Sotonye Cottrell

SLIDE 1 PRODUCT MANAGEMENT – CLASS 4 Personas & User Journey Mapping C-Quest IT Hub – Port Harcourt ⸻ SLIDE 2 Why This Class Matters You cannot build for “everyone.” If your user is everyone, your product is for no one. Today, we define users properly and understand how they experience products. ⸻ SLIDE 3 What Is a User Persona? A User Persona is a structured representation of your ideal user based on: • Real data • Observed behavior • Patterns from research Not imagination. Not stereotypes. Personas help you design with clarity. ⸻ SLIDE 4 Why Personas Matter Without personas: • You build for yourself • You make random decisions • You generalize users With personas: • You focus on a specific user • You make consistent decisions • You design with empathy Clarity improves execution. ⸻ SLIDE 5 What Makes a Strong Persona? A good persona includes: • Name (for identity) • Demographics (context, not focus) • Goals • Pain points • Behaviors • Motivations • Current alternatives It must feel like a real person. ⸻ SLIDE 6 Weak vs Strong Persona Weak Persona: “John, 25, likes tech.” Useless. Strong Persona: “Chinedu, 29, runs a small POS business in Port Harcourt. Struggles with tracking daily transactions and reconciling cash flow.” Now we can build. ⸻ SLIDE 7 Source of Good Personas Personas must come from: • User interviews • Observations • Survey insights If it is not backed by research, it is fiction. ⸻ SLIDE 8 Introducing Empathy Mapping Empathy Mapping helps you understand users deeper. It answers: • What the user says • What the user thinks • What the user does • What the user feels This helps uncover hidden pain. ⸻ SLIDE 9 Empathy Map Structure Divide into 4 sections: SAYS What the user expresses out loud THINKS What they believe but may not say DOES Their observable actions FEELS Their emotional state This reveals contradictions. ⸻ SLIDE 10 Why Empathy Mapping Matters Users don’t always tell the truth clearly. Example: A user may SAY: “I don’t have time.” But actually THINK: “This process is stressful.” If you solve time, you miss the real problem. ⸻ SLIDE 11 Customer Journey Mapping A Customer Journey Map shows: The step-by-step experience a user goes through while interacting with a product. From first contact → to final outcome. ⸻ SLIDE 12 What a Journey Map Includes • Stages (steps in the journey) • User actions • Thoughts at each stage • Emotions at each stage • Pain points • Opportunities for improvement It tells the full story. ⸻ SLIDE 13 Example Journey Stages For a service like Uber: 1.Open app 2.Request ride 3.Wait for driver 4.Ride experience 5.Payment 6.Rating At each stage, experience matters. ⸻ SLIDE 14 Identifying Friction Points Friction points are moments where: • The user struggles • The experience is confusing • The process breaks • The user may drop off These are where product opportunities exist. ⸻ SLIDE 15 Examples of Friction • Slow loading times • Complicated sign-up process • Payment failures • Poor communication • Lack of trust Friction kills retention. ⸻ SLIDE 16 Why This Is Important Most teams focus on features. Smart PMs focus on: Where users struggle Why they struggle How to remove friction That is how products improve. ⸻ SLIDE 17 Connecting Everything Research → Persona → Empathy → Journey → Insight If research is wrong, everything is wrong. If persona is clear, decisions become easier. ⸻ SLIDE 18 Practical – Build a Persona Using your previous research: Create ONE detailed persona. It must include: • Name • Background • Goals • Pain points • Behaviors • Motivations • Current solutions Make it real. ⸻ SLIDE 19 Practical – Create a Journey Map For your persona: Map their experience step-by-step. Include: • Stages • Actions • Thoughts • Emotions • Pain points Clarity is key. ⸻ SLIDE 20 What We Are Looking For Not beauty. Not design. We are looking for: • Depth • Clarity • Real insight • Logical flow ⸻ SLIDE 21 Deliverables Submit: 1.Persona Sheet 2.Customer Journey Map Format: • Clean • Structured • Easy to read Deadline: Before next class ⸻ SLIDE 22 Final Thought If you don’t understand your user deeply, you will build products that look good but fail. Great Product Managers: See clearly Think deeply Design intentionally