Technologies · Year 10

Active learning ideas

User Research and Persona Development

Active learning helps students grasp the human-centered nature of user research by putting them in the researcher’s role. Practicing interviews, surveys, and persona creation gives them firsthand experience with how data shapes meaningful design decisions.

• ACARA Content Descriptions
• AC9DT10P03
• AC9DT10P06

• 25–45 min
• Pairs → Whole Class
• 4 activities

Activity 01

• World Café
• 30 min · Pairs

Pairs: Role-Play Interviews

Students pair up: one acts as a designer interviewing a 'user' about app needs, using prepared questions. Switch roles after 10 minutes and note key insights. Debrief as a class on effective questioning techniques.

Design a set of interview questions to understand user needs for a new app.

Facilitation Tip

During Role-Play Interviews, circulate to coach students on open-ended questioning techniques and active listening.

What to look for

Present students with a scenario: 'You are designing a new online learning platform for Year 10 students in Australia.' Ask: 'What are two specific questions you would ask students in an interview to understand their learning preferences? Justify why each question is important.'

• Understand
• Apply
• Analyze
• Social Awareness
• Relationship Skills

Activity 02

• World Café
• 45 min · Small Groups

Small Groups: Survey Design Challenge

Groups create a 10-question survey for a target app audience, then exchange with another group to pilot-test and analyze responses. Discuss findings and refine questions based on clarity and bias.

Justify the creation of user personas in the design process.

Facilitation Tip

While students design their surveys, remind them to pilot questions with a partner to spot unclear wording before distributing them.

What to look for

Provide students with a brief case study of a fictional user. Ask them to write 3-5 bullet points that would form the basis of a user persona for this individual, focusing on their goals and frustrations related to the product described in the case study.

• Understand
• Apply
• Analyze
• Social Awareness
• Relationship Skills

Activity 03

• World Café
• 40 min · Whole Class

Whole Class: Persona Gallery Walk

Each group develops one user persona from research data and posts it on the wall. Class members conduct a gallery walk, adding sticky notes with interaction predictions. Vote on most insightful personas.

Analyze how different user personas might interact with the same product.

Facilitation Tip

For the Persona Gallery Walk, assign clear observation prompts so students analyze traits and motivations, not just aesthetics.

What to look for

Students share their drafted interview questions with a partner. Instruct students to provide feedback using the prompt: 'Are these questions open-ended? Do they avoid leading the user? Suggest one revision to improve clarity or elicit more detailed responses.'

• Understand
• Apply
• Analyze
• Social Awareness
• Relationship Skills

Activity 04

• World Café
• 25 min · Individual

Individual: Persona Iteration

Students review peer feedback on their persona, then revise it with added data justifications and design implications. Share final versions in a digital portfolio.

Design a set of interview questions to understand user needs for a new app.

Facilitation Tip

During Persona Iteration, provide a template with structured sections to guide students in justifying their choices with data.

What to look for

Present students with a scenario: 'You are designing a new online learning platform for Year 10 students in Australia.' Ask: 'What are two specific questions you would ask students in an interview to understand their learning preferences? Justify why each question is important.'

• Understand
• Apply
• Analyze
• Social Awareness
• Relationship Skills

A few notes on teaching this unit

Teach this topic by modeling curiosity and skepticism about assumptions. Use real-world examples where poor research led to failed products, so students see the stakes of their work. Avoid letting discussions drift into generic opinions—instead, tie every claim back to data the students themselves collected.

Successful students will articulate the connection between raw user data and design choices. They will demonstrate empathy by creating personas rooted in evidence rather than assumptions and revise their work based on feedback from peers.

---

Watch Out for These Misconceptions

• During Role-Play Interviews, students may assume personas are based on imagination rather than evidence.

  After the interviews, direct students to review their notes and highlight exact phrases or behaviors from the transcript that will shape their persona traits.

• During Survey Design Challenge, students may create questions that lead respondents toward expected answers.

  Have students swap surveys with a partner and label each question as open-ended, neutral, or leading. Ask them to revise any leading questions before finalizing the survey.

• During Persona Gallery Walk, students may focus only on demographic details and ignore motivations or frustrations.

  Provide observation cards that ask students to note one goal, one frustration, and one surprising insight from each persona they review.

---

Methods used in this brief

• World Café