Hey everyone! I’m a member of the Naked Mole Rat team. Our team is investigating the news-reading habits of college students in the hopes of inspiring individuals to become more informed on current events. Just so, we worked to create proto-personas that aligned with three broad categories: avid readers, hobby readers and avoidant readers. Below is the persona and journey map of the Avid Reader.
Avid Reader Persona
This persona encapsulates two individuals that participated in our diary study. They both fell into the “Avid Reader” category meaning that they read the news pretty obsessively every day. We found that despite certain nuances, their habits and routines were quite similar. Interestingly they read the news to stay informed and to be less insecure about not knowing about current events. But despite all the time spent on reading the news they both felt like they didn’t have an outlet to discuss articles with others.
Role:
- Student / Finance Intern / Child of Parents who read the news habitually
Goal and motivation:
- I want to read the news everyday because I want to be that person who wakes up and reads the news
Conflict:
- I read the news every day, but I find it to be a very isolating activity as I don’t engage with other people
Attempts to solve (and results):
- No attempts made
Setting(s):
- Bedroom after waking up
Key Tools/skills:
- Subscriptions; Financial resources to subscribe; Parents who value “being informed”
Routines:
- Subscribe to news briefings that are sent to inbox before they wake up
Habits:
- Read news as first on-computer activity; Listen to news-related podcasts on walk
In the journey map we used columns to describe various events for an average school day to get a gauge on how they were thinking; feeling during these events in relation to news reading/sharing. The journey map below reveals a delicate balance between personal rituals of morning news consumption for grounding and intellectual stimulation, academic integration of news to augment knowledge, and a persistent yearning for meaningful social discourse amid the reluctance to broach serious topics during casual interactions. The lack of outlets for sharing insights and engaging in communal discourse leaves them feeling isolated, despite their extensive knowledge. Addressing these pain points by fostering avenues for discussion and engagement could significantly enhance their overall news consumption experience and mitigate feelings of isolation.
Hobby Reader Persona
This persona also encapsulates two individuals that participated in our diary study. They both fell into the “Hobby Reader” category meaning that they don’t have a habit of reading the news multiple times a day, but will stay updated with current events and read about topics that they are most interested in. Nevertheless we still saw that there was quite a lot of shame/guilt about not knowing a lot about every current event, despite actively avoiding reading topics such as politics etc.
Activated Role:
- International Masters Student
Goal and motivation:
- I want to read the news because I enjoy reading about my hobbies, and I like the certain way some specific people write opinion pieces
Conflict:
- I want to read stuff that I am interested in/enjoy, however I feel compelled to get informed about important events otherwise I feel insecure
Attempts to solve (and results):
- actively research events like Russo-Ukrainian conflict and Israel-Palestine
Setting(s):
- Bedroom or breakfast table
Key Tools/skills:
- Computer, Mobile, Subscriptions to New Yorker, WSJ, NYT and local Indian newspapers
Routines:
- Wake-up read news, or read while eat scrambled egg
Habits:
- Tend to research/read in the mornings, read alone, send local news to friends to discuss, send funny/interesting articles to parents
The hobby reader enjoys starting their day by reading the news with breakfast, preferring a physical newspaper for a more immersive experience. They pay close attention during classes to understand the content fully. Throughout the day, they prefer entertaining news over serious current events to avoid feeling overwhelmed. During their downtime, they actively avoid news to stay relaxed. However, this avoidance sometimes leads to insecurity about not being well-informed about important topics, especially if they come up in conversation, causing them to fear embarrassment.
