Figure 1: Behavioral Persona “Shyla”
The above behavioral persona ‘Shyla’ represents a shy but highly motivated student who cares a lot about her academic performance. She wants to understand concepts in a step by step manner and build independence in problem solving, not just complete assignments for the sake of submission. However, fear of judgement from peers, TAs, and instructors makes it difficult for her to ask clarifying questions or admit confusion. As a result, she finds herself turning to AI tools and online resources that are low pressure channels to get help before reaching out to people. She has a strong work ethic and follows structured guidance well, but often leaves office hours without full clarity, often from fear of asking too many clarification questions. She benefits most from having private, supportive scaffolding help that reduces social pressure while still guiding her to develop an understanding of concepts.
Figure 2: Shyla’s Emotional Journey
Shyla’s emotional journey begins with focused determination mixed with pressure as she starts her work and tries to solve problems by herself. However, when she gets stuck, her confidence drops quickly and she is quickly flooded by frustration and self doubt. Given her shy nature, she hesitates to ask questions publicly and instead turns to AI to give her step by step help. This gives her relief and a sense of safety because she can ask freely without being judged. However, this relief is rather temporary, since the support sometimes gives her answers faster than she can fully process them. By the time she submits her work, her emotions dip again into uncertainty and mild guilt because she knows her understanding is incomplete and is left feeling like an imposter. The journey ends with worry about future exams and concepts even though the immediate task is finished.
