Effective public speaking, influencing and every meaningful relationship requires empathy. Persona development helps to understand an archetype of your service users so you can design your services to meet their needs.

1. Week 1: What are your goals?
Week 2: Who are you?
Week 3: How do others see you?
Week 4: How do you see others?

2. Is there only one truth?

3. Different perspec:ves

4. Apathy Sympathy Empathy
I don’t care
how you feel
I know how you
feel
I feel how you
feel

5. There has certainly come to you a Messenger from among
yourselves.
Grievous to him is what you suffer;
[he is] concerned over you and is kind and merciful to the
believers. [Surah At-Tawba 9:128]
The Prophet(SAW) was full of empathy

6. And it’s a part of being Muslim
“The believers in their mutual kindness,
compassion and sympathy are just like one
body. When one of the limbs suffers, the
whole body responds to it with wakefulness
and fever.” - Bukhari
The Messenger of Allah (SAW) said: ‘I start
prayer and I want to make it long, but then I
hear an infant crying, so I make my prayer
short, because I know the distress caused to
the mother by his crying.’ - Ibn Majah

7. Empathy through
persona development

9. Create 3-5 unique and detailed personas

11. 2018
Core characteris:cs Needs and Goals
Curious o Hobbies? Outwardly or inwardly focused?
o Passions which aren’t work related?
o Life goals?
o What is important in their life? Is it to save Ome?
Save money? Look cool?
o What concerns them?
o Biggest fear?
o What informaOon do they seek on a regular basis?
Seeking meaning
Willing to explore
TrusOng of
informaOon
Knowledge of Islam
Defining characteris:c Name
Sketch & Background Behaviours and beliefs
Name/Age
Lives in:
Family
EducaOon:
Job
Wealth:
Salary
Home.
Car
Devices
• What shapes their IdenOty - Work, family, religion?
• What are their feelings towards money?
• Health and wellbeing?
• Friends network
• What's their personality like?
• What does the character believe with regard to poliOcs, religion
and other major issues?
• Social media usage – watcher, commentor or creator?

12. 1 (low) 2 3 4 5 (high)
How curious are they in
others opinions?
Feel that something
meaningful is missing in life
How likely are they to go out
of their comfort zone to
explore?
How much do they tend to
trust news / informa:on?
How much do they know
about Islam?
Core characteris:cs

13. 2018
Core characteris:cs Needs and Goals
Curious o Outwardly focused although inwardly needy
o Enjoy cooking and shopping. Travel experiences
especially sharing photos of cultural spaces.
o Life goals are to leave a legacy in the community
through social welfare projects
o Time saving and reducing waste are important
o Biggest fear is becoming an irrelevant failure
o Concerned about social divide and reads broadly
about local economy and psychology
Seeking meaning
Willing to explore
TrusOng of
informaOon
Knowledge of Islam
Socially-concerned Sarah
Sketch & Background Behaviours and beliefs
Name:
Lives in:
Family:
EducaOon:
Job:
Wealth:
Sarah, age 46
Stevenage
Divorced, Son
moved out
English grad.
Council
worker
Earns £45k.
Mortgage.
iPhone. iPad.
Ford Fiesta.
• Independent, caring and concerned about social responsibility
(e.g. eco-warrior)
• Enjoys annual holiday with friends or to see family
• Part of Luton running club. Cooks at home mostly.
• Wants to make a contribuOon to the community and abends
Foodbank and Mela events
• Puts in long hours at work and has been at council for almost 20
years
• Uses Facebook to keep in contact with personal friends & her son.
Twiber to complain about service
• Not afraid to speak out on poliOcs and rights. Not adherent to
religion personally but respects them.

14. Map out and study how they
may interact with your services

15. Think up your own crea:ve
approaches to this project