I often see new product designers make the mistake of placing undue emphasis on demographics.
“This product is is for millenials.”
The problem this creates is that it inherently makes discussions vague. Demographic groups are rarely useful in product discussions because members of demographic groups rarely move as blocks.
Not all millennials like social media. Not all CEOs wear ties.
Prioritizing a specific demographic group is rarely as effective as prioritizing a specific psychographic one.
When you target motivations, problems, and belief systems, you can focus your product—and the work you do to improve it—on groups of people who are actually moving in the same direction.
Everything usually gets easier from there.