How Personas Shape Stronger Design Decisions
William Hudson
Why bother with personas? Why not "users"? Because the way you see someone shapes the way you design for them. We are accustomed to referring to people by their roles, but this practice is dehumanizing. When you use role labels, you quickly forget that these are real people, just like your family or friends. And just like your acquaintances, these real people have different abilities, behaviors, and needs.
There is good psychological evidence that our brains are wired to empathize more easily...