JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

Background:

Personas, fictional profiles representing user segments, play an important role in human-centered design, ensuring tools are tailored to the needs of users. Although public health organizations often develop information systems to promote population health, human-centered design methods and personas are generally underutilized in public health informatics projects.

Objective:

This study presents a novel, mixed-methods approach to developing data-driven personas for use in public health information system design, leveraging two statewide surveys conducted in Washington (WA) State. The aim is to produce realistic, representative, and actionable personas that reflect the diversity of a state population and support user-centered design in public health initiatives.

Methods:

Quantitative (cluster analysis) and qualitative (thematic review and quote extraction) methods were applied to two statewide survey datasets: 1) a statewide Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices (KAP) survey (N=1,103) which employed random, address-based sampling, and 2) a subset of the KAP respondents (N=143) which included more targeted questions on opinions and preferences related to public health information systems. Characteristics examined included demographics, technological readiness, opinions about public health policies, and experience using online health tools.

Results:

K-prototype clustering resulted in five clusters. These five clusters were studied using both quantitative and qualitative analysis of key factors of the WA State population to build 13 personas. Each persona represents a different population demographic, varying levels of technological readiness and attitudes toward public health policies, and differing experiences with online health tools. Persona descriptions are further elucidated with a short profile and 2-3 quotes.

Conclusions:

This study offers a scalable and adaptable framework for persona development in public health, demonstrating how existing datasets can be transformed into effective design tools. Through a mixed-methods approach, personas that reflect the diverse needs, preferences, and behaviors of WA State residents were created. These personas can enhance the design, development, and evaluation of public health information systems by centering user experience. Persona development and the methods described here can be used in future public health informatics projects to assist in formative research, guide design and development, inform usability testing, and shape communication strategies. By bridging the gap between large-scale data and user-centered design, this approach provides a practical model for making public health technologies more aligned with community needs.