Personas are essential to the Be [email protected], Be Mobile design thinking process, and can be applied to most problem-solving activities. A key activity of the initiative is the development of mHealth toolkits – comprehensive, evidencebased documents that provide guidance for governments and policymakers for developing, implementing and evaluating mHealth programmes. The digital health content developed for these toolkits is then adapted by governments to meet country-specific needs.

A persona is a fictional archetype of the actual user of a product. For the Be [email protected], Be Mobile initiative, personas represent the various users who may directly or indirectly benefit from a specific mHealth programme. Personas represent the lived experiences and specific characteristics of potential user types and are intended to promote empathy among programme designers – experts, government officials and implementers – and bring them into the mind of the user. Through the use of descriptive visuals, personal anecdotes and key user information, programme designers gain insight into the realities and complexities of the users’ lives that are likely to influence their engagement with the programme.