406 Learner Personas: A Necessary Design Tool for Your Online Courses?
10:45 AM - 11:45 AM Thursday, October 26
Instructional Design
Bermuda B
There is some debate about whether personas (or learner profiles, as they’re more commonly known in L&D) are a help or a hindrance. Some argue that personas can end up being a representation of what designers wish their users were like, rather than a true reflection of the users, or that they create distance between designers and users. But others push back on this idea, stating that—when used thoughtfully—personas can increase your empathy for the people you’re designing for, allowing you to keep your work tightly focused on the real needs of your audience and to craft the most effective experiences for them.
In this session, you’ll learn more about what can make learner personas succeed. Good personas are based on real data about learner demographics and behavior, along with educated speculation about personal histories, motivations, and concerns. You’ll uncover how this design concept, when applied properly, can inspire your audience to act in ways that matter to your business. You’ll also look at how to get started with crafting your own personas, including trying your hand at a proto-persona creator that can help you stay focused when creating employee learning or performance support.
In this session, you will learn:
- How using personas can improve engagement and decrease dropout rates
- How personas save time (both yours and your audience’s)
- What personas can tell you about how to grab your audience’s attention, persuade them more easily, and even create a more customized experience for them
- How to begin creating your own personas
Audience:
Intermediate to advanced designers, developers, and managers.
Technology
discussed in this session:
A tool for creating proto-personas.
Monica Cornetti
President
Sententia
Unlike other gamification practitioners, speakers, and consultants, Monica Cornetti has focused intensively on the latest immersive engagement techniques and the latest research in the adult education, corporate training, and talent development fields. A gamification speaker and designer, Monica was recognized as #1 in the Most Influential Women in Gamification who have created a legitimate impact in the gamification industry. At the intersection of learning and play, she is leading a team of trusted, cutting-edge curriculum designers and developers to improve the performance of individuals and organizations across the globe.
Jonathan Peters
Chief Motivation Officer
Sententia
Jonathan Peters, PhD, studies the science and art of motivation. As a speaker, he has helped audiences from Melbourne, Australia to Augusta, Maine more effectively communicate with their customers and team-members. As the chief motivation officer at Sententia, he applies his knowledge and experience to make learning more enticing, engaging, and encouraging through gamification. Dr. Peters is the co-author of Deliberate Fun: The Purposeful Application of Game Mechanics to Learning Experiences. He is also an adjunct professor at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, though he calls South Padre, Texas home.