Substack UX Persona Project
Platform: Substack
Device: Mobile and Desktop (Web)
I conducted a mixed methods survey to collect qualitative data directly from users. I chose this method because it gives me clear, actionable data from closed questions while also capturing detailed user thoughts through open-ended responses. This lets me understand both what users do and why. Some of the questions asked were:
- What is your occupation or professional background?
- What best describes your usage of Substack?
- What challenges do you face when using Substack?
- On a scale of 1 to 5, how often do you receive content on Substack that encourages you to return or engage with the platform again (e.g., updates, recommendations)?
- What specifically stood out to you in that experience, and why was it memorable for you?
- If you could change one thing about your experience with Substack, what would it be and why?
During the process, I focused on understanding users’ feelings, behaviors, and pain points by building an empathy map, which helped me synthesize user data into clear emotional insights, allowing me to step into the user’s shoes and create more accurate, human-centered personas. Additionally, I used storytelling techniques to better visualize and humanize their experiences with the app.
Given the scope and sample size, one persona was sufficient to capture the main user needs and pain points.
These insights highlight clear opportunities to improve the notification system, clarify user interactions, and provide better organization features, all aligned with his need for simplicity, control, and quality content engagement.
Reviews
8 reviews
Great job, Eleonora! I really appreciated how you used mixed methods to collect both qualitative and quantitative data—it made the persona feel grounded and insightful. The empathy map was a strong touch, showing clear effort to connect emotionally with users. One small suggestion: incorporating more visual elements or user quotes could make the persona even more vivid and relatable. Still, the clarity of goals and pain points makes this a strong, actionable piece—well done!
Really nice work on the Substack UX Persona Project! The personas are clear, detailed, and feel grounded in real user behavior. Love how you highlighted goals, frustrations, and motivations—it really helps connect design decisions to user needs. Could be even stronger with some visuals or quotes to bring the personas to life, but overall, thoughtful and well-crafted! 📝👥
This is such a thoughtful dive into Frederic’s world! You’ve done a fantastic job humanizing Substack’s audience. I love how you captured his love for curated literature and his frustration with cluttered notifications. The empathy work really shines; those pain points about disorganized emails and platform misuse feel real and actionable for Substack’s team.
Small polish note: Double-check consistency in the bio (age jumps from 35 → 38). But honestly? The core insights here are gold. Especially tying his minimalist personality to the need for better organization tools. If Substack implements even one of your suggestions (like cleaner notification filters), Frederic would be thrilled! This persona doesn’t just describe a user—it tells a story designers can actually use. Great work!
Hello Eleonora, this is really solid research work. You clearly went beyond just collecting data—you've synthesized it into genuine insights about how users actually feel and what they really need from Substack.
What impresses me is how you've turned those insights into something actionable. The persona isn't just a pretty profile, it's a tool that actually tells the team something useful about improving the product. Your methodology is thoughtful too, mixing surveys with open-ended questions to capture both what users do and why they do it.
The visual presentation is clean and easy to follow, which matters because a persona is only useful if people actually refer back to it. This feels like a document a team would actually use, not just file away. Really great work.
You absolutely nailed it Eleonora, great work! One suggestion to make it even stronger: in the Bio section, consider focusing more on the user’s journey, their goals, and frustrations. This added depth can help create greater empathy and a more user-centered perspective. Well done!
Hi Eleonora
Great work on combining the empathy map and persona—Frederic feels very realistic and relatable. I like how his goals and pain points align well with the insights from the empathy mapping, especially around organization and notifications. To make it even stronger, you could show a clearer link between the empathy map findings and the persona details, and maybe expand on emotional frustrations beyond system-level issues. Overall, this is a solid foundation that highlights clear opportunities for improving the user experience.
Nice touch with the empathy map!
Nice
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