Personas
Overview
In this chapter, we will discuss the first consideration for Workday Extend app design: the users. To craft personas, you will determine who your app users will be, what they will do in the app, and how they will complete these actions. You will refer to this information to make decisions throughout the design process.
Objectives
By the end of this chapter, you will be able to:
- Define the actors for each use case.
- Define the actor's actions for each use case.
- Craft a narrative around each actor's actions.
Project Actors
Before you identify your app users, it is helpful to determine your project actors. Consider things like:
- Who will be doing the work?
- Who will be making the decisions?
- What is your escalation path?
Actors
Once you have identified a need for an app and noted your project actors, you will consider who you are designing the app for. In other words, who are your users? Users may be employees, managers, administrators, etc.
It is important to define all users who will interact with the app.
In addition to the people who will interact with the app, note that automation may also play a role. "System" may be a persona as well, depending on the app needs. Be sure to include the system persona as you think through all of the relevant actors.
Narratives
Once you identify the actors, take note of what each actor will do in the system. What actions will they take?
Craft a narrative outlining each persona's experience in the app. Start from the beginning of their interaction and describe the steps all the way to the end.
For example, an employee's experience may start when they sign in to Workday and end once they have completed several steps. Note all of these details in the narrative. Tell the actor's story.
Chapter Summary
In this chapter, you learned how to:
- Identify actors as an important first design step.
- Craft a narrative based on the actions of each actor to think through how each persona will interact with the app.