学习者角色：它们为何重要以及如何成功创建它们

Poor instructional design wastes resources. Luckily, you can fix this by understanding your learners. That’s where learner personas step in and help educators design courses that focus on real learners and their needs.

More specifically, learner personas highlight what learners prefer, what motivates them, and where they face challenges. In other words, with well-crafted learner personas, you will know what works and what doesn’t for your learners. This results in more effective training.

Without further ado, let’s explore the importance of learner personas and learn how to create learner personas.

What is a Learner Persona?

Have you ever seen a promotion that felt like it was made for you? That’s the power of consumer personas.

Marketers create these profiles to represent their target audience, helping them connect on a more personal level. Like customers, learners want to feel understood. That’s why educators create learner-centered training based on learner personas.

Think of learner personas as fictional profiles of your learners, which include important details like demographics, learning styles, job responsibilities, education, skill levels, and preferred learning management systems.

Why Learner Personas Matter?

Learner personas can help educators connect with their learners. Here's why they matter:

They Reveal Learner Habits

Personas help you learn about your audience. You’ll discover what they struggle with and what motivates them. This makes it easier to create training that feels relevant and keeps them engaged.

They Provide Consistency

Personas keep your team on the same page. Everyone works with the same understanding of the learners. This leads to a consistent learning experience that meets learner needs.

They Improve Learning Programs

Using personas makes training much more effective. You can create and sell online courses that focus on learners’ goals and challenges. It also helps you tweak content as their needs change, keeping it fresh and relevant.

They Build Empathy

Personas help you see the world through your learners’ eyes. This creates more thoughtful and relatable training. When learners feel understood, they engage better with the content.

Image credit: news.microsoft.com

They Reduce Cognitive Overload

Too much information can cause cognitive overload. Personas let you focus on what matters. This keeps training simple and easier to follow, helping learners stay focused.

They Align with Business Goals

Personas bridge the gap between training and business needs. They make sure your program helps employees learn the skills they need to succeed in their roles.

They Support Accessibility

Personas highlight accessibility needs from the start. By addressing these, you can create training that works for everyone. This improves outcomes for a diverse audience.

They Spark Innovation

Personas encourage fresh ideas. When you understand your learners better, you’ll explore creative ways to make training more engaging and effective.

How Many Learner Personas to Create?

You usually need between one and four learner personas. However, the exact number depends on your team size and project.

If your organization is small, one or two personas might be enough. Smaller teams often share similar traits, making it easier to group them.

For small projects or a limited audience, one or two personas work well. They can cover the main needs without adding too much complexity.

Larger organizations or diverse groups may need more. Three, four, or even five personas can help capture different learner needs.

NOTE: Pay close attention to your research. As you study your audience, patterns will show how many personas make sense. Most teams stick to three or four. Going beyond six can get tricky and hard to manage. Keep it simple and focused.

How to Create Learner Personas

To create a learner persona successfully, follow these steps:

1. Collect Data

Start by gathering as much information as you can about your learners. This step is the key to making realistic and relevant personas.

Use a mix of quantitative data (like age, gender, location, job roles, and preferred devices) and qualitative insights (like motivations, challenges, and frustrations).

Your AI-powered LMS or surveys can provide useful stats.

For a deeper understanding, try interviews, focus groups, or observing how learners engage with training. Studies suggest that combining these methods helps uncover learners' needs and skill gaps.

You don’t need to interview everyone—just a representative sample. If you can’t meet learners directly, talking to managers works too. The goal is to base your personas on real data, not guesses.

2. Analyze Information

Once you have your data, look for patterns. What traits, habits, or challenges show up repeatedly? Use these insights to build a profile of your typical learner.

This step can take time but is essential. Tools like word cloud generators or text comparison software can speed up the process by helping you visualize trends. Focus on the traits and behaviors that will guide your training decisions.

3. Design Your Personas

Now it's time to create a detailed profile. Give your persona a name and imagine them as a real person.

Include details like their:

• Age group
• Job role and experience level
• Key skills and skill gaps
• Training goals and challenges
• Attitudes toward learning

Don’t forget to explore their preferences, like whether they prefer online courses or interactive tools. Studies suggest tailoring learning to these traits using personalized learning platforms improves engagement.

To make it relatable, add a visual element. You can create a digital avatar or use a real photo (with permission). Seeing the persona as a person helps you design better content.

Extra Tips

Share your personas with your team and use them to shape your training. Personas should guide every decision, from setting learning goals to choosing delivery methods.

Ask questions like:

• Does this content meet their goals?
• Is the tone and jargon easy for them to understand?
• Will this training fit their schedule and preferences?

Research shows that using personas makes training more relevant, helping learners stay engaged and motivated.

How to Use Learner Personas

Creating learner personas is just the start. The real value comes when you put them to work to design learner-focused training. Let’s explore how to adapt your L&D strategies using these personas.

1. Tailoring Instructional Design

Your personas should guide how you create training content. Each learner has unique preferences for how they consume and engage with content.

For example:

Decide when to push content (send directly to learners) and when to let them pull content (let learners choose what to explore).

Some personas may prefer concise microlearning or quick video clips, while others might benefit from detailed case studies or demonstrations.

Mobile-friendly strategies and mobile learning apps work well for learners who prefer to study on the go.

By focusing on their training goals, challenges, and attitudes, you’ll design content that resonates and meets their needs.

2. Leveraging Gamification

eLearning gamification adds game-like elements to make learning more engaging. Different personas respond to gamification in unique ways.

For example:

Financially motivated learners might enjoy earning virtual points that can be redeemed for real-world rewards.

Recognition-driven learners may thrive with leaderboards, where their achievements are publicly celebrated.

使用角色的激励因素来决定如何以及何时将训练游戏化。

图片来源：jellyfishtechnologies.com

3.支持社交学习

通过社交学习 社交情感学习工具 鼓励学习者分享知识和建立联系。你的角色将帮助你设计正确的社交学习方法。

例如：

性格外向或社交角色可能会喜欢小组活动、论坛或俱乐部和社交信息等功能。

通过使用徽章或积分奖励小组成就，将社交学习与游戏化相结合。

如果你的角色有社交媒体，他们更有可能享受和参与社交学习平台。

奖励：创造史诗般的意义

史诗意义在于挖掘学习者的目标感。人们相信他们的行为有助于实现更大的目标。

要有效地传达培训的价值：

• 回答 “这对我有什么好处？”对于每个角色。
• 对于时间紧迫的学员，应强调培训的速度和可及性。
• 对于寻求认可的人，重点介绍培训如何提高他们的成绩。
• 对于有经济动机的角色，应专注于绩效改善和潜在的回报。

通过使您的福利与学习者的目标和挑战保持一致，您将保持他们的参与度和灵感。

学习者角色：最后的秘诀

创建学习者角色似乎是一项艰巨的任务，但对于量身定制有效的学习体验来说，它可以改变游戏规则。以下是需要记住的关键提示的简要回顾：

入门：

• 从模板开始，简化首次尝试。
• 专注于真实数据，而不是陈规定型观念，并坚持使用相关信息以节省时间。

设计角色：

• 以 2—5 个角色为目标，但要让您的数据引导确切的数字。
• 确保每个角色都独一无二，涵盖不同的年龄、角色和背景。
• 保留一到两页，重点关注目标、行为和需求，而不是过多的个人细节。
• 避免重叠——你的角色应该代表不同的学习者群体。

使用角色：

• 在实施之前与利益相关者进行验证。
• 在整个培训计划中始终如一地参考他们。
• 将他们视为真实的人，以建立同理心，并确保您的决策与他们的需求保持一致。
• 定期审查和更新角色以保持其准确性和相关性。

通过花时间有效地创建和使用学习者角色，您可以设计出真正能引起共鸣的培训。这些角色可以帮助您了解学习者的动机、挑战和偏好，从而转化为更具吸引力和影响力的学习体验。

那么，你对观众的了解程度如何？是时候找出答案了！

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