Tuesday, February 5, 2013

User Profiles (CDM-1.0.0)

While working on the next version of the library website I decided to actually create some user profiles so I could see if these users would be able to use the new design to achieve their goals. I am releasing these to the public under a CC license. The version number at the top is so it will be clear if I add new users or change a profile.

Rhonda the Reader

Rhonda sees herself as a voracious reader. She has a list of books she would like to read and as soon as she hears of a new book that sounds interesting she wants to place a request. Each day she’s interested in finding out what requests will be delivered that day and seeing if the library has a great new book she’s heard about.

Peter the Parent

Peter is a father who is very involved with raising his children and helping them to get all they need to develop. Peter is always looking for programs and events to help educate his children. In addition to searching for new experiences to educate and socialize his children, Peter has a list of books he wants to read to his children and that he wants the older ones to read for themselves. When he hears of a new book for child development, he looks to see if it is available.

Edith the eReader

Edith is an electronic maven. She has built her life around always-on, always-available services. Her schedule makes her best time to indulge herself at night when the library is closed. Because she’s a night-owl she consumes downloadable content almost exclusively. When she goes to the website she reads about some of the great speakers that come to the library, but she’s always too busy to be able to block out specific times to commit to attending programs.

Grandma Gertie

Gertie’s an older lady who has been retired for some time.  However, she’s determined to keep her mind sharp and maintain as active a lifestyle as her health allows. She loves reading non-fiction and plausible fiction particularly about the times she’s lived through.  She also attends many library events to give her a chance to get out of the house and socialize.

Busy Bob

Bob’s a very busy man. When he leaves work, he always has some errand or other to do on his way home. When he arrives home, he does his best to be a dutiful husband and father participating in family life. When everyone else goes to sleep, he finally has a little time for his own interests and hobbies before turning in for the night. Bob loves reading and the library in particular, so he manages to shove short visits into his schedule so that he can pick up a book every now and then, but mostly the library is closed before he has time to think about books beyond what he is reading now. The downloadable content alleviates this some, but every program Bob hears about has an 80% chance of being during his working schedule.

Charles and Charlotte the Children

Charles and Charlotte are children in elementary school. Like many children, they have grown up around computers and are capable of using the internet under their parents’ supervision. They love the escape reading provides and are always delighted to find new reading material that peaks their interest. Just as much as they love reading, they love spending time doing things. They are frequent story time visitors, and look forward to the Summer Reading Program each year because of all the fun activities the library provides.

Thomas and Tessa the Teens

Thomas and Tessa are in high school. They access the internet at home via laptops, and anywhere else through their phones. Unlike the younger children, using the internet for their school work is a real requirement. They enjoy using social media because it lets them feel like they are hanging out with their friends even while they are researching an incredibly boring assignment. Their reading assignments for school often take all the time they want to devote to reading, and sometimes make reading feel like too much of a chore for them to consider reading for entertainment. Because of the busy lifestyles of teenagers and their school schedules, physically visiting the library is relegated to weekends and only if they need particular help researching a topic. Thomas isn’t that great at communicating and sometimes it’s hard for him to ask the right questions to get the information he needs. They sometimes attend Teen activities at the library, if they look interesting, and may have joined the Teen Advisory Board to pad out their college applications.
Creative Commons License
User Profiles (CDM-1.0.0) by Chester Mealer Jr is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 United States License.