Tools–Analytics–Surveys–Interviews & Focus Groups–Social Media

Listening to gain

INSIGHT to move in the right

direction.

How To Get There:Discovering Your Personas

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Don’t Forget Internal Stakeholders:

• Executive Team• Marketing• Data/IT• Fundraising• Program Staff

Input from Internal Stakeholders informs:

• Departmental Goals• Key Audiences• Location of Possible 3rd

Rails!Don’t forget key internal

‘Volunteers’

Internal Stakeholder Input

• Website Working Group

• Departmental Meetings

• Interviews• All Staff Survey

Take your customer

service staff to lunch!

Key Audiences Input

• Google Analytics• Fundraising and

Engagement History

• Surveys• Interviews• Focus Groups

• Key Analytics– Number of Visits

• Average daily, monthly, annual• Note any spikes and connect to reasons

– Average visitation time

– Percentage of visitors who are returning visitors

– Bounce rate

Google Analytics

• Browsers give hints on users sophistication– Internet Explorer 37%– Safari 24%– Chrome 19%– Firefox 15%– Other 5% (including Android at 1.38%)

• Mobile and Tablet Traffic*– Mobile traffic is UP 167%– Tablet traffic is UP 278%

Browsers and Devicesdesktop mobile tablet

* Compares Jan – July 2012 to Jan – July 2013 for one nonprofit website

• How are they getting to your site? – Direct Traffic: Typing in “YourURL.ORG” in browser

window or has a bookmark– Search Traffic: Using Google to find you– Referral Traffic:

Other sites are directingthem to you

• Content analytics – who’s visiting what?

Site Traffic & Visitation Analysis

Fundraising & Engagement

• What’s Working for You Now?• Don’t Ignore Offline Successes• What is Social Media Telling You?

Key Survey Questions

• Purpose of their Visit• Were they able to find what they

wanted• How easy was it to accomplish their

task• What challenges did they experience• How often do they visit and how

likely are they to visit again• Demographic Information• General Comments• Willingness to be Interviewed

Make your survey invitations engaging (even if your website isn’t yet…)

Phone Interviews

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Using a 3rd Party

Interviewer may elicit

more ‘honest’

feedback (especially

from affiliates or

program audiences)

• Follow up to email surveys• Great tool to ‘get behind the numbers’• Listen for quotes and key desires and issues for

constituents.

Site Recommendations

Discovery

Key Themes/Personas Get Buy In

Using Personas to Identify Key Themes & Get Buy In

Help Clarity

Content Categories

& Themes

Daniel

Existing ClientAdult with cerebral palsy

Who is Daniel?• Longtime Easter Seals client• 60-75 year old adult with cerebral palsy• Uses Easter Seals’ assistive technology resources• Uses accessibility tools such as iPad due to limited

dexterity• Passionate about being a member of the Easter Seals

family• Attends weekly occupational & physical therapy sessions

at his affiliate’s provider facility

Daniel

Existing ClientAdult with cerebral palsy

Needs & Challenges:• Stay up to date on cerebral palsy research• Learn about new treatment options find local facilities

that provide occupational therapies• Read general disability news and legislation• Be as self-sufficient as possible using assistive resources• Learn more about becoming an Easter Seals volunteer

Lindsay

Prospective ClientRecently diagnosed with a disability (paraplegic)

Who is Lindsay?• Recently paralyzed female veteran • Age 20-30• Faced with a life-altering new perspective, she has to relearn

how to go about daily life and regain her independence• Had no prior connection to Easter Seals• Is considering Easter Seals services, but also inundated with

other information from organizations that provide veteran support too

• Overwhelmed by her situation and looking for support

Needs & Challenges:• Wants to understand her options for ongoing physical therapy• Locate nearby medical rehabilitation services• Find assistive technologies that can help her maintain

independence• To not feel limited by her disability and find opportunities to

increase her self-sufficiency• Find a new career path given her physical limitations

Samantha (and Danielle)Family/CaregiverParent of a young child with autism and other disabilities (Down syndrome)

Who is Samantha?• Mother with a 6 year old daughter with autism and other disabilities

(Down syndrome)• Age 28-40• Upon her daughter’s diagnosis at the age of 2, Samantha was scared,

desperate and overwhelmed• Using a Google search on “autism,” Samantha found Easter Seals online• Daughter participated in early intervention as a toddler, following

diagnosis• Has no prior connection with Easter Seals

Needs & Challenges:• Keep up to date on info and therapy for children with autism and other

disabilities• Ongoing enrollment in therapy and special needs classes• Daughter has participated in Easter Seals summer camp for the past 2

summers• Wants to connect with other parents and caregivers who have children

with similar disabilities• Wants to read success stories of other Easter Seals clients

Cynthia

Donor/FundraiserLongtime donor to Easter Seals (direct mail & recent online donor)

Who is Cynthia?• 55-75 year old female

• Regular donor to Easter Seals (typically direct mail, but new to online giving)

• Passionate about helping her family manage living with disability

• Looking to learn more about opportunities for children & young adults with disabilities

• Is interested in Walk With Me & other fundraising events

Needs & Challenges

• Understand how her support makes a difference

• Keep up to date on research and info about children with disabilities

• Find ways to help her grandchild (and her family) live with minimal limitations

• Find out more information that they haven’t received from doctor

• Look for more ways to be involved with Easter Seals (Walk, Legacy, Sustained Giving)

Engaged SupporterEaster Seals consultant (employee), advocate, Walk volunteer

Who is Paul?

• Passionate about the Easter Seals mission

• Age 35-45

• Has worked with Easter Seals for 4 years

• Does not have a family member or loved one who is a client of Easter Seals

• Most interested in children’s services and stories of hope

• Takes action in response to Easter Seals advocacy alerts

• Has volunteered at his local Walk With Me event

Needs & Challenges:

• Search website for current list of programs provided by Easter Seals

• Develop content for fundraising campaigns based on variety of services and success stories - needs to feel confident that all programs are listed accurately on the websites

• Occasionally make updates to content on site, but unsure about where existing content can be located on back-end

• Take action in response to an advocacy alert

• Learn how his action made a difference

• Learn about other ways he can volunteer

Paul

Site Recommendations

Discovery

Key Themes/Personas

Uncover New Features

Using Personas to Make Decisions

Keep Users

needs ‘Front &

Center

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Personas Decisions

User Conversations led directly to new

sections and features of website

Use Persona Planners to make sure you press

Adam’s buttons (and get him to press yours!)

Personas Decisions

Don’t forget Audiences

like the Press!

Use Personas in each step of the Process

Site Recommendations

Discovery

Key Themes

Buy In from Key Stakeholders

Dolores McDonagh, Principal Consultant Charity Dynamicsdmcdonagh@charitydynamics.com301-578-8601Twitter: @charitydynamicsLinkedIn: Dolores McDonaghFacebook: Dolores McDonagh