Personas: The Person Behind the Glass

SLA Annual Conference, June 8, 2004Stephen Abram, VP Innovation, Sirsi Corporation

Can personas help deliver great information

experiences?

Designing for desktops vs. understanding the person

behind the glass

Light at the End of the Tunnel

Information Engagement Levels

Read/View

Argue/Defend

Present/Teach

Stimulate/Live

Act on/ Discuss Content

Source

Situation Dr. Thomas Davenport

Intelligence and Learning Styles

• Visual/Spatial (Picture Smart)• Verbal/Linguistic (Word Smart)• Musical/Rhythmic (Music Smart)• Logical/Mathematical (Number Smart)• Bodily/Kinesthetic (Body Smart)• Interpersonal (People Smart)• Intrapersonal (Self Smart)

– Piaget, Bloom, Gardner, etc.

Information Literacy

• Standard Curriculum Components– Mathematics / Arithmetic– Science, Biology, Physics &

Chemistry– English, Languages– History, Geography, Politics,

Sociology– Music, Art, Phys ed.– Guidance, Religion

Information Literacy

• Information literacy is integrally tied every aspect of the curriculum:– Mathematical logical thinking skills - Math and

Arithmetic– Scientific method - Sciences– Criticism, interpretation and comprehension - English

and languages– Analytical thinking - History, Geography– Interpretive and imaginative- music, art & phys ed.– Inter and Intrapersonal skills - Religion, Guidance, etc. – There is an imperative for people to have a lifelong curriculum - a

personal learning strategy

Taking The Knowledge Positioning

Data====>

Information=======>

Knowledge======>

Behaviour======>

Apply Stand-

ards Store

&Move

Display Chart Graph Publish Picture Format

Knowing Learning Filtering Evaluating

Gerunds

Do Decide Choose Apply Enact

ActionVerbs

Personality and Searching

• “Five personality dimensions and their influence on information behaviour”

• Jannica Heinstrom, Abo Akademi University, Finland (Oct. 2003)

• http://informationr.net/ir/9-1/paper165.html

• Central Question: “How does personality influence searching behaviour?”

Personality and Searching

Dimension

Neuroticism

Extraversion

Openness

Agreeableness

Conscientious

High Level• Sensitive,

Nervous• Outgoing,

energetic• Inventive, curious• Friendly,

compassionate• Efficient,

organized

Low Level• Secure,

confident• Shy, withdrawn• Cautious,

conservative• Competitive,

outspoken• Easy-going,

carelessVS

VS

VS

VS

VS

Sample Conclusions

• Extraversion was related to informal information retrieval as well as preference for thought provoking documents over documents which confirmed previous ideas.

Sample Conclusions• Openness to experience was related to

broad information seeking, incidental information acquisition, critical information judgement, preference of thought provoking documents instead of documents which confirmed previous results. Conservativeness was related to problems with relevance judgement and preference for confirming documents.

Sample Conclusions

• Competitiveness was related to lack of time being a barrier to information retrieval, problems with relevance judgement and competence in critical analysis of information. Low levels of agreeableness forms a base for skeptical and critical thinking.

Sample Conclusions• Conscientiousness was related to

preference for thought provoking documents instead of documents that confirmed previous ideas and use of effort in information seeking. Carelessness, on the other hand was related to problems with relevance judgement, feeling that lack of time was a barrier to information retrieval and preference for documents that confirm previous ideas.

Assumption

• All organizations who are market leaders excel in one of three primary dimensions* and perform well in the other two: • Customer intimacy• Product leadership• Operational excellence

• AND they fully exploit knowledge, expertise and ideas.

*The Discipline of Market Leaders: Choose Your Customers, Narrow Your Focus, Dominate Your Market by Michael Treacy, Fred Wiersema 1995 ISBN 0-201-40648-9 Addison-Wesley.

Knowledge Conscious Management: Core Knowledge Actions

Expertise

Directing cross silo collaborative working

Encouraging learning and insights

Building external networks

Turning good practice into common practice

Ensuring that expertise can be located

Information

Providing an appropriate architecture

Preventing information duplication and filling gaps

Mobilizing customer, market and competitor intelligence

Developing processes to capture intellectual capital

Ideas

Encouraging creative communities

Supporting idea sharingand application

Facilitating the identification of relationships

Providing the time and permission for reflection

Valuing diversity and fresh eyes on problems

and processes

Connecting people to people and people to contentFrom the Knowledge Proposition, TFPL, 2004.

Organizational Success

What a portal can do…

And what it can’t

Portal Credibility and Longevity

• Critical success factors: – Support organizational objectives in a

measurable way. – Be owned and managed by a credible,

authoritative source.– Include opportunities (as appropriate) for:

• Learning• Knowledge transfer (peer-to-peer,

experts, coaches, teachers)• Transaction or task-based activities

– Offer structured access to internal and external content that is relevant to one or more target audiences.

Defining Portal Requirements

Organizational Requirements

Technical Requirements

Portal Functionality Requirements

Organizational Requirements

Define the organizational requirements in terms of the...– Right people– Right knowledge– Right information– Right time– Right place….to improve business performance in

terms of learning, producing, marketing, selling, meeting customer and partner expectations…

Organizational Requirements

• Deliverables:– Documentation of the organizational

requirements.– Documentation of what the people in

the work process need to know.– Selection of the information sources. – Metrics that serve as targets for

performance improvement.

– Buy-in from key stakeholders.

Defining Improvement Opportunity

Business process workflow

What decisions?

What knowledge?

What information?

How used?

Wha

t p

ain?

Required process workflow

Required knowledge

Required information

Required use

Required decisions

Ana

lysi

s an

d P

rop

osa

l

Right Knowledge

– First within the context of the organizations purpose and the type of work (procedural-heuristic-executive)

– Then within the work process and their function etc.

• By knowledge needed • By source or reputation• By decision style

Align the knowledge sought in the context of decision-making. What decisions are being made and what knowledge is being sought?

Best Information Sources

Relevance

• Credibility

• Reliability

• Accuracy

• Maintainability

• Usability/reuse/format

How do you know?

Summary: Know the Portal Audience

• Work purpose (customers, products, organizational efficiency)

• Type of work (procedural, heuristic, executive)• Work processes – formal and informal • Role• Function• Demographics (geography, language, time in

organization etc.)• Decisions and decision style• Knowledge needed to make decisions• Information needed to support the knowledge

needed• Motivation factors/value• Comfort with technology (ies)

People and Portals

Brendan Brian

PattyDianne

Henry Heath

People and their Persona

Henry

Look at your Ecology . . .

View the Relationships

How is learning happening?

Innovation and

Creativity occur when?

Where are ideas turned into action?

Pre-Boomer1934-1945

• Traditional work ethic• Work first• Born to lead• Loyal to employer• Independent by conventional• Value working well with others• Technically competent• Believe in mission• Strong chain of command• Want to win

Workplace Character

Boomer1946-1959

• Money / work ethic• Work first• Expect to lead• Loyal to employer• Care deeply what others think• Want others to work for them• Technically challenged• Lip service to mission• Chain of command• I win, you lose

Workplace Character

Cusper1960-1968

• Money / principle• Work and lifestyle• Lead and follow• Loyal to employer and skills• Ambivalent about what others

think• Want others to work for them• Technically challenged• Care about mission• Mixed about command and

individual• Want to win

Workplace Character

Buster1969-1978

• Principal / Satisfaction• Lifestyle first• No need to lead• Loyal to skills• Don’t care what others think• Prefer to work alone• Technically savvy• Must have mission• Individual first• I win, you win

Workplace Character

Nester1979-1984

• Principal / Satisfaction• Lifestyle first• Lead of necessary• Loyal to skills• Care little what others think• Like small groups• State of the art technically• Must have mission• Individual first• I win, you win

Workplace Character

Pre-Boomer1934-1945

• Money• Responsibility• Public Recognition• Accomplishment• Desire to lead• Control• Organizational Loyalty

Motivation

Boomer1946-1959

• More Money• Promotion• Public Recognition• Peer recognition• Desire for subordinates• Control• Loyalty to self

Motivation

Cusper1960-1968

• Do well by doing good• Meeting organizational

goals• Recognition from boss• Bonuses• Stock options

Motivation

Buster1969-1978

• Time off• Meeting own goals• Recognition from boss• Skills training• Stock options• Mentioning

Motivation

Nester1979-1984

• Time off• Portable skills training• Meeting own goals• Stock options• Mentioning• Prepare for self-

employment• Sales training

Motivation

Younger Worker Summary1960-1980

• “I work best alone”• “I need . . .”• Blunt style “Just do it.”• Abrupt speech patterns• Care little what others think• “Just tell me what you want done and I’ll do

it”• Don’t participate, attend meetings or need to

hear others’ opinions• Recognition doesn’t work and isn’t needed.• Want results quickly and success in stages.

Older Worker Summary1935-1959

• “We’re invincible as a team”• “I want, would think, would like . . .”• Soft style “I’d love it if you . . .”• Long preambles.• Care deeply what other’s think.• Like process and talking about ideas and

issues.• Highly value participation and consensus• Want people to want to be involved.• Recognition means a great deal.

Another View: Veterans• Defined by WW2, Korea, Silver

Screen, unions and born between 1922-43

• Core values of sacrifice, dedication, hard work, conformity, law and order, patience, respect for authority, duty before pleasure, adherence to rules and honour.

• Personalities are conformist, conservative, spenders, past-oriented, believe in logic not magic

Ron Zemke, Training Magazine, July 2001

Another View: Boomers• Defined by their bulk, civil rights, cold war,

feminism, space race and born between 1943 and 1960

• Core values include optimism, teamwork, personal gratification, heath and wellness, personal growth, youth, work and involvement.

• Personalities are driven, soul-searching, willing to go the extra mile, love-hate relationship with authority.

Ron Zemke, Training Magazine, July 2001

Another View: X’ers• Defined by Watergate, OJ,

stagflation, single parents and born between 1960-1980

• Core values include diversity, thinking globally, balance, techno-literacy, informality, self-reliance, pragmatism.

• Personalities are risk-taking, skeptical, family-oriented, focused on job - not work hours.

Ron Zemke, Training Magazine, July 2001

Another View: Nexters• Defined by Internet, school

violence, terrorism, multiculturalism, media and born after 1980

• Core values include confidence, civic duty, achievement, sociability, morality, diversity and street smarts

• Personalities are optimistic, prefer collective action and tenacious

Ron Zemke, Training Magazine, July 2001

Ontario Public Library Market Study

• Ontario Public Library Strategic Directions Council:

• Nov. 2000

• Consulting Report by Market Probe Canada

• http://www.strategicplan2000.com

Supporters (22%)

• This segment believes the public library plays an essential social role, and one that will expand dramatically in the future, as it fulfils an increasing variety of public needs. Although relatively light Internet users, they are the most likely to agree the public library could help them use the Internet. This segment is also the most likely to believe libraries will become more important in the future. Those who don't use the library tend to say they are too busy. This is the oldest segment.

Seekers (27%)

This segment sees the public library as fulfilling a valuable role within a society

where information is available from a variety of sources. They are the heaviest

users of the public library, the Internet (with Negators) and bookstores, and the

most educated segment.

Negators (28%)This segment sees the relevance of the public library diminishing as information becomes available through

other sources. Along with Seekers, they are the heaviest Internet users, but they are much more likely to say the Internet has caused them to use the library less often, and to disagree the library could help them use the Internet more effectively. A majority say that libraries will become less important in the future. This is the youngest segment.

Tweens (% n/a)

• This segment was added to the group since school age children are such key targets for libraries (school and public). They may not have their opinions of the Internet and libraries fully formed yet and there is hope.

Portal Functionality

• In terms of the exchange of ideas, expertise and information through:– Collaboration– Communication– Publishing – Sharing – Finding– Learning– Meeting – Etc.

Sample Portal Functionality• Expertise

– People directories

– Communities of Practice

– Online training

– Knowledge bases

– Online help

• Information– Online transactions– Access to office maps– Glossary tool – Access to policies,

procedures– News delivery– Market research tools– Customer profiles– Product specification

management– Self-service tools

• Ideas– Discussions– Web meetings– Editorial features– Blogging

One could also view this in terms of the required verb: find, collaborate, communicate…

Saba

Click2Learn

SkillSoft Books24X7

Newmindsets

E-Learning

MS Live Meeting(PlaceWare)

Webex

Centra

Virtual Reference, IM, Chat

Video Games, PC Gamers

Goals, scaffolds and learning

Decision trees and Problem solving

It’s an Information Ocean, not a

Highway.

It’s an “Exploration Space” not a

collection space.

Context is King, not Content.

What is context?

• It’s not about the Library!• It is about . . .

•Learning•Research•Community•Workplace

Zac’s Media and ‘Zine

• 8.5 hours digital media• Downloads MP3’s• Downloads mainstream media• Assembles and publishes 1 hour

TV show with ads– But, also

• Publishes a zine in dead tree format too.

• Small Feedback loop in IM and eMail

Sydney’s Publishing

• 3,000 IM Buddies

• Small website

• Original MP3 files

• Rock Band and concerts

ThanksStephen Abram, MLSSirsi Corporation416-669-4855stephen.abram@sirsi.comhttp://www.sirsi.com