Guiding AI-Assisted persona generation with Hofstede's cultural dimensions: a mixed-methods evaluation

This study explores the potential of Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) to create culturally diverse user personas that are representative and free from stereotypes. The research uses Hofstede's cultural dimensions, a framework that quantifies cultural differences across societies based on key values such as Power distance index, Individualism, Masculinity, Uncertainty avoidance, Long-term orientation, and Indulgence. These dimensions ensure that the generated personas reflect specific cultural traits, contributing to a deeper understanding of user needs in diverse cultural contexts. A mixed-methods approach was employed, combining qualitative narrative-driven persona creation with quantitative evaluation metrics assessed by User Experience/User Interface experts. The generated personas were evaluated using a framework that assessed credibility, coherence, and the accurate reflection of cultural dimensions, offering insights into stakeholder interactions with AI-generated personas. The findings suggest that GenAI can be a valuable tool for creating culturally diverse personas, contributing to investigating the potential and risks of using GenAI in design.