Personas

Last weeks groups exercise was to conduct interviews and collect date which we would then turn into personas, a profile of a person who represents a segment in the market. The product we were to investigate was 'smash' a healthy alternative to mashed potato that is made by adding boiling water.

First our group agreed on the best types of people to target; busy mothers, students, campers and the elderly. We then decided on questions which would best suit the groups yet keep them abstract enough to obtain as much information as possible.


When interviewing busy mothers our questions were:

1. How long does it take for you to prepare dinner for your family?
2. What nutrients are important for you to give your children?
3. What do your children enjoy eating?
4. Would you consider giving your children 'smash'?

When interviewing students:

1. Do you usually buy for convenience or for health values?
2. how much do you spend on your weekly shop/
3. Does price come under consideration?
4. How regularly do you shop?
5. How long do your spend on average making your dinner?
6. Do you cook for yourself or others?
7. Would you ever buy 'smash'?

Campers:

1. What types of food do you take camping with you?
2. What cooking utensils do you take with you?
3. Do you often boil water?
4. Do you consider the price of the food you take with you?
5. Would you buy 'smash'? 

Elderly:

1. How do you buy your food?
2. How regularly do you shop?
3. Do you buy fresh food or long life products such as tins etc?
4. What types of food do you mostly buy?
5. Do you cook for yourself or for others?
6. What is your favourite meal?
7. Would you buy 'smash'?

The responses we got were varied but predictable our camper, a young man in his 20's said he had the facilities to make 'smash', boiled water often but wouldn't use 'smash' as it is too "messy". Next we interviewed an elderly woman in her 60's who said she mostly bought fresh food, prepared everything from scratch but turned her nose up at the thought of using 'smash' over fresh potato.

Students and busy mothers were very similar in that they would not buy 'smash' because they disliked the taste from when they were younger. The mother in her 30's also would not use 'smash' but used other instant mashed potato.

In the afternoon we were to create three personas from the data we collected. We created mind maps and used words to describe the groups and put them on the wall. The we developed our personas giving them names and personalities next to their cartoon pictures.