Welcome to Virtual Opinions

Your GPS for a world of divided opinion

Virtual Opinions helps you explore complex topics through multiple perspectives, making the implicit explicit and surfacing assumptions we rarely examine.

Quick Start

1

Choose Personas

Select from our library or create your own unique voices

2

Start a Conversation

Pose a question or topic for the personas to discuss

3

Explore & Learn

Watch perspectives unfold and discover new insights

Creating Powerful Personas

There's no magic formula to creating a valuable persona. The best personas are those that bring authentic, distinct perspectives to conversations. Here are three ways to get started:

Start from Scratch

Create entirely original personas based on your imagination, professional experience, or composite characters. Just remember: don't create personas of named real people without their permission!

Adapt Existing Personas

The easiest way to start! Take any existing persona and adapt it to your needs. Add specific expertise, adjust the background, or combine traits from multiple personas.

Our Foundation Library

We've provided base personas from established frameworks to help you get started:

  • OCEAN Series - Big Five personality traits
  • Myers-Briggs Types - 16 personality types
  • Enneagram Framework - 9 interconnected types
  • Hofstede Dimensions - Cultural perspectives
  • Demographic Archetypes - Age, profession, lifestyle
  • Economic Classes - Socioeconomic viewpoints
  • Geographic Perspectives - National, regional, local
  • Professional Roles - Industry-specific voices

Pro tip: These can be used as-is or individualized with specific details, documents, or characteristics to create more nuanced perspectives.

Community Recognition: The best personas and conversations are surfaced through our scoring mechanism. Create valuable content and help others discover the most insightful perspectives!

How People Use Virtual Opinions

For Individuals

Better Decision Making

Test major life decisions against diverse perspectives to uncover blind spots.

Example: "Should I change careers?" discussed by The Pragmatist, Risk-Taker, and Family-Oriented Professional

Learning & Education

Understand complex topics and historical events through multiple viewpoints.

Example: Climate change discussed by Scientist, Economist, and Policy Maker personas

Creative Development

Writers test dialogue, marketers explore audience reactions.

Example: Testing story themes with different demographic personas

Empathy Building

Understand opposing viewpoints in good faith, reduce polarization.

Example: Progressive and Conservative personas discussing current events

For Organizations

Product Development

Test concepts across user personas before costly development.

Example: App features discussed by Digital Native, Tech-Skeptic Senior, Privacy Advocate

Market Research

Rapid, low-cost alternative to traditional focus groups.

Example: Testing brand messaging across cultural and demographic segments

Policy Testing

Anticipate stakeholder reactions to new policies or changes.

Example: University policies discussed by Student, Faculty, Administrator, Parent personas

Stakeholder Prep

Practice difficult conversations before important meetings.

Example: CEO, Investor, Employee Rep discussing restructuring

Innovative Applications

Historical Education

Museums creating interactive exhibits with historical figures

Journalism

Testing story angles across different reader perspectives

Game Design

Creating consistent fictional cultures and characters

Therapy Support

Exploring family dynamics in a safe space

Scenario Planning

NGOs testing crisis communication strategies

Academic Research

Exploring how groups interpret data differently

Power User Strategies

The Documentary Approach

Upload historical documents or research papers to create deeply informed, period-accurate personas.

The Longitudinal Study

Return to saved conversations months later to continue them with evolved perspectives or new information.

The Stress Test

Create deliberately oppositional personas to find weaknesses in arguments or blind spots in thinking.

The Synthesis Method

After a heated debate, introduce a "mediator" persona to find common ground and synthesize perspectives.

What Makes Virtual Opinions Unique

Persistent Personas

Unlike simple chatbot role-play, personas maintain consistency across all conversations.

True Multi-Party Dialogue

Real interaction between perspectives, not just Q&A with a single AI.

Community-Sourced Wisdom

Crowd-sourced personas bring unexpected perspectives you wouldn't think to create.

Living Library

Save, share, and continue important dialogues. Build on community knowledge.

The platform's true value: Making the implicit explicit - surfacing assumptions, biases, and blindspots we all have but rarely examine systematically.

Ready to Start Exploring?

Begin with a simple conversation or dive deep into complex scenarios. The perspectives you discover might surprise you.