This document discusses creating learner personas to inform library classroom design. It defines personas as narrative descriptions of student types for whom a class is designed. An example persona named Rebecca is provided. The benefits of personas include combating self-referential design and fostering empathy. Data from the target course and institution can be used to create quantitative and qualitative personas. Several sample personas are described including Jian, Janelle, Anthony, and Bridget to represent different student backgrounds, motivations, and learning styles. Personas are intended to help instructors consider diverse student needs in instructional planning.
2. What’s a Persona?
Web Design/User Experience Design
A narrative description of a user, who represents a user
“type” for whom a website or tool is designed
Education/Learner Experience Design
A narrative description of a student, who represents a
student “type” for whom a class is designed
3. What does one look like?
Meet Rebecca:
Class Year: First Year
Major: Undeclared, but interested
in Psychology
Extra-curriculars: Plays on WFU
Women’s Field Hockey Team
Motivations: Student Athlete
Adviser recommended the course
to help with academic success
Wants to learn: Citations
Learning Style: solitary/self-study
Learning Barriers: overwhelmed by
field hockey and academic
schedules; has library/research
anxiety
4. Why make them?
Combats “self-referential” class design
Designing a class based on your own learning style
Creates empathy:
Personas force you to consider the background,
experiences, and learning styles of specific (fictionalized)
students as you design your learning outcomes,
activities, and assignments
Puts a “face” on a “type” of student that you may
unintentionally forget to design your class around
5. What might you include?
Demographics/Biological Characteristics
Sociocultural Information
Personality Traits
Extra-Curricular Interests
Motivations
Learning Preferences and Barriers
6. Creating Learner Personas
Quantitative Data
Measurable Data about students, such as their year in
school or major
Qualitative Data
Observable Data about students, such as their
motivations,
7. LIB100 By Class Year
First Year
18%
Sophomore
32%
Junior
25%
Senior
25%
9. Wake Forest Quantitative Data
Gender: 53% Female, 47% Male
Ethnicity: 72.2% White, 8.4% African American, 7.8%
Asian, 5.8% Hispanic/Latino, 0.5% Native
Hawaiian/Pacific Islander, 0.3% American Indian/Alaska
Native, 2.3% One or more races, 2.8% Not reported
Greek Like: 57% females in Sororities, 35% males in
Fraternities
Locals: 21% if our students are from North Carolina
Source: Wake Forest Factbook (2014-2015)
10. LIB100 Qualitative Data (Survey)
What made you decide to take LIB100?
What experiences (if any) have you had with
libraries and/or conducting academic
research?
What (if anything) gives you the most anxiety
about libraries?
What do you hope to learn in LIB100?
How do you like to learn?
11. Jian
Class Year: Junior
Major: Business & Enterprise
Management
Extra-curriculars: Finance Club,
Wake International Students
Association, photography
Motivations: Wanted one more
credit to round out his schedule
Wants to learn: how to navigate
the web and library
Learning Style: verbal & visual
Learning Barriers: isolation from
classmates, cultural differences
from professors/classmates
12. Janelle
Class Year: Senior
Major: Biology
Extra-Curriculars: BSA, AKA Sorority,
Resident Adviser for Davis Hall
Motivations: Taking LIB100 to
prepare for graduate-level library
research
Wants to learn: how to research
for honors thesis
Learning Style: labs/learning by
doing
Learning Barriers: professors
underestimating her, pressure from
parents expectations
13. Anthony
Class Year: First Year
Major: Undeclared, but interested
in Politics & Int’l Affairs (Pre-Law)
Extra-Curriculars: SG Senate –
Judiciary, Mock Trial, running
Motivations: Heard LIB100 will help
with research papers which he
struggles with
Wants to learn: citations and
databases
Learning Style: logical /
mathematical
Learning Barriers: distracted by the
fraternity rush semester slump and
a sick parent at home
14. Bridget
Class Year: Sophomore
Major: About to declare Theatre
Extra-curriculars: WFU theatre
productions, part-time job off-
campus
Motivations: wanted to learn more
about the library, citations, and
academic research
Wants to learn: Navigating the
stacks b/c stacks are intimidating
Learning Style: group work/social
Learning Barriers: first-generation
student, financial stress,
undisclosed to professor (but
documented) learning disability
15. Are they useful?
Anecdotally, yes.
Purposeful use when planning during the instructional design
process: learning outcomes, assessments, etc..
16. Further Reading
Cooper, Alan. About Face 3: The Essentials of Interaction Design. 3rd Edition. Wiley,
2007.
“Guide to Patron Personas.” Wayne State University Libraries. Web.
Maier, Ronald and Stefan Thalmann. “Using Personas for Designing Knowledge and
Learning Services: Results of an Ethnographically Informed Study.” International
Journal of Technology Enhanced Learning 2.1/2 (2010): 58-74.
Massanari, Adrienne. “Designing for Imaginary Friends: Information Architecture,
Personas, and the Politics of User-Centered Design.” New Media & Society 12.3
(2010): 401-416.
Muir, John. “User Personas in Instructional Design.” The Ohio State University, 10 Jan.
2014.
“Personas.” Usability.gov. Web.
Turner, Phil and Susan Turner. “Is Stereotyping Inevitable When Designing With
Personas?” Design Studies 31.1 (2011) 30-44.
