I think we (as an industry) create personas that are stuck in time. We don’t know who they were or who they will become. I’m not much like who I was five years ago, most people change quite a lot with time. That kind of information HAS to be important – especially for building brand loyalty. My background effects what I do, what I buy. Who I am. I am more than who am am right now. Everyone is. Maybe personas need to be too, or else they become caricatures.
During some user research we’re doing for a client related to the department of defense, we discovered a group that is totally irresponsible, porn-surfing, binge-drinking, low-tech and yet massive and very homogeneous group of late teens or early 20s men (boys still) in the military. The persona we would create based on the prevailing trend for the demographic wouldn’t have been pretty, and we were afraid the client might find our assessment to be disparaging at best. Their goals don’t go very far, and they certainly aren’t the type of customer the client has in mind… yet.
We already had another persona, a 24 year old male who is just starting to get his act together. So we gave him a back story. He may have been reckless a couple of years back and not very interested in the products our client hocks, but he’s getting there.
By understanding where he comes from, and maybe even where he’s going, we can design a product that fits around the stages of his life and is something that goes beyond filling a very limited and timstamped need. Maybe this will be a new trend in personas. Maybe not. But I think it’s pretty interesting.