Protopersonas — Institutional
Before the previously mentioned platforms were implemented, transactions were conducted through traditional methods, including negotiations by phone and Bloomberg chat. In this challenging scenario, developing products and solutions aimed to optimize and modernize the process, bringing greater efficiency and agility to these investors' operations.
The target clients were institutional investors from other banks who traded with XP Investimentos. This audience needed tools that facilitated portfolio management, trade execution, and access to insights in a dynamic and highly regulated financial environment.
However, we did not have a clear understanding of these investors' main characteristics, because communication with them was mediated by brokers (stakeholders).
In the institutional context, we faced the challenges of working with a limited audience whose schedules restricted interviews and the traditional creation of personas. We therefore implemented a protopersona development process.
Protopersonas are an effective tool for starting the design process, providing insights that can be refined throughout the project. This agile approach ensures that time constraints do not compromise user understanding or the effectiveness of the solutions.
I conducted interviews, collected data, and synthesized information to create fictional yet evidence-based representations of target users. My responsibilities included identifying patterns, creating illustrations, and preparing engaging presentations for teams and stakeholders — supporting informed decision-making throughout the design process.
Analysis of Internal Materials
We reviewed recordings and notes from previous interviews to extract expectations, pain points, and real usage contexts. We also explored past briefs and project boards to leverage previous learnings and avoid rework.
Collaborative Workshop with Stakeholders
We planned group sessions to define behavioral profiles. Due to scheduling constraints, we adapted the approach to individual interviews while maintaining the same goal: understanding behavioral nuances and capturing valuable insights from each stakeholder.
Clustering
We grouped insights by similarity to form coherent profiles. This method enabled authentic representations of target users, which were essential for product decisions.
Over the following months, we monitored the metrics and performance of interfaces that used the protopersonas. This data informed continuous improvements and adjustments to the profiles.
We created detailed protopersona profiles offering a comprehensive view of demographics, preferences, motivations, challenges, and goals, along with visual representations that humanize each profile.
Putting these profiles into practice involved continuously integrating the protopersonas into the development process. By keeping the profiles accessible to the team, developers, designers, and other stakeholders could consistently reference them and validate their decisions against user expectations.
Throughout the project lifecycle, the profiles became a central reference, ensuring that discussions remained focused on real user needs. This practice also strengthened communication between teams by creating a shared language and understanding of the different profiles being served.
After introducing protopersonas into alignment meetings, we observed a clear shift in the team's mindset: feature prioritization became guided by specific profiles. Stakeholders began referring to the profiles in strategic discussions, reinforcing user-centered decision-making.
Examples mentioned in meetings:
- “This feature will focus on the analytical profile.”
- “We need to consider how this will affect the Auctioneers.”
This change made the development process more agile because discussions became more objective and evidence-based. The protopersonas served as a strategic compass, guiding decisions and ensuring that prioritized features aligned with real user needs.
In addition, incorporating protopersonas into daily work brought a human dimension to the process, constantly reminding the team that every delivery affects real people — each with unique goals, challenges, and motivations.
In summary, integrating protopersonas not only optimized workflows and improved the accuracy of deliverables, but also strengthened the connection between the team and stakeholders, resulting in more targeted solutions aligned with the expectations of the target audience.