Please note: This assessment was conducted for educational purposes. The UNC System did not participate in this process.
In order to create effective user experiences, we must understand the intended audience and design the systems for them. One method of understanding the audience is developing user personas that the designers can identify with and create use cases for. User data was collected from Google analytics and we can see that most of the people that use the website are North Carolina residents who read the website in English.
After further exploration and analysis, five user personas emerged: board member, admin, news reporter, student, and explorers.
- Board Members: Typical BOG members are white (78.6%), male (82%) Republicans (79%). Board members will use the site in a very limited capacity, primarily downloading password protected materials.
- Admin: User admins are mostly white females around the age of 55. Many of the daily users of the website would be considered admins. They do great work and improving the site will help them work faster and more efficiently.
- Reporters: Press reporters and students are more diverse with no clear patterns emerging other than general age associated with life-stage. Reporters do not use the site as much as harvest information from it. They mostly use the site to read press releases, submit public records requests, and stay informed about upcoming BOG meetings.
- Students: Most students attending UNC campuses are female, aged 18-25. Many of the students appear to research campuses and bounce from the site.
- Explorers: As a catch-all, users simply looking for information and bouncing are called explorers. This persona is developed due to the high bounce rate occurred during the month of March when the UNC-Chapel Hill campus has a basketball team in the playoffs.
Sample Interview Questions
Subjects interviewed were asked to complete about 40 tasks and questions to determine everything from initial site impressions to brand confusion to ease of use. Sample questions included:
- Without leaving the homepage, what are your initial impressions of the website? Explain your answer.
Purpose: This question is designed to tell what users think of the site. Additionally, the question can identify any “deal-breakers” that might be immediately off-putting to visitors. This question also helps set a baseline for respondent attitude. - Before navigating to the ‘Press’ page, what would you expect to find? and immediately after, In your own words, please describe whether or not your expectations were met.
Purpose: To help with consistency and meeting user expectations, respondents were asked to state before and after impressions while working on the site. - Specific quiz-type questions such as “Using any method, can you find who you should send a records request to?” or “Using any method, can you find the next board meeting date?”.
Purpose: Watch how users learn to use the site and identify issues with behavioral flow.
Personas
William “Bob” Boardmember, 65
Role: User
Family: Three kids, 6 grandkids
Education: J.D.
Personality: Formal
Bob is a successful entrepreneur and comes from a long line of successful North Carolinians. When Bob isn’t working at one of his many businesses, he’s actively engaging with the elites of NC at dinners, lectures, and policy meetings. Bob gets his news from media monitoring software and his admins give him daily reports.
“Let’s get this done!”
Bob
User Traits:
- Highly motivated
- Provides quality feedback
- Prefers print
- Accesses the site from remote locations
- Accesses the site on mobile and iPad
Website Goals:
- Get materials from the web and bounce
- Security
- Ease of use on mobile and iPad
Website Frustrations:
- Obstacles to goals
- Unnecessary steps
Digital Brands:
- Apple
- News websites
- Printed newspapers
Cathy Clicker, 49
Role: User
Family: Two grown children
Education: Associate’s degree
Personality: Social
Cathy is well known about the office as someone who comes in early, stays late, and gets things done for the people that need her. She has two grown kids, keeps in touch with them via Facebook and loves her husband. When she’s not working, she spends time at her church and outdoors.
“You know Joe from accounting? Today’s his birthday! I got a card for everyone to sign.”
Cathy
User Traits:
- Highly motivated
- Very forgiving
- Provides quality feedback
Website Goals:
- Perform many quick tasks
- Update information
- Near constant login
Website Frustrations:
- Changes to IA, or information architecture
- Unexpected results
- Lack of feedback
Digital Brands:
- Windows
- Android
Nelson Newsie, 52
Role: Hybrid
Family: One child, 17
Education: Bachelor’s degree
Personality: Tenacious
Having grown up in North Carolina, Nelson is a tried and true newspaper journalist. He reluctantly accepts the proliferation of technology in modern society and uses it often via Twitter; but is always eager to go on about the good ole’ days before smartphones. His personal life and personal views are unknown except for the fact he has a Jack Russel that runs his house.
“Remember when the newspaper was actually paper?!? 😀 “
Tweet from Nelson
User Traits:
- Highly motivated
- Quick to criticize
- Provides quality feedback
Website Goals:
- Perform many quick tasks
- Wants updates and news bites
- Download media
Website Frustrations:
- Unfamiliar technology
- Barriers
- Outdated information
Digital Brands:
- News websites
Steph Student, 19
Role: Information Seeker
Family: Lives with parents
Education: Highschool
Personality: Active and social
Steph recently graduated and isn’t completely sure what she wants to do with her life. She knows she wants more and thinks going to college can help her get there. When she’s not waiting tables, she is spending time with her boyfriend and chatting with friends online.
“I love animals; maybe I will study veterinary medicine?”
Steph Student
User Traits:
- Highly connected
- Considered popular
- Appreciates guidance
Website Goals:
- Wants information about programs
- Wants information about campuses
- Wants to see community involvement and social responsibility
Website Frustrations:
- Outdated information
- Unclear navigation
- Unfamiliar terms
Digital Brands:
- Tik-tok
- Apple
Carl Confusion, 46
Role: Information Seeker
Family: Wife and kids
Education: Trade school
Personality: Pleasant and spirited
Carl is a man’s man. He likes sports, spending time with his family, and drinking beer with his buddies. His friends and wife would call him a good guy and he means well. Each season of the year is punctuated by a sport. This March, he really hopes UNC-Chapel Hill goes all the way.
“You going to watch the game tonight? You think they can pull off another win? GO HEELS!“
Carl Confusion
User Traits:
- Loyal to UNC brand
- Highly mobile
- Lives across the entire state
Website Goals:
- Wants information about sports and bounce
Website Frustrations:
- No information about sports
- No way to get to information about sports
Digital Brands:
- ESPN
- Windows
- Android
- Message Boards
Summary
Each persona will have a different journey through the website. By impersonating each persona and stepping through the website, problems can be identified and improvements discovered before the wireframes are developed.