To solve design problems and issues for your audience you must first understand who is your audience. To help do this you can ask yourself questions such as what are the basic demographics of my audience, what are their current values and beliefs, what they do they care about, what are their current worries and concerns, where do they currently go for advice and education?
There are several sources of information that will help you do all of this such as: demographic census information; industry reports; market research reports; and professional associations.