Behind every project, report, or pilot programme, there are real people. Personas help us remember that.
It usually starts with a conversation.
Someone sits across from us and talks about their life:
why they moved, what they miss, what frustrates them, what gives them energy. They talk about culture – or the lack of it. About feeling welcome, or invisible. About wanting to belong, but not knowing where to start. This is where personas begin.
Not as templates.
Not as marketing tools.
But as a way to remember who we are really working for.
From interview to persona – what actually happens?
In the CulturAll project, each persona grows directly out of one in-depth interview.
We listen. We record. We transcribe every word. Then we carefully analyse the interview using a grid that helps us organise what we heard: motivations, challenges, needs, relationship with culture, barriers, dreams. And only then – slowly and intentionally – we create a persona.
So in our process: one interview becomes one persona. Why?
Because each story deserves to stay whole. Because one person’s experience is not just “data” – it’s a lived reality.
Why do we still work with several personas?
Even though one interview leads to one persona, we don’t stop at just one.
Across countries, cities and institutions, patterns begin to emerge.
Different stories – but similar tensions.
Different paths – but shared barriers.
Having several personas allows us to see the diversity within the group of young migrants instead of flattening them into a single “average user”.
Some personas are highly engaged but tired. Some are curious but cautious. Some feel confident in public spaces, others avoid institutions entirely. Each persona becomes a companion in the project – someone we return to again and again when making decisions.
What does a persona actually include?
Our personas combine both demographic and psychographic elements.
They describe:
- basic background (age, country of origin, current situation),
- motivations and reasons for migration,
- interests and goals,
- challenges and barriers,
- relationship with culture and institutions,
- preferred ways of communication,
- what encourages or discourages engagement.
But most importantly, each persona starts with a short narrative summary:
Who is this person – really?
Not a stereotype. Not a label. A human being.
Why personas help us stay human
Projects move fast.
Deadlines appear.
Budgets tighten.
Deliverables pile up.
In moments like these, personas help us slow down and ask better questions:
Would this activity feel safe for her?
Would this format make sense to him?
What might stop this person from showing up – even if the idea sounds great on paper?
Personas protect us from designing for ourselves instead of for others.
They keep empathy alive when decisions become technical.
Designing with people, not about them
For us, personas are not the end of the process. They are a bridge. A bridge between listening and acting. Between research and pilots. Between institutions and real lives. They remind us that integration doesn’t start with programs. It starts with understanding.
And understanding starts with one honest conversation.
Download “Persona canvas” here.