HUU: RP001: Other ‐ Persona Development

Proposed Research Agenda

• Research Year: 2024
• Participant TYPE: Guests, Hosts, Coordinators

Research Roadmap

Summary of Research

Question

• What do we know about each of the 3 user groups in terms of demographic and psychographic data?

• How can we describe their attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors towards the current state of homeless youth fostering?

Purpose

Users of the HUU platform have been divided into three broad groups: Guests, Hosts, and Coordinators. These groups are based on how each user will interact with the HUU platform and the general objectives of each user: Find a HH (Guest), Provide a HH (Host), Match Guests to Hosts (Coordinator). The primary purpose of this study is to provide stakeholders with demographic, psychographic, and behavioral data about these user types which will guide product development. The data we collect will be shared with stakeholders in the form of user personas.

Participant Type

• Guests
• Hosts
• Coordinators

Methods

Point Source Youth (PSY) and other HH initiatives have produced promotional videos and conference panels that feature each user type and provide insights into goals, needs, challenges, and attitudes of HH program participants. In addition, academics, government agencies, and non-profit organizations have produced reports on the topics of homeless youth and host home initiatives that provide relevant demographic and psychographic data.

Secondary research will provide us with preliminary data that can be used to create user personas. Personas are used as a model or summary of a general user type. User personas will ensure that all stakeholders share the same understanding of our users and can be used by stakeholders as a reference point as they design product features.

Current Status

Secondary research has been conducted. Findings and recommendations from this research as well as user personas have been presented to the HUU team.

All Issues

Label: RP:001

Outstanding Tasks

• Create list of guest preferences for matching. Review secondary research for characteristics guests seek in hosts (e.g. dietary accommodations, religious practices).

Assets

Google Drive Folder

Type Folder: Guest | Host | Coordinator

Research Plan Folder: HUU: RP001: Other - Persona Development

Research Plan

HUU: RP 001: Other - Persona Development Research Plan

Synthesis

HUU Research Figjam

Presentation of Findings

Google Slides Presentation

Action Items - Keys takeaways

We have 5 current personas:

1. Persona 1 - Guest Keeping Community Connections- Youth under the age of 18 are out of scope, persona still highlights other characteristics a Guest is looking for in a match
2. Persona 2 Guest Seeking a Relatable Roommate - Ensuring roommate-like dynamic is out of scope, persona still highlights other characteristics a Guest is looking for in a match
3. Persona 3 The Coordinator
4. Persona 4 The Sympathetic Stranger
5. Persona 5 The Family Friend - Kinship matching is out of scope

Finding	Action Item
Kinship matching pairs Guests w/ family members, friends, known community members	Kinship matching is out of scope, focus on stranger matching
Some Host Homes accommodate youth under 18 years old	Youth under 18 years old are out of scope
Youth look for certain backgrounds/characteristics in a good match	UXR to outline characteristics Guests look for in a good match; Open ended application questions are important to determine a good match and should not be optional
We know very little about coordinator workflow and pain points	Explore workflows of coordinators, identify what aspects of the application and matching process take the most time as well as how coordinators manage matches and empty Host Homes