User Personas for Quora (Desktop)
Project Scope
Quora was chosen as the platform, with a focus on the desktop version. The goal was to understand how different types of users interact with the platform, what drives their activity, and what barriers prevent them from participating more fully.
Research Summary
The research used two simple methods: an online survey with 8 respondents about their Quora desktop usage and a content audit of about 30 discussions. While 8 responses are a small sample, it was sufficient to spot recurring motivations and barriers, and the content audit added real behavioral evidence. Together, these methods gave a reliable foundation for building three user personas.
Personas
3 personas were detected:
Insights Gained
What clear patterns showed up:
- Recognition and authority are strong drivers for contributors.
- The silent majority (lurkers) are critical for traffic and retention.
- Content also functions as branding currency for sharers.
- The barriers to entry include a lack of safe entry points, content overload, and low visibility.
Opportunities for Design
Based on what was learned from the research, several ways to make the desktop experience better were found:
- Improve discoverability of high-quality answers.
- Encourage safe first contributions with guidance and micro-feedback.
- Add desktop-specific enhancements such as split-view editing, keyboard shortcuts, and compact reading modes.
- and more.
Template and Dataset Use
Personas were created using the provided persona card template, but with an optimized dataset for the chosen project (role, age, motivation, key actions, barriers, and a quote).
Non-essential demographics (marital status, income, hobbies) were intentionally excluded to keep the focus on Quora-specific behaviors and ensure personas remain actionable for design.
Tools used
From brief
Topics
Share
Reviews
3 reviews
Lera, great work combining survey and content audit — the personas feel focused and actionable. I like the choice to skip extra demographics. Maybe just add how you’d validate with more users and tie design ideas more directly to the barriers.
This project does a great job of digging into how different users interact with Quora on desktop. The research feels focused and practical, and I like how you combined survey insights with real content analysis to build out your personas. It’s clear you’ve captured the motivations and challenges for a range of users, and the decision to leave out extra demographics keeps things actionable for design.
One suggestion: with only eight survey responses, it might help to highlight any plans for future research or how you’d validate these personas further. Also, since content overload and low visibility came up as barriers, maybe show a bit more about how your design ideas—like split-view editing or micro-feedback—would directly address those issues.
Overall, your personas and insights are clear, and your recommendations feel grounded in what real users need. Nice work making the feedback both specific and encouraging—it gives a strong foundation for the next steps.
Rada Muka
For a quick 30-minute task, this looks clear and to the point. I also like the color coding — it makes the info easy to scan.
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