Research Output
Is stereotyping inevitable when designing with personas?
  User representations are central to user-centred design, personas being one of the more recent developments. However, such descriptions of people risk stereotyping. We review the genesis and application of personas and kindred representations, and discuss the psychological roots of stereotyping and why it is so powerful. It is also noted that user stereotypes may be broadly accurate. This raises a number of questions. On practical level, as stereotyping is deeply engrained and resistant to circumvention, what are the instrumental approaches to its avoidance? Or, do we simply hope that its effects are not particularly prejudicial or detrimental? We argue that stereotyping in the design of interactive technology may be usefully thought of as comprising a number of tensions (or dialectics).

  • Type:

    Article

  • Date:

    31 January 2011

  • Publication Status:

    Published

  • Publisher

    Elsevier

  • DOI:

    10.1016/j.destud.2010.06.002

  • ISSN:

    0142-694X

  • Library of Congress:

    QA75 Electronic computers. Computer science

  • Dewey Decimal Classification:

    004 Data processing & computer science

Citation

Turner, P., & Turner, S. (2011). Is stereotyping inevitable when designing with personas?. Design Studies, 32, 30-44. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.destud.2010.06.002

Authors

Keywords

design behaviour; design techniques; interface design; personas;

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