Always start with personas

In a previous post I mentioned journey maps are often nothing more than design theater. Art on the studio wall.

So if journey maps are not a mission critical tool for every project, what is the tool you can’t do without?

A thoroughly researched persona.

Nothing a designer produces has value if there is not a shared understanding of the people who build, deliver, and consume the organization’s products and services. Design assets of any kind are tools for discovering insights into human behavior and communicating those insights across an organization. Without an understanding of the humans involved, there are no insights to find. There is nothing to communicate.

A thoroughly researched, effectively communicated persona can change the culture of an organization. Without that persona, all the other design assets are just a bunch of pretty pictures.