How user segmentation, rather than personas, helps you get design buy-in

"Are we targeting this demographic because we want them to become repeat customers who spend X amount? That's how you turn user understanding into market segmentation that justifies the investment." A design consultant told me this the other day, and it changed how I approach personas. It's not just about understanding who your users are. It's about understanding how many of them there are. That one element, scale, is often the difference between personas that collect dust and those that get your stakeholders' attention."

"More importantly, moving from user personas to user segmentation is a small shift that can make a significant difference in getting your team on board with user needs. Why user personas get dismissed It's very likely that you have more than one type of user (and persona) at your organization. Whether it's admin vs non-admin or employee vs customer, you often design products that multiple user groups use."

Targeting decisions should be driven by scale and revenue potential to justify investment. Understanding who users are must be paired with understanding how many users there are. Scale often determines whether personas influence stakeholders or remain unused. Shifting from descriptive user personas to quantifiable user segmentation aligns product design with market opportunity. Segmentation clarifies which user types should be cultivated as repeat customers and what spend thresholds make targeting worthwhile. Organizations commonly support multiple user types—admin vs non-admin or employee vs customer—requiring design that accommodates multiple user groups. Quantified segments make a stronger case for resource allocation and strategic prioritization.

Read at Medium