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Generates user personas through conversational ideation, brainstorming, and exploration for design research, challenging assumptions and creating user stories.
npx claudepluginhub uw-ssec/rse-plugins --plugin research-software-designHow this skill is triggered — by the user, by Claude, or both
Slash command
/research-software-design:user-persona-discoveryThe summary Claude sees in its skill listing — used to decide when to auto-load this skill
User personas are research-based representations of key user groups that guide design, engineering, and decision-making. They are not fictional characters invented for creativity, but analytical tools grounded in evidence that help teams maintain a consistent focus on real user needs, goals, and constraints. This approach is complemented by a brainstorming approach via a conversational process ...
Create refined user personas from research data with demographics, goals, frustrations, and behavioral patterns. Use when synthesizing user research into actionable persona profiles for design decisions.
Use this skill when the user asks to "create user personas", "develop personas", "write a persona", "define our users", "user profile", "who is our user", "help me define the target user", "create a user archetype", or wants to build or update structured user persona definitions grounded in research or known user characteristics.
Generates behavioral user personas from product descriptions, user data, or research notes. Outputs 2-4 ranked personas with goals, pain points, behaviors, and product implications to personas-[product].md.
Share bugs, ideas, or general feedback.
User personas are research-based representations of key user groups that guide design, engineering, and decision-making. They are not fictional characters invented for creativity, but analytical tools grounded in evidence that help teams maintain a consistent focus on real user needs, goals, and constraints. This approach is complemented by a brainstorming approach via a conversational process for generating ideas, challenge assumptions about users personas and avoid sterotyping. Apply this skill for creative generation of user personas in a conversation form.
This skill should be used when:
Principle: Evidence bases should be used where possible vs. the imagination.
Effective personas clearly articulate:
Principle: Design should optimize for user goals, not user traits.
This includes:
Well-constructed personas:
Principle: Personas trade completeness for clarity.
Principle: Users cannot be understood outside the situations in which they act.
Effective personas:
Principle: Personas exist to support action, not documentation.
Contradictions should be intentional and explained (e.g., competing incentives), not accidental.
Principle: A persona should feel inevitable given its constraints.
Principle: Responsible personas acknowledge what they do not capture.
They should evolve as:
Principle: Personas are hypotheses that can be refined, not truths to be preserved.
Conversation 1: Why Do We Need Personas Now? Questions
What design decisions are we currently blocked on? What do we disagree about regarding users? What would a better understanding of users allow us to try or stop trying?
Capture decisions personas should inform (e.g., requirements, tradeoffs, evaluation criteria) Output
A short statement: “These personas exist to help us decide ______.”
Conversation 2: What Have We Actually Observed? Each team member answers, in turn:
What user interactions, data, or experiences am I drawing from? What surprised me? What felt inconsistent or unresolved?
Markdown document with:
Conversation 3: What Patterns Are Emerging?
Cluster observations by behavior and goal Ignore demographics unless they directly affect behavior Ask: “If we designed for this cluster, what would change?”
Key Question Are these differences meaningful for design?
2–4 candidate persona clusters, each defined by: Core goal Dominant behaviors Primary constraints
Conversation 4: Who Is This Persona, Really? For each cluster, the team collaboratively answers: What is this persona trying to accomplish? What do they optimize for (time, safety, accuracy, cost, autonomy)? What do they avoid? What breaks when the system doesn’t support them?
Required Tension Question What internal conflict does this persona live with?
Output (Draft Persona)
Conversation 5: Would This Persona Change Our Design?
Run 2–3 realistic scenarios:
Critical Question: If this persona disappeared, would our design change? If not, revise or discard.
Conversation 6: What Are We Guessing?
For each persona, identify:
Label each persona with: High confidence Medium confidence Exploratory
Conversation 7: What Did We Learn by Doing This?
Team reflection prompts:
Document: How persona creation itself changed the design space