February 24 — Customer/user personas working session
Week 6 · Tuesday
Key takeaways
- Customer personas are semi-fictional archetypes of your target customer, built from data, experience, and intuition — the goal is to get inside their head, not just list demographics.
- You need 2–3 personas for the final project to validate that your campaign features and content actually serve your audience. Every new asset you add should be checked against these personas.
- Research dossier deadline was for submitting the URL, not the completed dossier. Eight students have a zero for a missing assignment. The dossier is still a required component of the final project.
Topics covered
Research dossier grades
The deadline policy: submitting the URL is the milestone, not finishing the document. This mirrors real collaborative workflows — the link is static, the content evolves.
Personas: definition and purpose
What to include in a persona:
- Demographics — but go beyond age and location
- Pain points — financial constraints, commuting, poor Wi-Fi, time pressure
- Daily routine — when and where do they encounter your organization?
- Media habits — what platforms, what time of day, what content format?
- Goals and motivations — what are they trying to accomplish?
Strategic application
Use personas to validate campaign features. Example: a coffee shop targeting college students highlights Wi-Fi speed and study spaces, not just coffee quality. The persona tells you what to emphasize.
In-class workshop
35 minutes building personas for the final project. The exercise: pick one customer type and write their bio, daily schedule, goals, and pain points.
New class resource page
A supplemental page with expanded assignment breakdowns, examples, common mistakes, and lecture recordings. Always defer to Canvas for official deadlines and grades.
Due today
- Research dossier (35 pts)