From Individual to Collective Personas Modeling Realistic Groups and Communities of Users (and not Only Realistic Individual Users)

Personas are user models that are represented as specific, realistic humans. Initially focused on the modeling of individual users, the Persona method (see, e.g., Cooper) is gradually changing towards the inclusion of collectives of users (groups, communities, etc.). In other words, a " Collective Personas " trend is emerging. This paper reports a literature review reflecting this emerging trend. It synthesizes some issues and avenues related to collective personas development.