what is it
User behaviours evolves over-time. While personas provide us with a static representation of the behaviour of an individual or group of individuals, dynamic personas are meant to focus on the development of the user over time and identify design intervention that could influence that trajectory.
use it to
Ideate on desired futures, instead of developing design solutions that mostly target existing user needs.
remember to
Avoid stereotyping or making personal assumptions: it’s always good to ground those hypothesis on research around the different behaviours (engaging extreme users can help!)
step by step guidelines
01
Analyse the current user behaviour in relation to a specific aspect of their life, and identify possible end-states that behaviour could evolve into (eg. from being unaware of physical issues due to lack of movement to becoming aware of that condition, and finally taking action to improve their lifestyle).
Some existing framework in terms of behavioural development could be helpful in identifying the end-states to work on (a very common one is the shift from unaware to aware, active and advocate, but there are also more detailed models like the Model of Change that could be used for this purpose).
02
After defining the expected/desired end-state and eventual steps in between, list all the enablers that could support each of the identified transitions. Enablers are facilitators of a specific development of the behaviour, often provided by the surrounding environment or personal motivations/concerns.
03
Complete the analysis of each transition by adding all the blockers that could prevent them to happen. Blockers are obstacles or barriers that could undermine the possibility to evolve into a specific end-state, and similarly to enablers they could be provided by either the surrounding environment or personal reasons.
04
Finally, use the emerging map of the dynamic persona and evolution of the behaviour in order to identify possible opportunities for design interventions.