Behavioral Persona Rationale
The reactive rewarder behavioral persona emerged directly from patterns observed in Briant’s diary study and post-study reflections. When clustering our sticky notes, we noticed recurring themes across participants: spending was frequently used as a reward after effort, food purchases were common when users were tired or hungry, and many participants justified these purchases as necessary or earned. Several participants also reported little to no guilt, even when acknowledging the spending was impulsive or not planned.
The reactive rewarder persona represents a subset of our target audience that is not financially uninformed, but whose behavior is driven by depletion and emotional rewards. What makes this persona distinct is the gap between intention and execution: the user wants to improve spending habits, reflects afterward, and expresses concern, yet rarely changes behavior because interventions occur too late. This persona helps us focus on users whose spending is shaped more by timing, energy, and emotional state than by lack of financial knowledge, making it a critical group for understanding impulse spending dynamics.
Journey Map Rationale
The journey map illustrates how the reactive rewarder’s spending behavior unfolds over time and highlights where breakdowns in intention occur. Rather than a single impulsive moment, the journey reveals a repeated loop driven by depletion, environmental triggers, and post-purchase rationalization. By mapping what the user says, thinks, does, and feels at each stage, we can see that regret and awareness emerge only after the purchase, limiting their ability to influence future behavior.
For a clearer picture: https://www.figma.com/board/lVgB0XpyUT0WWpyXtyyxkS/CS-247B-Baseline-Study?node-id=166-150&t=Ym57KGijD7O9Y5Ib-1
