What is it about?
As populations grow older, more people need tools to help manage their health, such as virtual assistants (VAs). For groups like stroke survivors, it's important to design solutions that address their unique needs during recovery at home. One way to do this is by using "personas," which are profiles that represent different types of users, focusing on their challenges, motivations, and goals. However, these personas must be clear, relatable, and easy to remember so that designers and stakeholders can effectively use them. In our study, we developed seven personas based on stroke survivors, had them reviewed by clinicians, and identified key design considerations to improve support for each persona.
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Why is it important?
Designing health solutions, like virtual assistants, that effectively support stroke survivors requires a deep understanding of their specific needs during recovery. Stroke survivors often have diverse challenges, ranging from physical limitations to cognitive difficulties, and these can vary widely between individuals. By using personas, we create detailed representations of different types of users, helping designers empathize with their struggles and goals. This leads to more personalized, accessible, and effective solutions that can improve the quality of life for stroke survivors, promoting their independence and enhancing recovery outcomes. Additionally, involving clinicians in evaluating these personas ensures that they are accurate and grounded in real-world medical expertise.
Perspectives
Writing this article stemmed from my frustration with existing personas, which often lack coherence, specificity, and effective design in how they're presented. This research is part of a larger project aimed at developing a virtual assistant (VA) to support patients in their post-stroke recovery. The personas we created were incredibly helpful throughout our own design process and in our communication with stakeholders, providing a clear, structured way to focus on the needs of stroke survivors. We hope these personas will be just as valuable to others working on similar projects, helping them design more effective and empathetic solutions.
Veronika Nemcova
Aalborg Universitet
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Focusing on what matters: Crafting stroke survivor personas relevant to systems supporting their self-management, October 2024, ACM (Association for Computing Machinery),
DOI: 10.1145/3677045.3685419.
You can read the full text:
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