| Firms now routinely collect information about the needs of their customers, but this information is not sufficiently considered during product design decisions. This research examines the relationship between designers and consumers to build an understanding of how the consumer should be represented to increase the consumer focus during the product design process. Specifically, this dissertation research is composed of three papers that investigate personas, an alternative method for representing and communicating customer needs. By using a narrative, picture, and name, a persona provides a vivid representation of the design target.;This dissertation builds a stronger research foundation for personas using three papers. In "A Latent Semantic Analysis (LSA) Approach for Accurate and Efficient Persona Development," an approach for developing personas accurately and efficiently is proposed and applied in the context of an Institutional Repository project. In "An Exploratory Delphi Study to Validate the Significant Benefits of Persona Use," expert panelists are used to reach consensus on the most significant benefits of persona use. Finally, the four experimental studies in "A Path Towards Product Simplicity? Using Personas to Reduce Undesired Product Features" examine the effectiveness of personas in reducing product complexity, and offer recommendations for how personas should be constructed to lead to superior design outcomes.;Together, the three papers will add to the currently limited body of knowledge on product design processes using personas. This research not only establishes an understanding of how the consumer should be represented in the design process, but also specifies how personas should be identified, constructed, and used to facilitate consumer-centered design choices. |
