Introducing Diversity Personas in Gender-Responsive Mobility Planning

Diversity Personas are a design method that moves marginalized perspectives to center stage, offering a structured approach to integrating intersectional identities in user representation. While traditional personas are widely used in user-centered design, they often fail to capture the complexity of social identities, reinforcing stereotypes and excluding underrepresented groups. This paper introduces Diversity Personas as a tool for fostering inclusivity in genderresponsive mobility planning. We present a case study in which Diversity Personas were co-created with employees and mobility managers to support more inclusive workplace commuting solutions. Our approach utilizes diversity personas not only for empathizing with users but also as a collaborative tool for stakeholders involved in mobility practices and to create personas that reflect the diverse and intersectional identities of the workforce. This process facilitates a nuanced discussion on mobility needs, addressing gender differences and promoting inclusivity in mobility planning. The case study demonstrates that Diversity Personas not only mitigate stereotyping but also serve as catalysts for structural change by fostering awareness and enabling organizations to design more equitable mobility solutions. This paper contributes to persona research, gender-sensitive design, and participatory methods, providing a framework that can be adapted across diverse innovation and policy-making contexts.