Archetypes vs Personas

So which is better for UX: personas or archetypes? The business school answer is that it depends.

3 Min Read

06 May, '22

Carl Jung

Personas and behavioural archetypes are heavily used within user experience research and are used as tools that enable users to remain a constantly present figure throughout the design process. Both techniques were initially developed as a psychological theory by the Swiss psychiatrist Carl Jung.

Archetypes are defined as images and themes that derive from the collective unconscious, as proposed by Carl Jung. Archetypes have universal meanings across cultures and may show up in dreams, literature, art or religion. Individuals can be classified as falling into more than one archetype, which then collectively builds up into the individual’s personality.

A persona (or mask), meanwhile, is the outward face we present to the world. It conceals our real self, and Carl Jung describes it as the “conformity” archetype. This is the public face or role a person presents to others as someone different to who we really are (such as an actor).

Behavioural archetypes

Modern behavioural archetypes are much less introspective than personas because they are not as restrictive but still provide sufficient information to guide product design. Behavioural archetypes are developed around general user behaviours and characteristics and do not refer to a single person but rather a group of people who all have similar behaviours and thought processes associated with a situation. These, in turn, allow for data richness, with the flexibility to allow for change, an attribute which separates them from personas.

As a result, the number of possible archetypes is limitless. However, there will always be a limited number of archetypes that are formed in relation to a specific product/service. This can limit their use in projects that require the appearance of all users.

Reference: Dale Jones

"Although personas are imaginary, they are defined with significant rigour and precision. Actually, we don't so much make up our personas as discover them as a byproduct of the investigation process."

- Alan Cooper -

Personas

Personas can be incredibly useful when you need guidance during work on a specific problem or product feature. Personas are typically presented in a comparable fashion every time. Each is given a name, picture, age, occupation, lifestyle or even brand preferences. Personas are a super tool for developing empathy between the design team and end-users. They can also act as a reference point during sprint cycles to ensure that the needs of the users are met.

Reference: Dale Jones

Which to use?

Should we use personas or behavioural archetypes? This depends on the type of project that the design team is running. Both techniques have their merits and so are better suited to different types of tasks.

A persona is better when the design team needs to visualise the end-user and their goal for a product, as it will give the personalised data needed. However, when wanting to build complete brand identity or a complete overarching theme to hold behind a product, then using a behavioural archetype will be more advantageous as it holds a wider view of the product.