The Organisation
The Connected Hubs initiative, led by the Western Development Commission (WDC), is creating a more connected future of work in Ireland. By bringing together a nationwide network of remote working hubs, it enables people to work closer to home while strengthening local economies and communities.
The Real Gap
Connected Hubs programme operates at a large scale, yet prior to this study there was no evidence base underpinning how the network engaged its users. None of the people running them put ‘HUB MANAGER’ on their CAO forms.
The issue was not awareness, but conversion. While interest in hubs exists, it does not consistently translate into use. Existing approaches relied too heavily on demographics and ‘winging it’. Without the time or tools to test and refine strategies, managers were left relying on assumptions rather than evidence.
What was needed was a fundamental shift: moving away from generalised, one-size-fits-all approaches towards a behavioural understanding of different user types. This required replacing assumption with evidence and equipping managers with tools that were not only theoretically sound, but directly usable in the realities of their day-to-day work.
The 5 Personas
Behavioural Personas of Hub Users across the Connected Hub network: Which one do you identify with?
1) Building the evidence base
Collected 218+ survey responses, 20+ hub manager interviews, and on-site observations across urban, rural, enterprise, and community hubs to uncover real user behaviours, motivations, and barriers.
2) Constructing behavioural personas
Synthesised findings into five evidence-based personas, each capturing motivations, behavioural patterns, friction points, and decision triggers to guide engagement strategies.
3) Mapping the customer journey
Developed journey maps for each persona to identify key touchpoints, drop-off moments, and opportunities for behavioural interventions. Insights were translated into a practical Customer Experience Toolkit for hub managers.
4) Embedding across the network
Introduced the personas and behavioural framework at the Connected Hubs Summit, equipping hub managers to apply the EAST framework consistently and turn research into everyday practice.
Delivering behavioural insights to a large network of hub managers required more than simply sharing a report.
To maximise accessibility and engagement, the findings were translated into an interactive digital toolkit containing practical guidance, self-directed activities, and step-by-step resources that managers could explore at their own pace. The toolkit, including the behavioural personas, was made available to every Connected Hubs manager, allowing them to revisit and apply the insights whenever needed.
To complement the digital experience, we also designed a series of printed persona booklets that were distributed at Connected Hubs Summits. By presenting the research in a concise, visually engaging format, these tangible resources generated interest, encouraged discussion, and helped hub managers feel more connected to the people they serve.
Across both digital and physical touchpoints, the focus was on making behavioural evidence accessible, practical, and easy to apply in day-to-day decision-making.
A critical gap that had emerged: 82% of users expressed intent to return, yet most had no plans to do so.
The value of the final product lies in how it responds:
- Personas highlight where users drop off
- Journey maps show when intervention is needed
- The CX Toolkit defines how to increase follow-through and provides practical strategies on application of behavioural principles
This shifts the network from awareness-building to a behavioural conversion strategy. A network-wide feat in changing how hub managers look at conversion and their users.
Behaviour Science Applied
Breaking the One-Size-Fits-All Approach: Four frameworks embedded in research and design.
COM-B Model
Design decision
Personas were built around behavioural drivers—Capability, Opportunity and Motivation—rather than demographics, ensuring each reflected how people actually decide to use Connected Hubs.
Value
Created actionable personas that helped hub managers identify the root cause of low engagement and select targeted interventions.
Applied in: Persona development and validation.
EAST Framework
Design decision
The EAST framework (Easy, Attractive, Social, Timely) was used to translate behavioural barriers into practical engagement recommendations for each persona.
Value
Provided a simple decision-making framework that enabled hub managers to reduce friction and increase engagement without requiring behavioural science expertise.
Applied in: CX Toolkit and engagement recommendations.
Intention–Action Gap
Design decision
Research and personas focused on where intentions broke down, capturing the behavioural barriers that prevented users from returning to hubs.
Value
Shifted the project from raising awareness to designing interventions that convert interest into sustained hub use.
Applied in: Research framing, analysis and persona design.
Self-Determination Theory & Social Identity
Design decision
Personas incorporated psychological needs and identity alongside functional requirements, capturing motivations such as autonomy, belonging and community.
Value
Enabled communication and engagement strategies that positioned hubs as places for connection and identity—not just places to work.
Applied in: Persona design and communication strategy.
Sustained system-level impact
Now embedded in initiatives across the 400+ Hub network. Expanded into further initiatives like the Engagement Lab, the work continues to drive applied behavioural strategy in practice.
This toolkit is now embedded across hubs in Ireland, used for onboarding, user understanding, and continues to support managers in their quest for engagement and community impact. It is cited across the board by representatives of the Western Development Commission and Connected hubs as an active, evolving layer within the network’s engagement infrastructure, rather than a one-off research output.
“…the support and resources provided will absolutely improve our performance…quality of our product offer.”
“It will provide very helpful tools to identify who is or could be using your hub and how best to engage with them, for increased connections and customer retention.”
