User Research and Personas - EU Presidency

As part of the EU Presidency Programme, the host state provides a website outlining the priorities, policies and agenda for their presidential term. The performance and usability of the website is important, as it represents both a cultural snapshot and the technical capability of the host country.
Through initial stakeholder interviews and analysis of existing sites, we identified the key target user groups; journalists, policy makers, special interest groups and the general public (specifically school children).

Frontend designed and carried out a user interview programme among 20 users from 7 different nationalities. Tests were conducted on-site in the various EU institutions, and in a dedicated test facility in Brussels. The tests were recorded for later analysis using Frontend’s mobile usability lab.
Four 'User Personas' encapsulating the requirements and user behaviour of the typical user profiles.We detailed various user scenarios and success criteria for each persona and created easy to use persona documentation for the design team.

The 'Personas' highlighted who uses the site, what motivates them and what information they require from the site. From this analysis it was possible to define the most effective information architecture for the site, prioritising key functionality and ensuring that the needs of the audience are addressed.