Developing User-Centered Mindsets: A Structured Methodology

• Dr. Martin Wilson

  North East Cyber Resilience Centre

  Author

• Dr. Sharon McDonald

  Government Digital Service

  Author

• Dr. Alastair Irons

  Abertay University

  Author

Mindsets, behavioral archetypes grounded in user beliefs and actions, are increasingly used in user-centered design (UCD) to communicate complex user behaviors. However, the lack of methodological rigor and transparency in the development of mindsets has limited their credibility and broader application. This study presents a structured six-step methodology for creating and validating mindsets from qualitative data, developed in the context of cybersecurity for micro and small businesses. Drawing from established practices and practitioner insights, this method integrates behavioral theory, thematic analysis, and evidence-based segmentation to produce distinct, actionable mindsets. Key steps include applying the MECE (Mutually Exclusive, Collectively Exhaustive) principle to distill qualitative data, identifying behavioral tensions to define the quadrant axes, conducting face-validity checks, and drawing on best practices from the extant persona literature.

Our resulting mindsets were evaluated through an online survey of 20 professionals who are subject matter experts (SMEs) in cybersecurity. Results indicated high perceived validity and usability, with 75-80% of participants finding the mindsets highly representative and highly likely to improve support of micro and small businesses. Feedback highlighted usability strengths alongside areas for refinement, including the importance of making targeted engagement recommendations actionable as well as some concerns about naming conventions. Our findings suggest that this methodology produces mindsets that are empirically grounded, replicable, and practically useful for engagement design. This study contributes a validated, transferable framework for mindset creation that can be applied across domains in which understanding user motivation and behavior is critical.

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1. Dr. Martin Wilson, North East Cyber Resilience Centre

   Dr. Martin Wilson is a serving UK police officer and Deputy Director of the North East Cyber Resilience Centre. He is a cybersecurity leader with over 20 years of experience and a published PhD researcher specializing in user-centered design and cybersecurity. He advises senior stakeholders across government and industry, supporting the delivery of inclusive, human-centered solutions.

2. Dr. Sharon McDonald, Government Digital Service

   

   Sharon McDonald is a Lead User Researcher in the Government Digital Service, where she has led user research on a number of high-profile teams and products. She has a PhD in Cognitive Psychology from the University of Durham and is a Chartered Psychologist.

3. Dr. Alastair Irons, Abertay University

   

   Professor Alastair Irons is an Emeritus Professor of Computer Science and Vice President of BCS. A National Teaching Fellow, he has held senior roles at Abertay and Sunderland and is a visiting professor in Egypt and South Africa. He also serves on several national and international digital and education boards.