Let's Try This Out
Imagine we have a client whose product aims to let high school teens find activities around their community. These would include special movie screenings, discount days at the water park, cosmic bowling nights, yearly festivals, etc. The goal is to give teens more incentive to hang out, and to get them to try new things. Because of the age group, we'll use *GLEE* to create three distinct customer profiles:
Finn
The Natural Leader
- Likes spending time with his teammates and friends- Always up for new things
- Loves games, both virtual and physical
- Uses Facebook and can't resist the latest viral video
- Not technologically savvy
Finn is the guy that everyone wants to be around. He's charismatic, genuinely nice, and isn't afraid to try new things even if they're not considered "cool." Although he spends more time hanging with friends than on the internet, he finds that it's getting too routine and he's looking for a place to find some new activities.
Tina
The Outcast
- Doesn't like to draw attention to herself- Has a core group of friends, but doesn't expand out
- Expresses herself artistically
- User of Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr, and DeviantArt
- Loves to experiment in Photoshop
Tina is the wallflower. She has a small group of friends who she hangs out with at school, yet their weekend activities don't expand past the usual hang out and watch a movie. Tina wants to be able to go out more, but she doesn't like being in situations where she has to do a ton of face-to-face time with people she doesn't know, which is why she's very active online.
Rachel
The Academic Star
- Wants to take part in anything that can build her resume- Loves attending networking events and meeting other passionate people
- Uses Facebook and Twitter
- User of Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr, and DeviantArt
- Works mostly with Microsoft Office-like applications
Rachel is bound for academic greatness. She has her elevator pitch nailed down, is actively looking for internships, and is ready to take on the world. Rachel is always looking for events to go to that will benefit her professionally, whether they're career fairs, volunteer opportunities, or conventions that'll let her meet new people.
Using these character profiles, we can quickly start to imagine the types of users who will frequent the site and from there, we can create a touchpoint map, develop mental models, and build opportunities that will help define the site.
In this example, we can explore creating accounts using Facebook/Twitter, define filters to sort the activities, and partner with venues to get group discounts.