Designing solutions with empathy

Better health doesn’t start with dashboards. Or incentives.   

The secret? Understanding people: their motivation, abilities, and life context.  

That’s why at Personify Health, we’ve built our platform around behavioral personas. They’re grounded in real user interviews and behavior patterns we see across the populations we serve.  

These personas help us design with empathy and precision. From tiny nudges to major features, our goal is to make every experience one that actually fits the person it’s meant for.  

In our latest client webinar, we walked through the four core personas that shape our platform design. This post recaps that session and shows how understanding these personas helps drive more relevant, personalized engagement across your population.  

Behavior change is hard. We make it easy.

Great benefits don’t drive outcomes. Action does.  

And action only happens when you understand what drives behavior.  

So, if your goal is to improve population health and well-being, this is where it starts.  

Because without behavior change, even the best-designed benefits go unused.  

The tricky part? Behavior change isn’t one-size-fits-all.   

According to the COM-B model¹, behavior depends on three interconnected components: 

1. Capability: Do they have the knowledge, skills and physical or psychological abilities to engage in the behavior? 
2. Opportunity: Do they have the time, resources and access to execute the behavior? 
3. Motivation: Do they have the internal drive—whether conscious or automatic—to choose this behavior over competing ones? 

We design with these principles in mind. COM-B helps us consider how what we build addresses the real-life barriers members face, based on their specific needs, context and readiness.   

And it works.  

Today, according to our 2025 book of business report, 51% of our members engage at least once a month². On average, they log in 19 days each month and complete around six meaningful actions per session, thanks to a design that prioritizes simplicity, relevance, and ease.  

That’s not just engagement. That’s behavior change, made ridiculously easy.  

Meet the personas behind our platform (and your population)

These are the behavior personas that power our personalization engine. Each one represents the behavioral patterns we see most often across our member base and shape how we personalize each member’s experience inside our platform.  

Tia “The Tracker”

Persona: Tia “The Tracker” Behaviors: High Capability, High Motivation Key Needs: Amplify engagement, Enable advocacy Capabilities include: Device integrations (Apple Watch, Bluetooth scale), habit tracking & biometric dashboards, 20-day triple tracker reward, social challenges & leaderboards, microlearning & personalized content, “My Actions” & Daily Cards, Champion Network Resources.

Tia is on it. She’s health-literate, already tracking her habits, and loves a challenge. Tia doesn’t need handholding. She needs ongoing opportunities to stay inspired and advocate for others. That’s why she’s also a great fit for a champion network, helping spark engagement across your population.  

For members like Tia, we build in device integrations, biometric dashboards, habit tracking, and social leaderboards, plus nudges to ensure your most motivated members stay engaged.

“Ready to Change” Ralph

Persona: Ralph “Ready to Change” Behavioral Profile: High motivation, low capability Key Needs: Build confidence, provide structure Example Capabilities: Coaching & 1:1 messaging; Daily cards with encouragement; Condition-specific journeys (e.g., cholesterol, stress); 5th–6th grade reading level content; Health literacy tools; Peer testimonials via announcements; Personalized Action List (PAL).

Ralph just had a wake-up call. Maybe it was a health scare, maybe it was burnout. Whatever the reality check, he’s ready to do something about it.   

The challenge? He doesn’t know where to start.  

That’s why we support Ralph with simplified content, personalized daily cards, one-on-one coaching, and condition-specific journeys (think: cholesterol, stress, etc.). It’s all about building confidence with the right info at the right time and removing the guesswork from getting started.  

“Life Gets in the Way” Leo

Persona: Leo “Life Gets in the Way” Behavioral Profile: Moderate capability, low motivation Key Needs: Reduce friction, reignite momentum Example Capabilities: Automated tracking via devices/apps; Quick wins via Daily Cards; Social challenge invites (peer-driven); Behavioral nudges & habit reminders; Dynamic To-Do List (PAL); Precision intercepts (adaptive nudges); Low-effort engagement paths.

Leo knows he should do more, but his health keeps falling to the bottom of his to-do list. He hasn’t had a “big moment” wake-up call like Ralph, and he needs a reason to care.

We’ve found that rewards are what get Leo in the door.

From there, we keep things simple with low-effort wins, behavioral nudges, social challenge invites, and habit reminders that meet him in small moments. Once Leo finds something that feels personal and relevant, he sticks around for the value. 

With just enough momentum, Leo starts to shift from “meh” to motivated. 

“Just holding on” Hannah

Persona: Hannah “Just Holding On” Behavioral Profile: Low opportunity, low capability Key Needs: Simplify experience, respect time Example Capabilities: My Care Checklist (MCC); Personalized preventive care reminders; Asynchronous tools (on-demand videos, self-paced journeys); Caregiver-specific content; Emotional support & stress management; Reassurance for small wins; Minimal input self-reporting.

She might be a caregiver, a working parent, or someone juggling too much. She’s not disengaged but she’s extremely overwhelmed.

So, we give Hannah breathing room. Think asynchronous tools she can use on her own time, personalized care checklists, EAPs, childcare benefits, emotional support, and recognition for small actions and wins.

For Hannah, it’s all about making sure we’re not adding more to her growing to-do list.   

How you can use these personas

You’ve seen how these personas shape the way we design experiences that feel simple, relevant, and effective.
Now, here’s how you can use them to strengthen your own strategy from discovery through long-term engagement.

• At discovery to build empathy: During early conversations with clients, personas help us understand population segments and engagement gaps. We ask, “Who do you see most in your population?” and “Where do you see the greatest opportunity for behavior change?”
• Guide program design: Personas guide program design, helping clients prioritize features and interventions that match their population’s behavioral needs. For example, programs with many Leos might emphasize rewards and nudges, while Ralph-heavy populations may benefit from coaching and structured journeys.
• At annual program refresh: Personas support program refreshes by helping clients reassess shifting needs. Has someone moved from Hannah to Tia? Are Leos slipping through the cracks? These insights help fine-tune engagement strategies and promote long-term success.

Let’s keep the conversation going

If you’re wondering where your population falls across these four personas or how to use them more intentionally in your benefits planning, your Personify Health team is ready to help.

Because when we design for real people, we don’t just drive engagement.  
We change behavior. And that changes everything.