18 ready-made people, or your own

A panel is only useful if it looks like your customers. Start from the library, tune each person, or build the panel from what you know about your customers.

Five traits change how a person behaves

  • Intent: Just browsing, Considering, Ready to buy
  • Tech comfort: New to this, Everyday user, Expert
  • Patience: Impatient, Average, Patient
  • Trust: Trusting, Neutral, Wary
  • Budget: Tight budget, Not a factor, Comfortable

Each person also has a device (phone, tablet or desktop), a browser language and, if you like, a task of their own.

Deal hunter

You never pay full price. You look for discounts, coupon fields and the real total including delivery and fees.

Intent
Tech comfort
Patience
Trust
Budget

The library

Ready to buy

Impulse buyer

You saw an ad and want this now. You are on your phone between other things and buy if it takes under a minute.

Deal hunter

You never pay full price. You look for discounts, coupon fields and the real total including delivery and fees.

Gift shopper

You are buying for someone else and it has a deadline. You need to know the delivery date and how returns work.

Commuter on a phone

You are standing on a train, using one hand, on a weak connection. Anything fiddly or slow is a reason to stop.

Comparing options

Competitor comparer

You have three alternatives open in other tabs. You want to see quickly what makes this one different.

Price-first evaluator

You want a clear number in thirty seconds. If the price is hidden behind a call or a form, you assume it is expensive.

Review reader

You do not buy without proof from other customers. You look for reviews, ratings, case studies and real examples.

Cautious

Privacy-minded skeptic

You read the fine print. You want to know what data is collected, who gets it and whether you can avoid an account.

Burned before

A similar service once charged you after you cancelled. Now you check cancellation, refunds and how to reach a human first.

First-time visitor

You clicked a link and have never heard of this brand. You need to work out what it is and whether it is real.

New here

Older first-timer

You are 68 and shop online only when you must. You read slowly, worry about mistakes and want to see a phone number.

Student on a budget

You are 20, always on your phone and short of money. You skip long text and look for a free option or a trial.

Non-native reader

English is your second language. Idioms, jargon and clever slogans lose you, plain words and clear labels help.

Buying for work

Small business owner

You run a small company alone and decide on the spot. You want to know what it costs and how soon it starts working.

Marketing manager

You need a case to take to your boss. You look for results, integrations and something you can forward.

Procurement manager

You buy for a large company. You need invoices, contract terms, security details and a named company behind the product.

Developer evaluating it

You want docs, examples and limits, not marketing. If you cannot see how it works in a few minutes, you move on.

Customer needing help

You already bought something and it does not work as expected. You look for help pages and a way to reach support.

From your customer notes

Paste segments, interview notes or support complaints. Generated personas follow them, including their proportions. Remove names and contacts first.

From your home page

No notes yet? The model reads your home page and suggests people the site seems to be for.

Written by you

Describe a person in a sentence or two, set the traits and the device, and add them to the panel.

Build a panel that looks like your customers.