DD+D will give a talk at UXMasterclass Conference 2011 from miaoqi Zhu on Vimeo.
Byron presented at this year's UXMaterclass Conference on Friday, September 16 at the Field Museum. Please find above and below a description of the session and feedback from participants.
Using Theater Techniques to Write Effective Personas
Workshop Description:
Designers don’t always have the luxury of getting to talk with users. In fact, sometimes designers only rely on personas when developing ideas. But if personas are to be useful, then designers must step into the shoes of users to gain the insight and empathy needed to create engaging experiences. Byron’s workshop exhibits acting methodology to draw this connection between user research data, user personas, and design.
He will enthusiastically demonstrate how designers benefit from going back to the theatrical traditions to enhance their character and story development skills. Byron will also increase the understanding and application of theater techniques that aid in the development of more life-like personas than those that merely exist on paper. Leading the Dramatic Diversity team, Byron takes a two-dimensional representation of a customer and brings it to life, eliminating user frustration and increasing ease, enjoyment and engagement in all design elements.
Participant Feedback:
"I tend to be skeptical about "exercises" like this, but I think done well , it could be a great way to get a team reconnected with personas they've been using over time. Also a great way to onboard new team members to existing personas. And for promoting adoption to other teams within an organization."
"Very engaging presenter. Got me thinking about how I could potentially apply this approach within my team. Would recommend to my company where appropriate."
"It taught me to go deeper with personas to find the emotional layer."
"Byron enthusiastically presented the material and interacted with the audience suggestions."
"The speaker brought real examples to demonstrate the usefulness of The Method."
"Thought it was great - just the right level of detail for the time limit and the audience. And it was great to engage the audience instead of just talk!"
