Personas and user interviews changed how I thought I would structure my project. After completing this module’s reading and activities, it becomes clear how crucial user research is. It allows the creator to target their audience better, which is the mission of public history and allows for deeper connections. Without the users, what is the project’s point, and would it just be another project done for other scholars? Working specifically and intimately with an actual user of your work assists in better understanding their needs and what they seek from the project. I began my interview with the blanket audience of pet owners, but I understood that this was too broad. I needed to narrow the audience to those interested in pets and those who know and understand the significance of the history of pets, especially in Great Britain. My first interview was with a pet lover with a moderate knowledge of history; she provided me with an understanding of what gaps in her knowledge I needed to fill. The second interview was with a British historian and pet lover, and she showed me that she knew almost too much as an academic and that I needed to reorient my project to those with not as extensive historical knowledge. It would also be interesting to see the project from a different gender perspective. However, without user research, my project would have been a greater struggle as the semester progressed.

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