How to Make the User Persona Slide [Define & Humanize]

When we were working on a go-to-market deck for our client Dylan, he paused mid-review and asked,

“Do we really need this user persona slide? I mean… who even reads it?”

Our Creative Director replied instantly:

“Only the people you want to buy from you.”

As a presentation design agency, we work on dozens of user persona slides every year. And if there’s one thing we’ve consistently noticed, it’s this: the user persona slide is either done as an obligatory formality, or it’s done so well it changes the room’s mood.

So, in this blog, we’re going to unpack what makes a user persona slide actually work. Let’s get into it.

In case you didn't know, we specialize in only one thing: making presentations. We can help you by designing your slides and writing your content too.

Why Most User Persona Slides Don’t Work

Let’s call it out: most user persona slides feel like filler.

You’ve seen them. Name, Age, Job Title, Pain Points, and a random quote that sounds like it was written by ChatGPT. “I just want better collaboration.” Sure.

The problem? These slides don’t show a person. They show a stereotype.

They’re too generic, too shallow, and often completely disconnected from the story the rest of the deck is telling. And when the persona doesn’t feel real, your entire pitch feels hypothetical.

If your audience doesn’t believe the user exists, why would they care about the solution?

How to Make a User Persona Slide That Brings Users to Life

Step 1: Ditch the template

The first rule of a strong persona slide is this. Never start with a template. Templates are fine for internal workshops or early research, but if you’re putting this in a presentation meant for investors or potential partners, you need to level up.

Instead of filling in blanks like age or income bracket, focus on building context. Who is this person when they show up to work? What are they under pressure to deliver? What happens if they fail?

You’re not just describing a user. You’re translating their reality.

Let’s take an example. You’re building a workflow automation platform and your core user is a project manager at a mid-sized agency. Most decks would say:

Name: Rachel

Age: 32

Job Title: Project Manager

Pain Points: Task overload, miscommunication, deadline pressure

Quote: “There’s never enough time in the day”

Now here’s how that could evolve if you actually tried to bring Rachel to life:

Meet Rachel. She manages six client accounts at once, juggles feedback from three different teams, and if she misses a deadline, her agency eats the cost. Every day she’s bouncing between Slack messages, Excel trackers, and Monday boards. Her brain is in six tabs at once. And when a client changes scope mid-project, she’s the one who has to clean up the mess.

Notice what changed? We stopped labeling Rachel and started narrating her world. That shift matters more than people think.

Step 2: Anchor the persona to the problem

Once you’ve set up who the user is, connect their reality to the core problem your product solves. This is the bridge most people forget to build.

Let’s go back to Rachel. What happens if she continues managing projects the same way?

She burns out. Deadlines get missed. Clients lose trust. Her agency’s margin takes a hit. That tension is what makes your product valuable. That context is what makes your audience lean in.

We’re not saying you need to write a novel here. But you do need to show cause and effect. Here’s what life looks like without your solution. And here’s what’s at stake if nothing changes.

If your persona slide can articulate that clearly, your pitch will feel more grounded and more urgent.

Step 3: Be specific about behaviors, not just pain points

This is where most persona slides become too vague. They throw out pain points like “time-consuming” or “frustrating,” which, let’s be real, could apply to literally anything.

Instead, describe what your user does when they face that problem. What do they Google? Who do they ask for help? What tools do they currently use and what annoys them about those tools?

Let’s add to Rachel’s story:

When a client sends in last-minute feedback, Rachel manually updates timelines in three different places. When a task slips through the cracks, she double-checks every board herself instead of trusting the system. She’s built her own workaround using color codes and sticky notes because the tools her team uses don’t talk to each other.

That kind of detail paints a picture. It tells your audience, this isn’t just a hypothetical user. This is someone with a daily routine, a mental load, and a reason to be frustrated. And your product is not solving a vague concept like “collaboration.” You are solving that.

Step 4: Make it visual, but skip the clichés

Yes, the slide should be visual. But skip the stock photo of a smiling person with a headset. We’re all tired of seeing that.

Instead, think of visuals that support the context. Show screenshots of the tools they use today. Use icons to represent stress points in their workflow. Even a simple graphic showing where your product fits into their current process is far more effective than a forced profile pic.

If you must include a face, use an illustration that doesn’t look like it came from a PowerPoint template in 2008. The point is to suggest a personality, not pretend you know exactly what your user looks like.

Also, keep your slide clean. Don’t overload it with six different categories of information. Choose three or four that matter most for your narrative. Usually, that includes their role, their day-to-day, their pain, and the way they currently work.

Step 5: Write like a storyteller, not a data analyst

When you write your persona, avoid bullet-point thinking. Use short paragraphs. Write like you're explaining this person to someone across the table. Because that’s essentially what you’re doing.

Here’s a quick contrast:

Bad slide copy

Sarah is 29 years old. She is a procurement manager. She faces challenges with outdated systems. She wants more efficiency and transparency.

Better slide copy

Sarah manages vendor contracts for a national retail chain. Every week she chases down quotes, updates spreadsheets, and triple-checks everything before signing off. Her team still uses legacy software and she’s the only one who knows how to make it work. If she misses a clause in a vendor agreement, it costs the company thousands.

See the difference? The first version gives you facts. The second version gives you tension. And tension is what makes your audience care.

Step 6: Don’t create personas in isolation

Here’s something we tell every client. Your user persona slide is not a standalone piece. It should support the rest of your story.

If your persona is Rachel, and she’s overwhelmed with manual tracking, then your solution slide better show how you simplify project tracking. If Sarah is stuck with outdated software, your product demo should spotlight how intuitive and modern your interface is.

When persona slides feel weak, it’s usually because they were added after the rest of the deck was done. Don’t treat it as filler. Build your pitch around it.

Your persona should show up again later. Mention them when explaining features. Bring their voice into your closing argument. Keep that thread alive. It creates continuity and reminds your audience why you’re building this thing in the first place.

Step 7: Rehearse explaining the persona out loud

This one is easy to skip but incredibly useful. Once your slide is done, try explaining the persona out loud without reading it word for word. You’ll quickly find out if the story is working.

If you stumble, it’s probably too abstract. If your team can’t remember key details, it’s probably too generic. A good persona should be memorable. You should be able to say, “This is Rachel, she manages six projects at once, and your tool saves her four hours a week.” Done.

Your goal is to make investors or decision-makers visualize that person in their own world. If they start nodding or even saying things like, “Yeah, I know someone exactly like that,” you’ve done your job.

Step 8: Use first names that feel authentic

It might sound trivial, but the name you choose matters. Don’t pick a name that feels random or forced. Pick a name that fits your target audience’s geography, industry, and tone.

If you’re pitching to a healthcare investor in Boston, naming your user “Emily Chen” who’s an operations manager at a private hospital feels a lot more grounded than “Jenna J.” who works at a “cool med-tech company.”

Small detail. Big effect.

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