Overview
Conducted extensive qualitative research to develop rich, role-based personas that clarified priorities and needs across diverse user groups in the behavioral health space. This project involved deep user interviews, contextual inquiries, and collaborative analysis to create actionable personas that became the foundation for all product decisions.
Challenge
The behavioral health platform served multiple user types with vastly different needs — from clinicians to case managers to patients. The team lacked clear understanding of these distinct user groups, leading to feature conflicts and poor user experiences. Without proper personas, the product was trying to serve everyone and ended up serving no one well.
Solution
I designed and executed a comprehensive persona research project involving 45 in-depth interviews across different user roles. The research included contextual inquiries in real healthcare settings, journey mapping for each user type, and collaborative analysis sessions to build rich, actionable personas that the entire team could rally around.
Outcome
Created 6 detailed personas that became the foundation for all product decisions. The personas helped prioritize features, resolve design conflicts, and align the entire organization around user needs. Product adoption increased by 35% within 6 months of implementing persona-driven design decisions.
Key Features
- 45 in-depth user interviews across 6 distinct roles
- Contextual inquiries in real healthcare settings
- Collaborative persona development workshops
- Journey mapping for each user type
- Persona validation and iteration process
- Integration with existing product roadmap
Process & Approach
Research Planning & Recruitment
Identified key user segments and recruited participants across different roles in behavioral health organizations. Developed interview guides tailored to each user type while maintaining consistency for cross-role analysis.
In-Depth Interviews & Contextual Inquiries
Conducted 45 interviews with clinicians, case managers, administrators, and patients. Observed users in their actual work environments to understand real-world constraints and workflows.
Data Analysis & Pattern Recognition
Used affinity mapping and thematic analysis to identify patterns across user groups. Collaborated with the product team to understand how insights mapped to existing features and roadmap priorities.
Persona Development & Validation
Created detailed personas with goals, pain points, workflows, and technology comfort levels. Validated personas with additional user interviews and stakeholder feedback sessions.