Persona Creation

Personas bridge research and design. They transform abstract user data into concrete, actionable profiles that inform every product decision.

This skill extends ux-design — use ux-design for general UX process, this skill for deep persona work.

Pipeline Overview

Research → Synthesis → Personas → Journeys → Validation
    ↓          ↓           ↓          ↓           ↓
  Data     Patterns    Profiles    Maps      Testing

When to Use What

Situation	Approach	Output
Early stage, limited time	Proto-personas	Assumption-based profiles to validate
Have research data	Traditional personas	Full demographic + behavioral profiles
Focus on motivation	JTBD profiles	Job stories + hiring criteria
Need team alignment	Empathy maps	Visual synthesis of user mindset
Understanding flow	Journey maps	Step-by-step experience mapping

Quick Decision Framework

Do you have user research data?
├── No → Create Proto-Personas (validate later)
└── Yes → Do you need demographic detail?
          ├── Yes → Traditional Personas
          └── No → Focus on motivation?
                   ├── Yes → JTBD Profiles
                   └── No → Empathy Maps

Core Principles

1. Research-Backed, Not Invented

Personas based on assumptions fail. Even proto-personas should be explicitly marked as hypotheses to validate.

2. Actionable, Not Decorative

Every persona element should inform a design decision. If a detail doesn't affect the product, remove it.

3. Minimal Viable Set

3-5 personas maximum. More than 5 = unfocused product. If you need more, you're building multiple products.

4. Living Documents

Personas evolve with user understanding. Schedule regular reviews and updates.

5. Specific Over Generic

• ❌ "Sarah is a busy professional"
• ✅ "Sarah reviews 50+ candidates weekly and needs to make hiring decisions in under 2 minutes per resume"

Output Formats

All deliverables use Markdown for documents and Mermaid for diagrams.

Mermaid Journey Syntax

journey
    title User Goal Achievement
    section Discovery
      Search for solution: 3: User
      Compare options: 4: User
    section Onboarding
      Sign up: 5: User
      First success: 5: User
    section Regular Use
      Daily task: 4: User
      Hit limitation: 2: User

Mermaid Flowchart Syntax

flowchart TD
    A[Entry Point] --> B{Decision}
    B -->|Option 1| C[Action]
    B -->|Option 2| D[Alternative]
    C --> E[Success State]
    D --> E

Deliverable Structure

Persona Document (persona-[name].md)

# [Persona Name]
> "[Characteristic quote that captures their mindset]"

## Overview
| Attribute | Value |
|-----------|-------|
| Role | ... |
| Context | ... |
| Tech comfort | ... |

## Goals
1. Primary goal
2. Secondary goal

## Frustrations
1. Key pain point
2. Key pain point

## Behaviors
- Relevant pattern
- Relevant pattern

## Jobs to Be Done
- When [situation], I want to [motivation], so I can [outcome]

## Journey Summary
[Link to detailed journey map]

Journey Document (journey-[name].md)

# [Persona Name]: [Goal] Journey

## Overview
- **Persona**: [Name]
- **Goal**: [What they're trying to achieve]
- **Entry point**: [Where they start]
- **Success state**: [Definition of done]

## Journey Map
[Mermaid diagram]

## Detailed Steps
### Phase 1: [Name]
- **Action**: What they do
- **Thinking**: What they're thinking
- **Feeling**: Emotional state (😊 😐 😤)
- **Pain points**: Frustrations
- **Opportunities**: Where we can help

[Repeat for each phase]

## Key Insights
1. Insight with design implication
2. Insight with design implication

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References:

• references/research-methods.md — Interview guides, surveys, observation, synthesis techniques
• references/persona-formats.md — Detailed templates for all persona types
• references/jtbd-framework.md — Jobs-to-be-Done methodology deep dive
• references/journey-mapping.md — Journey maps with Mermaid examples