Persuasion Architecture

The Persuasion Architecture method of creating personas was developed by Bryan and Jeffrey Eisenberg of Market Motive, and is based on the Myers/Briggs behavioral studies adapted by David Keirsey in the 1950s.

The four primary temperaments defined by Keirsey:

• Sensing/Judging (SJ)
• Sensing/Perceiving (SP)
• Intuitive/Feeling (NF)
• Intuitive/Thinking (NT)

The temperaments were renamed by Bryan Eisenberg to be more intuitive to use:

• Methodical (SJ)
• Spontaneous (SP)
• Humanistic (NF)
• Competitive (NT)

There are numerous sites where you can take a free Keirsey Temperament Sorter test, and the results are often eye-opening.

Design for all four temperaments by adding things that entice each user type (persona) and then use analytics to track which ones are dominant in terms of being the most common visitors to your site.

For example, try using hyperlinks with varied persona-enticing copy:

Methodical: Click here to see a list of the benefits of our diet plan and a timeline of expected weight loss with documented case studies.

Spontaneous: Try our diet plan today and start feeling great right away.

Humanistic: Read testimonials of recent customers who have worked directly with our award-winning founder Joe Trainer.

Competitive: Read our comparison chart that shows how we stack up against the competition.

Some people will be very interested in details, facts, and figures, while others will be influenced by eye-catching pictures that make them spontaneously react. Different personas require different web design elements and types of copy to be persuaded to follow through.