[Sigia-l] Personas vs. Audience Analysis

[Lada Gorlenko]

D> But I also think there enough people out there thinking (business and
D> technology) and it is our job to be the "feelers" of the group. I feel
D> that if we give this up we give up way too much of ourselves, and just
D> let the business analysis and product marketers do our jobs for us.

Business and technology aside for a while completely; these are
different components of a design solution. Dan and I were both
operating within the user component only in our discussion. I don't
need to *feel* for my audience more than I would feel for an old
charming lady getting in my way on a busy street, to yield to her [the 
average level of human empathy towards another human].

As some of us, I stick to the "I am a doctor, trust me" framework of
design. A good doctor wants the best possible solution for her
patient. As a doctor, I don't need to feel depressed when my patient
is depressed [that's what empathy is about: identification with
feelings of others]. I need to know precisely what caused depression
and how to put my patient back together most efficiently, effectively,
satisfactorily, add-your-own-buzzword. If I start goo-gooing
oh-poor-dear-let-me-hold-you, I might be giving an excellent temporary 
relieve [granted], but I'll be 
a) wasting my time that is best applied to solving the long-term
cause of depression,
b) may get false positives that would led me to believe that a hug can
be a long-term cure.

Medicine would not exist without goo-gooing, but it's not medicine if
goo-gooing comes first. If I were a cuddly toy, I would choose feeling
over thinking. For me as a designer, thinking always comes first and
feelings come second.

Lada