Personas

This page aims to document the set of personas (a.k.a. user roles,) that VeloSim contributors will be developing the system for._[1] Each persona has a brief description along with their most important attributes, namely the goals and frustrations._[2] This lets us understand our customers and users, their needs, and how they work today._[3]

If a persona is listed here, then that means it has already been approved by the project's stakeholder. Currently, the stakeholder serves as the representative of the customers and end users for this software system, though this role could evolve as real user data begins to guide feature decisions._[3] It's worth mentioning that additional user research and observation will be used to fill in what we don't know.

Summary

The number of personas wasn't just dictated by different types of customers, but also the current project's size, phase and scope_[2]:

Persona / User Role	Primary Goal	Characteristics
Dispatcher	Have a controlled comparison of dispatch strategies to optimize operations	See More
Trainee	Have their knowledge assessed during the onboarding process	See More
Scenario Administrator	Have control of scenario creation and manipulations	See More

Dispatcher

A dispatcher makes up part of the team that works together to oversee the complex logistics to ensure optimal utilization of the operations and suitable availability of the service, with the assistance of automated systems. They benefit from environments that allow experimentation of strategies before having them carried out in the real world.

Goals

• Handle dispatch scenarios with variable tasks, resources, and conditions
• Compare dispatch strategies in strictly identical conditions: same demand on the network, same pre-existing tasks, same task generation during the time window, and same field agent and vehicle availability
• Experiment with different dispatch strategies and approaches
• Measure results by being presented with relevant data for decision and analysis purposes

Frustrations

• Current internal tools don't seem to produce "the right environment" for improving dispatch operations
• Limited safe spaces to experiment without consequences: trying a new way of dispatching is hard. Comparing it to another way is also hard because the environment could change in cases like resources between 2 methods (leading to no way of currently comparing two strategies perfectly)
• While dispatching for battery swap is currently automated, employees may have to intervene sometimes to correctly dispatch a task

Trainee

A trainee represents a new member of a Road Operations unit that's learning both the domain knowledge and the tools required to perform their role properly. They rely on clear instructions, examples, and feedback. Similar to the Dispatcher user role, the Trainee benefits from environments that allow experimentation without high stakes.

Goals

• Have their knowledge and skills assessed, so they (and their supervisors) can track progress and identify areas for improvement
• Gaining situational awareness
• Develop the skills needed to operate independently

Frustrations

• Steep learning curve for complex tools or unclear interfaces, specifically those with a poor UI/UX or lack of Interactive Design_[2]
• Lack of clear instructions, examples, or feedback when mistakes do happen
• Limited safe spaces to experiment without consequences (for the same reasons as the Dispatcher persona)
• Overwhelmed by too many tasks or decisions at once
• Anxiety about being evaluated without enough preparation and practice

Scenario Administrator

A scenario administrator represents a part of the team which will take responsibility of handling scenario configurations. This user requires more knowledge on JSON and its scenario format to ensure all needed values are present The scenario administrator benefits from being able to create any scenario they want to have simulated and make the adjustments they need.

Goals

• Create scenarios
• Control scenario flow to manage simulation environment
• Export scenario configurations to share to other personas so they can access specific scenario configurations
• Update configurations on existing scenarios

Frustrations

• Unable to control real-life environment to test dispatching on
• Missing separation of roles on handling scenarios (don't want a dispatcher/trainee to manage scenario configuration as requires more internal knowledge)
• Many unclear configuration options
• Hard to know if all required configurations are provided when creating a scenario

References

1. TechBlocks. "Why Personas Are Important in Software Development." TechBlocks, available: https://tblocks.com/articles/why-personas-are-important-in-software-development/ Consulted on 2025-09-22
2. Sharp, Helen, Jennifer Preece, and Yvonne Rogers. Interaction Design: Beyond Human-Computer Interaction. 5th ed., Wiley, 2019. Consulted on 2025-09-22
3. Patton, Jeff. User Story Mapping: Discover the Whole Story, Build the Right Product. O'Reilly Media, 2014. Consulted on 2025-09-22