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GVC - Persona Development
UX Researcher
Really solid "thinker" and impressive execution.
Tim
Founder | CEO
situation
Give Virtual Care (GVC) aimed to enhance its diabetes care benefit, which offers unlimited supplies, real-time coaching, and expert guidance. However, GVC needed to ensure that its services resonated with a broad, diverse audience—ranging from younger individuals newly diagnosed with diabetes to older, long-term patients. The goal was to build accurate user personas that could drive user engagement, improve product offerings, and lower churn rates. There was also a need to account for biases in initial research findings to ensure these personas accurately reflected the real-world challenges of users and experts alike.
task
The objective was to develop well-rounded, data-driven user personas based on a mixture of qualitative and quantitative research. These personas needed to be:
- Verified through multiple stages of data collection.
- Inclusive of the diverse experiences of individuals with diabetes (across age, experience levels, and varying approaches to management).
- Aligned with the ultimate goal of optimizing GVC’s diabetes platform, ensuring the service was personalized and effective for each user segment.
action
To ensure the personas were accurate, representative, and free from bias, the following steps were taken:
- User Research: Conducted interviews with a broad spectrum of individuals, including:
- Younger and older people living with diabetes (both Type 1 and Type 2) to gather insights about their daily challenges, emotional struggles, and motivations.
- Diabetes researchers with varying levels of experience—those new to the field as well as seasoned professionals—to understand their perspectives on diabetes care and trends in patient behavior.
- Addressing Biases: Recognizing that each interviewee brought their own biases, especially regarding personal approaches to diabetes care, we identified these biases early. This allowed us to balance and refine insights to ensure the personas weren’t skewed by any one group’s perspective.
- Surveys for Data Collection: After initial qualitative research, we conducted user surveys with a broader audience to collect both quantitative and qualitative data. The surveys were designed to:
- Validate the patterns and behaviors observed in the interviews.
- Quantify key data points like frequency of glucose monitoring, reliance on coaching services, and challenges faced in managing supplies.
- Collect additional insights from a larger pool of users to ensure that the personas reflected the broader population.
- Verification & Refinement: Using the survey data, we conducted data analysis to verify the accuracy of the personas. Quantitative data was used to validate assumptions made during qualitative research, while ensuring key trends matched real user behaviors. We adjusted personas based on feedback loops and reevaluated their traits through a blend of observational data and survey results.
- Bias Minimization: Regularly revisited and studied personas through cross-functional team reviews to ensure they remained unbiased and reflected the reality of GVC’s diverse user base.
results
The research led to the development of highly accurate and actionable personas that successfully informed GVC’s product development, marketing strategies, and engagement efforts:
- Validated User Personas: The personas were reflective of real user needs and validated through multiple layers of qualitative and quantitative research.
- Enhanced Product Features: The personas influenced product decisions, such as adding tailored glucose tracking reminders and improving supply management features.
- Increased User Engagement: By using personas to inform onboarding processes and user experience enhancements, GVC saw an increase in engagement, particularly from younger users and those newly diagnosed with diabetes.
- Reduced Churn: The personas enabled GVC to create more personalized experiences, leading to a 15% reduction in churn over the first three months of implementation.
