"Personas are 'hypothetical archetypes' of actual users. They are not real people, but they represent real people during the design process. A persona is a fictional characterization of a user.
The purpose of personas is to make the users seem more real, to help designers keep realistic ideas of users throughout the design process. Personas have proper names (that are often catchy and related to their user group name, for example, Hanna Reed–Smith, Human Resources Specialist) and are represented with pictures. Designers and evaluators refer to personas when considering design specifics; for example, 'Would Hanna know to click on that button to add a new employee?' Personas put a name, face, and characteristics on users to keep the users in the forefront of design decisions."
(Shawn Lawton Henry)
