The scaled study moves from three personas to a library. Every test is one persona, one campus, one task. A tester (human or AI) opens the tool and is told: this is who you are, these are your barriers, this is the one thing you are trying to do, at this campus. Then they attempt it from a real felt need. Problems, not destinations: the persona has to figure out where to go. The library below reflects who actually enrolls across the ten colleges, ESL and non-native speakers, veterans, autistic and ADHD students, food-insecure and first-generation students, working parents, returning adults, students who need Disability Resources, swirling multi-campus students, dual-enrollment high-schoolers, and more.
For large unmoderated runs, a tester does not have to reuse a fixed persona. A fresh persona is generated by combining attribute pools, so each run probes a different intersection of barriers. The method is simple and repeatable, and it keeps the no-PII rule intact because nothing here is a real person.
A short generator prompt can produce these briefs in batches for AI testers, drawing one value from each pool above. The fixed library below is the validated core; the generator extends it for breadth.
Marisol Reyes, Darnell Carter, and Alex Nguyen are the three personas already developed and carried forward unchanged. The rest extend the library to cover the demographics the original three could not.
Background. First-gen, pre-Nursing/CTE, works part-time at a grocery store, lives with family.
Barriers. Spanish at home, reads English well but second-guesses forms; Pell-dependent; phone-first, no laptop; never been advised.
Goal. Get fully enrolled and find money for the first semester without missing a deadline.
Tech Phone-first, low confidence with portals · Home language Spanish · Campus GCC; swirls to EMCC
Background. Veteran, Business AA bound for ASU transfer, full-time job, two kids.
Barriers. Impatient with slow processes; self-advises; needs VA benefits to certify; limited daytime hours; never sees an advisor.
Goal. Use his GI Bill benefits and transfer cleanly to ASU without losing credits.
Tech High; expects fast self-service · Home language English · Campus SCC; swirls to Rio
Background. Exploring/undecided, leaning digital media, just out of high school, lives at home.
Barriers. ADHD and anxiety; needs DRS accommodations; institutionally naive; wants to belong; abandons tasks when overwhelmed.
Goal. Pick a direction, set up accommodations, and feel like they belong before week one.
Tech Digitally fluent, institutionally naive · Home language English · Campus GCC
Background. ESL adult learner, came through Adult Education / GED, wants an allied-health certificate.
Barriers. Spanish primary; limited English on dense pages; works nights cleaning offices; no childcare; afraid of owing money.
Goal. Move from GED into a short certificate and understand what it costs before she commits.
Tech Low; uses phone and translate · Home language Spanish · Campus Phoenix; Rio for one online class
Background. Refugee background, English is a third language, first in family at U.S. college.
Barriers. Arabic and Somali at home; unfamiliar with U.S. registration; relies on a relative to interpret forms; phone data limited.
Goal. Apply, get an MEID, and register for ESL and gen-ed without coming to campus.
Tech Low to moderate; phone-first · Home language Somali · Campus EMCC
Background. Returning adult learner, laid off from a trade, retraining for IT.
Barriers. Hasn’t been in school in 20 years; no recent transcripts on hand; unsure if old credits count; evening-only availability.
Goal. Find out what transfers in and build a part-time evening schedule he can keep.
Tech Moderate; desktop at the library · Home language English · Campus MCC; swirls to SCC
Background. Single working parent, business major, food insecure, drives 35 minutes to campus.
Barriers. Skips meals; doesn’t know basic-needs help exists; juggles a toddler; no margin for a wasted trip; misses email.
Goal. Find food and emergency help and keep her schedule without dropping below full-time aid.
Tech Moderate; phone and text · Home language English · Campus CGCC
Background. Dual-enrollment high schooler taking college classes at his high school.
Barriers. Minor, parent involved; juggles high-school and college calendars; unclear which login is which; first college experience.
Goal. Register for a dual-enrollment class and find his college email and Canvas.
Tech High; school-issued device · Home language English · Campus GateWay; ACE program
Background. American Indian student, commutes from a tribal community, accounting major.
Barriers. Long drive, spotty rural broadband; needs American Indian Program support; works seasonally; cautious about asking for help.
Goal. Connect with the American Indian Program and get tutoring she can use from home.
Tech Low bandwidth; phone-first · Home language English · Campus SCC
Background. Autistic student, computer science, lives at home, very capable academically.
Barriers. Needs clear literal instructions; sensory overload on busy pages; phone calls are hard; needs DRS; rigid routines.
Goal. Set up accommodations and register entirely online without phone calls or a campus visit.
Tech High; prefers written channels · Home language English · Campus PVCC
Background. Foster-care alumna, no family safety net, undecided, Pell-dependent.
Barriers. Housing-insecure; needs emergency aid fast; no one to ask; distrusts institutions; can lose contact during moves.
Goal. Find emergency housing and money help and stay enrolled through a crisis.
Tech Moderate; phone-first · Home language English · Campus SMCC
Background. International student on an F-1 visa, accounting, away from family.
Barriers. Visa rules limit work hours; unfamiliar with U.S. aid (ineligible for federal aid); needs international-student office.
Goal. Keep her visa status valid while registering and paying without federal aid.
Tech High; laptop · Home language Mandarin · Campus SCC
Background. Justice-involved (reentry), warehouse job, wants a logistics certificate.
Barriers. Background gaps in records; unsure if past affects admission; limited time; needs clear nonjudgmental info.
Goal. Apply without fear of being turned away and find a short, job-aligned certificate.
Tech Moderate; phone · Home language English · Campus SMCC
Background. Transfer-bound honors student, biology, high achiever, anxious about credits.
Barriers. Perfectionist; terrified of taking a class that won’t transfer; juggles a campus job; over-researches everything.
Goal. Build a transfer plan to a university with zero wasted credits and join Honors.
Tech High; laptop · Home language English · Campus CGCC; swirls to MCC
Background. Career-changer near retirement, wants a real-estate or coding certificate.
Barriers. Low digital confidence; intimidated by portals; needs a human early; can’t find the help-desk number.
Goal. Get help from a real person to enroll in one certificate without getting lost online.
Tech Low; needs phone support · Home language English · Campus PVCC
Background. DACA / Dreamer, first-gen, hospitality major, unsure of her aid options.
Barriers. Ineligible for federal aid, eligible for some state/private; afraid to disclose status; needs accurate, safe info.
Goal. Find scholarships she actually qualifies for without risking her status.
Tech Moderate; phone-first · Home language Spanish · Campus Phoenix
Background. Student-athlete, kinesiology, heavy practice schedule, eligibility-driven.
Barriers. Must stay full-time for eligibility; tight time; needs to know drop/withdraw impact before he touches a class.
Goal. Drop one class without losing eligibility or aid and replace it the same week.
Tech Moderate; phone · Home language English · Campus GCC
Background. Working RN returning for a bachelor-completion path, swirls across campuses.
Barriers. Time-starved; takes one needed class at whichever campus offers it; consortium aid confusion; residency worry.
Goal. Take one required class at a second campus and have aid and credit follow her.
Tech High; laptop · Home language English · Campus Rio + GCC (swirl)
Background. Rural student, very low bandwidth, agriculture/business, drives in weekly.
Barriers. Slow internet at home; can’t stream video orientations; needs lightweight, low-data paths; phone data caps.
Goal. Complete onboarding and orientation on a slow connection without a campus trip.
Tech Low bandwidth; phone-first · Home language English · Campus EMCC
Background. First-gen ADHD student, marketing, easily lost in multi-step processes.
Barriers. Loses the thread on long forms; forgets deadlines; needs reminders; abandons when a step is unclear.
Goal. Finish a multi-step financial-aid verification before the deadline without giving up.
Tech Moderate; phone and laptop · Home language English · Campus MCC
Background. Veteran with a service-connected disability, engineering, needs DRS and VA.
Barriers. Coordinates DRS accommodations AND VA certification at once; PTSD, avoids crowded offices; needs written steps.
Goal. Set up both accommodations and VA benefits through online and written channels.
Tech Moderate; prefers written · Home language Arabic · Campus SCC
Background. Part-time evening student, full-time medical-biller job, billing/coding.
Barriers. Only free after 6 PM; offices closed; relies on websites and chat; can’t take calls during work.
Goal. Do everything after hours: register, pay, and get help when offices are closed.
Tech High; laptop after work · Home language Vietnamese · Campus GateWay
Background. LGBTQ+ student seeking an affirming campus and counseling support.
Barriers. Wants to know counseling and community are safe and confidential before reaching out; cautious; reads carefully.
Goal. Find affirming counseling and community and confirm it is confidential.
Tech High; phone and laptop · Home language English · Campus PVCC
Background. Pell-dependent first-gen, undecided, watching every dollar.
Barriers. Refund timing decides whether she can buy books; doesn’t know disbursement dates; can’t float costs.
Goal. Understand exactly when aid disburses and when her refund lands before classes start.
Tech Moderate; phone-first · Home language English · Campus SMCC
Background. Spanish-dominant parent enrolling after years of work, basic-needs eligible.
Barriers. Reads forms slowly in English; childcare gap; food insecure; embarrassed to ask; trusts in-person more than web.
Goal. Enroll, find childcare and food help, and pay in a language he is comfortable in.
Tech Low; phone with help · Home language Spanish · Campus Phoenix
Background. Recent grad of a tiny rural high school, undecided, never used an LMS.
Barriers. Doesn’t know what an LMS is; expects email like high school; unsure where classes ’are’ online.
Goal. Figure out that Canvas is where her classes live and log in before week one.
Tech Moderate; phone · Home language English · Campus CGCC
Background. Swirling consortium student taking one online class at a second college.
Barriers. Already enrolled at home college; needs one class elsewhere; confused by two logins, two aid offices.
Goal. Take one consortium class at a second college and have credit return home.
Tech High; laptop · Home language English · Campus Rio + SCC (swirl)
Background. Returning learner, food-insecure single parent, ESL, healthcare aspirations.
Barriers. Spanish primary; two jobs; no childcare; food pantry need; deeply deadline-anxious; phone-only.
Goal. Enroll in a healthcare certificate and line up food and childcare on a phone, in Spanish.
Tech Low; phone-only · Home language Spanish · Campus GateWay
Background. Dual-enrollment high-schooler exploring engineering, ambitious.
Barriers. Minor; doesn’t know college transcripts differ from high-school; unsure how credits carry to a university later.
Goal. Take dual-enrollment engineering and understand how the credit follows him.
Tech High; school device · Home language Korean · Campus CGCC; ACE
Background. Adult-ed to college bridge, very low English literacy, cleaning-industry worker.
Barriers. Minimal English reading; relies on visuals and translate; intimidated by any text-heavy page; cash economy.
Goal. Move from Adult Ed into a college certificate with help she can understand.
Tech Very low; needs in-person · Home language Spanish · Campus SMCC
Background. Working parent, evening student, needs reliable campus tech and printing.
Barriers. Relies on campus labs and printing; hits login/DUO walls; wi-fi drops; can’t print a needed form.
Goal. Print and submit a required form using campus tech without an IT runaround.
Tech Moderate; campus labs · Home language English · Campus MCC
Background. First-gen Muslim student, business, commutes, needs quiet prayer space and DRS.
Barriers. Needs to know facilities and accommodations exist; modest about asking; juggles family expectations.
Goal. Confirm campus accommodations and quiet space exist before committing.
Tech Moderate; phone · Home language Arabic · Campus GCC
Background. Rural veteran, low bandwidth, agriculture, GI Bill, drives 50 minutes.
Barriers. Low data; VA certification confusion; can’t stream; wants to minimize trips; impatient with portals.
Goal. Certify VA benefits and register on a slow connection with minimal campus trips.
Tech Low bandwidth; phone · Home language English · Campus EMCC
Background. Graduating student offboarding her account, needs to save her work.
Barriers. About to lose her college email, Drive, and coursework; doesn’t know the account closes; needs transcripts too.
Goal. Graduate, save her email/Drive/coursework, and order transcripts before the account closes.
Tech High; laptop · Home language English · Campus SCC
Background. First-gen, undecided, never assigned an advisor, drifting.
Barriers. No advisor shown in his SIS; doesn’t know he can get one; picks classes blindly; at persistence risk.
Goal. Find or get assigned an advisor and book a real appointment.
Tech Moderate; phone · Home language English · Campus SMCC
Background. International transfer student, computer science, F-1, prior credits abroad.
Barriers. Foreign transcript evaluation; visa + registration at once; unsure which credits count; time-zone support gaps.
Goal. Get foreign credits evaluated and register while keeping F-1 status.
Tech High; laptop · Home language Japanese · Campus CGCC