AI Persona Planning¶

Template Download Template

How to Use This Template¶

1. Identify Your Personas: List all user types who will interact with the AI system
2. Complete One Profile Per Persona: Use the template below for each persona
3. Analyze Across Personas: Look for commonalities and conflicts
4. Design for All: Ensure your AI solution works for all identified personas

Persona Profile Template¶

Basic Information¶

Persona Name: _______________ (e.g., "Service Counter Officer Sarah", "Citizen Charlie", "Data Analyst Daniel")

Role/Position: _______________

Organization/Context: _______________

Demographics (if relevant): - Age range: _______________ - Location: _______________ - Education level: _______________ - Digital literacy: [ ] High [ ] Medium [ ] Low

Context & Goals¶

Primary Responsibilities:

Goals Related to AI System: 1. _______________________________________________ 2. _______________________________________________ 3. _______________________________________________

Success Metrics: - How will this persona know the AI is working well? - What outcomes matter most to them?

Current Experience (Before AI)¶

Current Workflow:

Pain Points: 1. _______________________________________________ 2. _______________________________________________ 3. _______________________________________________

Time Spent on Related Tasks: ________ hours/week

Tools Currently Used: - _______________ - _______________ - _______________

AI System Interaction¶

Interaction Frequency: - [ ] Multiple times per day - [ ] Daily - [ ] Weekly - [ ] Monthly - [ ] Occasionally/as needed

Interaction Type: - [ ] Direct user (inputs data, receives outputs) - [ ] Indirect beneficiary (benefits from AI without direct interaction) - [ ] Oversight/governance (monitors or governs AI use) - [ ] Support role (maintains or troubleshoots AI)

Primary Use Cases: | Use Case | Description | Frequency | |----------|-------------|-----------| | | | | | | | |

Key Questions This Persona Asks: 1. _______________________________________________? 2. _______________________________________________? 3. _______________________________________________?

Needs & Requirements¶

Functional Requirements: - What features does this persona need from the AI? 1. _______________________________________________ 2. _______________________________________________ 3. _______________________________________________

Performance Requirements: - Response time: _______________ - Accuracy level: _______________ - Availability: _______________

Interface Requirements: - Preferred interface: [ ] Web app [ ] Mobile app [ ] Desktop app [ ] API [ ] Other: ______ - Accessibility needs: _______________ - Integration with existing tools: _______________

Information Needs: - What does this persona need to know? - [ ] How the AI made a decision (explainability) - [ ] Confidence level of predictions - [ ] Data sources used - [ ] Alternative options considered - [ ] How to contest or override - [ ] Other: _______________

Concerns & Barriers¶

Technology Concerns: - [ ] Lack of trust in AI - [ ] Fear of job displacement - [ ] Concerns about accuracy - [ ] Privacy concerns - [ ] Complexity/usability concerns - [ ] Other: _______________

Organizational Barriers: - [ ] Lack of training - [ ] Insufficient time to learn new system - [ ] Resistance from management - [ ] Budget constraints - [ ] Policy/regulatory uncertainty - [ ] Other: _______________

Top 3 Risks from This Persona's View: 1. _______________________________________________ 2. _______________________________________________ 3. _______________________________________________

What Would Make This Persona Reject the AI?

Support & Enablement¶

Training Needs: - Type: [ ] Formal training [ ] Self-serve resources [ ] On-the-job support [ ] Mix - Duration: _______________ - Topics to cover: _______________

Ongoing Support: - [ ] Help documentation - [ ] FAQs - [ ] Tutorial videos - [ ] Live support/helpdesk - [ ] Community/peer support - [ ] Other: _______________

Change Management: - How should we introduce this AI to this persona? - What communication do they need? - Who are their trusted influencers?

Expected Impact¶

Positive Impacts: - Time saved: ________ hours/week - Quality improvement: _______________ - Reduced errors: _______________ - Enhanced capability: _______________ - Better experience: _______________ - Other: _______________

Potential Negative Impacts: - Job role changes: _______________ - New skills required: _______________ - Increased complexity: _______________ - Loss of autonomy: _______________ - Other: _______________

Net Sentiment (expected): - [ ] Very positive - [ ] Positive - [ ] Neutral - [ ] Negative - [ ] Very negative

How to Maximize Positive Impact:

Multi-Persona Analysis¶

Persona Comparison Matrix¶

Complete after filling out individual persona profiles

Commonalities¶

Shared Needs (across all personas): 1. _______________________________________________ 2. _______________________________________________ 3. _______________________________________________

Common Concerns (across all personas): 1. _______________________________________________ 2. _______________________________________________ 3. _______________________________________________

Conflicts & Trade-offs¶

Competing Requirements: | Persona A | Wants | Conflicts With | Persona B | Who Wants | |-----------|-------|----------------|-----------|-----------| | | | | | |

How to Resolve:

Design Priorities¶

Must Have (for all personas): - _______________________________________________ - _______________________________________________ - _______________________________________________

Should Have (for most personas): - _______________________________________________ - _______________________________________________

Could Have (nice-to-have for some): - _______________________________________________ - _______________________________________________

Example Personas for Common AI Use Cases¶

Persona Example 1: Frontline Service Officer¶

Name: Service Officer Sarah Role: Customer service representative at government agency Context: Handles citizen inquiries via phone, email, and in-person

Goals: - Quickly find accurate information to answer citizen questions - Reduce time spent searching through documentation - Provide consistent, quality service

AI Interaction: - Uses AI chatbot to retrieve information and suggest responses - Interacts 50-100 times per day - Needs instant responses (<2 seconds)

Key Needs: - Simple, intuitive interface - High accuracy (95%+) - Ability to easily override or escalate - Training on when AI is/isn't appropriate

Main Concerns: - AI providing incorrect information to citizens - Loss of personal judgment and discretion - System downtime affecting service delivery

Persona Example 2: Compliance Analyst¶

Name: Analyst Andrew Role: Reviews applications for regulatory compliance Context: Assesses 20-30 applications per day manually

Goals: - Efficiently identify non-compliant applications - Focus time on complex cases requiring human judgment - Maintain high accuracy and consistency

AI Interaction: - AI pre-screens applications and flags potential issues - Reviews AI recommendations before making final decision - Uses daily as part of regular workflow

Key Needs: - Explainability: Why did AI flag this? - Audit trail for decisions - Ability to provide feedback to improve model - Integration with case management system

Main Concerns: - AI missing subtle compliance issues - Over-reliance on AI reducing own expertise - Accountability if AI makes mistakes

Persona Example 3: Citizen/Service User¶

Name: Citizen Charlie Role: Member of public accessing government service Context: Infrequent user, not familiar with system

Goals: - Get quick answers to simple questions - Access services easily - Understand what information is needed

AI Interaction: - Interacts with AI chatbot on agency website - May use once or infrequently - Expects simple, conversational interface

Key Needs: - Natural language interaction - Clear indication when chatting with AI vs human - Easy escalation to human if needed - Privacy and data protection

Main Concerns: - AI not understanding their unique situation - Privacy of personal information shared with AI - Frustration if AI can't help and escalation is difficult

Persona Example 4: Executive/Decision Maker¶

Name: Director Diana Role: Senior executive overseeing program area Context: Needs insights for strategic decisions

Goals: - Understand trends and patterns - Make data-driven strategic decisions - Demonstrate accountability and value

AI Interaction: - Reviews AI-generated reports and dashboards - Uses weekly/monthly for planning - Indirect user (staff operate AI systems)

Key Needs: - High-level insights, not raw data - Confidence intervals and uncertainty - Explanation of methodology - Compliance and risk assurance

Main Concerns: - AI insights leading to poor strategic decisions - Inability to explain AI-driven decisions to stakeholders - Reputational risk if AI systems fail or cause harm

Validation Checklist¶

Use this checklist to ensure comprehensive persona analysis:

Coverage: - [ ] All user types identified and profiled - [ ] Both direct and indirect users included - [ ] Oversight/governance roles included - [ ] Support/maintenance roles included

Depth: - [ ] Goals and needs clearly articulated - [ ] Pain points and concerns documented - [ ] Impact (positive and negative) assessed - [ ] Support and enablement needs identified

Analysis: - [ ] Common needs across personas identified - [ ] Conflicts and trade-offs analyzed - [ ] Design priorities established - [ ] Mitigation strategies for concerns developed

Accessibility & Inclusion: - [ ] Diverse abilities considered - [ ] Digital literacy levels represented - [ ] Vulnerable or disadvantaged users included - [ ] Cultural and language diversity addressed

Next Steps¶

After completing persona analysis:

1. Share with Team: Review personas with project team and stakeholders
2. Validate with Real Users: Test personas with actual users for accuracy
3. Inform Design: Use personas to guide AI system design decisions
4. Create User Stories: Develop specific user stories for each persona
5. Plan Testing: Design user testing scenarios for each persona
6. Monitor Post-Launch: Track actual usage patterns against persona predictions