Meet the Users

UX isn’t just about what we design.

It’s about who we’re designing it for.

“Meet the Users” is Track 2 of the UX Mixtape — and it’s all about one of the most fundamental (and misunderstood) tools in UX design: the persona.

The Problem with Personas

Let’s be real: personas get a bad rep.

We’ve all seen them:

• Made-up names like “Marketing Mary” with a random Spotify playlist

• Vague aspirations (“wants a seamless experience”)

• No research backing — just guesswork dressed up in gradients

When personas are shallow, they feel like design theatre. But when they’re done right, they become one of the most powerful empathy tools in your toolkit.

What Personas Actually Do

Personas aren’t about putting users in boxes.

They’re about making user needs visible and memorable.

A good persona helps your team:

• Focus on real goals, pain points, and motivations

• Avoid designing for themselves

• Communicate who the product is really for — to PMs, engineers, execs, or clients

They give design decisions a north star:

“Would Priya understand this feature?”

“Would Alex actually use this flow?”

The Psychology Behind It

Humans are wired for stories, not spreadsheets.

We remember people, not percentages.

Giving shape and voice to your user research helps the team internalize it — even if they weren’t part of the interviews.

That’s why names, photos, and quotes (based on real patterns) matter. It’s not fiction — it’s focus.

Personas Are Never One-and-Done

Creating personas isn’t a checkbox. It’s a process.

Here’s what strong persona work looks like:

• Grounded in real data (interviews, analytics, support tickets)

• Evolving over time (as your product and audience evolve)

• Used consistently — not just filed away in Figma

Personas are living tools, not static slides.

Why We Wrote a Song About It

Meet the Users is a reminder that UX starts with them, not us.

It’s an anthem to the research phase — and the empathy that fuels everything that follows.

It’s easy to get lost in pixels and flows.

This song brings you back to the beginning:

Listen first. Design second.

Too long, Didn't Read (TL;DR:)

• Personas aren’t just a deliverable — they’re empathy tools

• Done right, they guide better design conversations and decisions

• You don’t need 10 personas. You need the right ones, based on real patterns

• And yes — there’s now a song to help you remember that