Are Data-Driven Personas Considered Harmful?

Abstract

 In this work, we build on research on data-driven personas to present what might be “wrong with them”. From wrong assumptions by the client and wrong applications of methods to imbalanced, messy, or superficial data; a lack of communication regarding how these personas are created; and issues with usability, there are a plethora of issues that plague data-driven personas. We conclude by contemplating whether data-driven personas are even worthwhile and, if they are, then what are some of the immediate remedies required from the human-computer interaction community to make data-driven personas a viable tool for user understanding.