Experiment 9

Create a Customer Sketch

EXPERIMENTS IN ACTION: REBOOT
A customer sketch is a simple exercise to begin If your organization doesn’t have a thorough
characterizing customers and learn where you understanding of target customers, use The social impact organization Reboot Reboot created low-fidelity user personas –
may lack information. It can also help guide customer sketches as a best practice to created a series of user personas as part of rough drafts that could be made quickly (as
the creation of a research plan and early-stage clarify knowledge gaps before jumping into a an ethnographic research study to support opposed to polished, high-fidelity materials
personas. comprehensive qualitative research process. program managers at a bilateral aid agency shared with people outside the research
in using data more effectively. The team process). Written on 3- x 2-foot paper sheets,
STEPS needed to understand what kinds of data were the format made it easier for the team to
required and the reasons current data practices collaborate as they organized details and
1 2 3 were insufficient. However, they wanted to sorted evidence across more than 40
If you’ve performed some Use yellow sticky notes to Once you have a better idea understand these issues from the viewpoint interviews.
of the other experiments write down what you know – of your knowledge gaps and of the program managers themselves.
in this workbook, start and a different color to record strengths, use these customer
populating sketches from what you don’t. sketches to strategize more
previous conversations with effective screening criteria for
customers and front-line staff, your qualitative research plan.
USE IT WHEN USE IT TO
and eventually complement
them with information from • Before you begin the Starting with Your • Organize your data collection for specific
previous research on: Customers section of the CGAP Customer stakeholders or target customers
Household structure
Experience Toolkit
Places you may find customers
• Before you go into research planning
(leisure or work)
and want to get more tactical about your
Channels customers use to access
information and interact outreach strategy for qualitative research
Interests and life aspirations

TIME ROLES MATERIALS

1-2 hours Collective exercise Persona Profile

Sticky notes: 2 colors

Reference: Reboot – An Inside Look at Design Tools in Development Work

User Personas in Context

1 2