Discover what different personas think of your documents

Curious what different types of users think of your documents, and whether they’re finding the information they’re looking for?

User insights can be invaluable for learning whether you’re meeting the needs of any or all types of users. Will they give up if they can’t find what they need? Can they understand and use the information once they’ve found it?

Unfortunately, most documentation teams don’t have access to a dedicated user research team, and they lack the time or budget to carry out tests themselves. Often, they’re left guessing about effectiveness.

Cherryleaf has developed three free AI tools that simulate different user personas navigating through documents to identify navigation issues and measure success rates.

Why personas matter

Different users don’t just prefer different content – they consume it in fundamentally different ways.

Our tools simulate the distinct personas that typically use your documentation.

For example, common users of policy and procedure documents include:

• Someone new to the organisation
• A busy staff member
• A manager

And common users of developer portals include:

• A confused beginner
• An efficient developer
• A methodical learner
• A time-poor debugger

How it works

Using an uploaded document or a link to a web page, the tools analyse the document using different personas. They produce a summary of each user’s impressions, the document’s pros and cons from their perspective, and the friction points.

An example

To illustrate how it can be used, we asked the tool to review Birmingham City Council’s comments, compliments and complaints policy document – a 12-page document available on the council’s website.

The analysis revealed:

• Sarah, a busy staff member, found the document moderately useful because she could quickly locate contact information and some bulleted lists of processes. However, the overall length and narrative-heavy sections made it frustrating to skim for immediate, concise answers to ‘how do I complain about X?’. She appreciated the direct links but found the distinction between various complaint types and exceptions to be overly detailed for her needs.
• Mike, a manager, appreciated the detailed explanations and the stated commitment to clear, plain English. He took his time to read through the policy to understand the different types of feedback and the process. Whilst he found some sections overwhelming, the overall detail helped him feel more confident about understanding how to proceed without making mistakes. He would have preferred more visual aids to break up the text.