Personas: The Person Behind the Glass

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Personas The Person Behind the Glass

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

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Can personas help deliver great information
experiences?Designing for desktops vs.
understanding the person behind the glass
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Light at the End of the Tunnel
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Information Engagement Levels
Stimulate/Live
Present/Teach
Argue/Defend
Act on/ Discuss
Content Source Situation
Read/View
Dr. Thomas Davenport
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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.

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Information Literacy

• Standard Curriculum Components
• Mathematics / Arithmetic
• Science, Biology, Physics Chemistry
• English, Languages
• History, Geography, Politics, Sociology
• Music, Art, Phys ed.
• Guidance, Religion

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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

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Taking The Knowledge Positioning
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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?

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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, careless

VS
VS
VS
VS
VS
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Sample Conclusions

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

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.
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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 Supporti
ng idea sharing and 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 content
From the Knowledge Proposition, TFPL, 2004.
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Organizational Success

• What a portal can do

And what it cant
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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.

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Defining Portal Requirements
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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

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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.

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Defining Improvement Opportunity
Business process workflow
Required process workflow
What decisions?
Required decisions
Analysis and Proposal
What pain?
Required knowledge
What knowledge?
Required information
What information?
Required use
How used?
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Right Knowledge
Align the knowledge sought in the context of
decision-making. What decisions are being made
and what knowledge is being sought?

• 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

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Best Information Sources

• Relevance
• Credibility
• Reliability
• Accuracy
• Maintainability
• Usability/reuse/format

How do you know?
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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)

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People and Portals
Heath
Henry
Patty
Dianne
Brendan
Brian
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People and their Persona
Henry
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Look at your Ecology . . .
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View the Relationships
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How is learning happening?
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Innovation and Creativity occur when?
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Where are ideas turned into action?
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Pre-Boomer1934-1945
Workplace Character

• 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

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Boomer1946-1959
Workplace Character

• 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

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Cusper1960-1968
Workplace Character

• 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

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Buster1969-1978
Workplace Character

• Principal / Satisfaction
• Lifestyle first
• No need to lead
• Loyal to skills
• Dont care what others think
• Prefer to work alone
• Technically savvy
• Must have mission
• Individual first
• I win, you win

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Nester1979-1984
Workplace Character

• 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

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Pre-Boomer1934-1945
Motivation

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

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Boomer1946-1959
Motivation

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

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Cusper1960-1968
Motivation

• Do well by doing good
• Meeting organizational goals
• Recognition from boss
• Bonuses
• Stock options

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Buster1969-1978
Motivation

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

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Nester1979-1984
Motivation

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

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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 Ill do it
• Dont participate, attend meetings or need to
  hear others opinions
• Recognition doesnt work and isnt needed.
• Want results quickly and success in stages.

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Older Worker Summary1935-1959

• Were invincible as a team
• I want, would think, would like . . .
• Soft style Id love it if you . . .
• Long preambles.
• Care deeply what others 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.

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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
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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
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Another View Xers

• 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
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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
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Ontario Public Library Market Study

• Ontario Public Library Strategic Directions
  Council
• Nov. 2000
• Consulting Report by Market Probe Canada
• http//www.strategicplan2000.com

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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Portal Functionality

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

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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
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Click2Learn
Saba
SkillSoft Books24X7
Newmindsets
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E-Learning
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MS Live Meeting (PlaceWare)
Webex
Centra
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Virtual Reference, IM, Chat
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Video Games, PC Gamers

• Goals, scaffolds and learning
• Decision trees and Problem solving

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Its an Information Ocean, not a Highway.
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• Its an Exploration Space not a collection
  space.

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Context is King, not Content.
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What is context?

• Its not about the Library!
• It is about . . .
• Learning
• Research
• Community
• Workplace

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Zacs Media and Zine

• 8.5 hours digital media
• Downloads MP3s
• 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

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Sydneys Publishing

• 3,000 IM Buddies
• Small website
• Original MP3 files
• Rock Band and concerts

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Stephen Abram, MLS Sirsi Corporation 416-669-4855
stephen.abram_at_sirsi.com http//www.sirsi.com
Thanks