Since the Persona Adoption Model, or PAM, is an executable, software simulation of how Personas will respond to specific effects, it can be used in many ways to gain insight into plausible future reactions to virtually any idea or concept that can be thought of. In particular, the PAM can be used to:

• Create or identify solution concepts that will affect the community as desired
• Test solution concepts to see the Personas response
• Assess how perception changes will affect Persona adoption

One way of using the PAM is to ‘test’ solutions. The personas and the solutions are implemented in software that allows the input of the appropriate experience and outcome profiles for a persona as well as a solution effects profile. The software will tell what the expected persona response is to the solution so you can test new concepts as early as they are conceived. This is very useful to enhance the decision making involved in deciding which concepts to pursue and which to ‘put on the shelf’ or do something else with.

If the model says that there will be a good response from a persona, and other indicators confirm this, (including your ‘gut’) then it is a good indication that the concept is worth pursuing. On the other hand, if you get a weak or negative response to a new concept from the persona model then this should send up a red flag indicating that something could be wrong, even if other indicators (again including your ‘gut’) think it’s a good concept. This tool makes testing early stage concepts feasible by providing quick feedback. Examples of persona responses to a number of generated solution concepts are given later in this report.

Another way to use the PAM is to look at an appropriate persona model to get an indication of the effects profile that would make that persona respond, either positively or negatively. By examining the persona details, one can craft new solutions that will affect that persona. In this way, new concepts can be created based on the real needs and desires of a researched community of individuals.