User personas. You’ve heard of them. You’ve used them. Like “usability testing” and “ethnographic research,” it’s a term that causes your clients’ eyes to light up. But how much of personas is hype, and how much of it really adds to your clients’ bottom line? Well, that’s up to you.

When used correctly, user research can be a killer communication tool. It can drive your IA, and add richness and vitality to your content offering and creative message. When used incorrectly, it can be a big, fat waste of time, energy and budget.

Want to strengthen your research efforts? Want to make better use of the information you’ve got? Just want to know what all the fuss is about?

Join MIMA and Tamara Adlin, founder and president of adlin, inc., to learn more about how personas can help you add value to your user experience.  We’ll look at:

• What to do with 'em once you've plastered the persona posters all over the office.
• The many day-to-day applications of personas throughout their lifecycle.

ABOUT THE SPEAKER:

Tamara Adlin is the founder and president of adlin, inc., a customer experience consulting company located in Seattle, WA. Prior to forming her company, Tamara created the Customer Experience services team for Amazon Services.

Tamara is the co-author of The Persona Lifecycle: Keeping People in Mind Throughout Product Design (with John Pruitt, Microsoft), which includes four invited chapters from other experts in user-centered design and over a hundred sidebars written by 60+ colleagues who have used personas in their work.

Tamara holds a B.A. from Vassar College and an M.S. degree in Technical Communication from the University of Washington, where she focused on User Interface design techniques and interdisciplinary communication.