A persona is a fictional representations of a user group you’re designing for. Personas help stakeholders understand who you have in mind when you make design decisions, and act as a reminder to teams that “You are not your user.”

Contrary to popular belief, personas are not to be taken as one actual person, but rather as a mix representing a group of users with similar behaviors & mental models. Personas are often is created early in the design process so you know who you’re designing for.