
NN Group
Personas vs. Archetypes
Summary: Archetypes and personas used for UX work contain similar insights, are based on similar kinds of data, and differ mainly in presentation. Personas are presented as a single human character, whereas archetypes are not tied to specific names or faces
Personas are a big source of confusion in the UX world. The core idea behind the concept is periodically reinvented and renamed. (This sort of vocabulary inflation is only too common in UX). I regularly see blog posts, talks, or articles purporting that personas are dead and advocating instead for a new technique. Nearly every time, the critique of personas is based on a misunderstanding of personas and the author’s “superior” innovation is a slightly different spin on the core idea.