Why do we create personas?
Personas aren’t a new concept and have been used in marketing strategy for many years. Why? Because we need to step into the shoes of those we want to communicate with. We need to understand what drives them and we need to speak their language. Those two things are the very basis for making sure we communicate effectively.
Now of course, we’ve made that sound simple. We’re just profiling our student body, right? In reality, it’s not quite as simple as that. To get to a set of personas that are truly representative of the diverse students we have, means shifting though thousands of pieces of data and listening to the views and perspectives of hundreds of students. No mean feat!
So, if it’s such a huge task, why are we bothering?
Ultimately, as a University we’re here to serve our students. They’ve trusted us with their higher education and it’s our duty to represent their views in everything we do. We can only do that if we put in the work to understand what it is they need from us. How can we ensure that we’re having a positive impact? By implementing what we learn.
We’ve already mentioned diversity and we need to be representing equality for every student. We know discrimination exists and the huge impact that has – we need to take a stand and not let inequality exist on our watch.
Let’s work with our students, not against them
We have an opportunity here with our persona project. Working together, as a University and Union, we can make decisions that put students at the core of everything we do. We can improve the learning experience. We can enrich the journey of every student by listening, being inclusive, and being pro-active in our decision making.
When we understand our students, we become effective communicators. And effective communication is at the core of every successful university.