UX Researcher & Designer

Generate user personas from research data, create journey maps, plan usability tests, and synthesize research findings into actionable design recommendations.

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Table of Contents

• Trigger Terms
• Workflows
  • Workflow 1: Generate User Persona
  • Workflow 2: Create Journey Map
  • Workflow 3: Plan Usability Test
  • Workflow 4: Synthesize Research
• Tool Reference
• Quick Reference Tables
• Knowledge Base

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Trigger Terms

Use this skill when you need to:

• "create user persona"
• "generate persona from data"
• "build customer journey map"
• "map user journey"
• "plan usability test"
• "design usability study"
• "analyze user research"
• "synthesize interview findings"
• "identify user pain points"
• "define user archetypes"
• "calculate research sample size"
• "create empathy map"
• "identify user needs"

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Workflows

Workflow 1: Generate User Persona

Situation: You have user data (analytics, surveys, interviews) and need to create a research-backed persona.

Steps:

1. Prepare user data

   Required format (JSON):

   [
     {
       "user_id": "user_1",
       "age": 32,
       "usage_frequency": "daily",
       "features_used": ["dashboard", "reports", "export"],
       "primary_device": "desktop",
       "usage_context": "work",
       "tech_proficiency": 7,
       "pain_points": ["slow loading", "confusing UI"]
     }
   ]
   

2. Run persona generator

   # Human-readable output
   python scripts/persona_generator.py
   
   # JSON output for integration
   python scripts/persona_generator.py json
   

3. Review generated components

   Component	What to Check
   Archetype	Does it match the data patterns?
   Demographics	Are they derived from actual data?
   Goals	Are they specific and actionable?
   Frustrations	Do they include frequency counts?
   Design implications	Can designers act on these?

4. Validate persona

   • Show to 3-5 real users: "Does this sound like you?"
   • Cross-check with support tickets
   • Verify against analytics data

5. Reference: See references/persona-methodology.md for validity criteria

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Workflow 2: Create Journey Map

Situation: You need to visualize the end-to-end user experience for a specific goal.

Steps:

1. Define scope

   Element	Description
   Persona	Which user type
   Goal	What they're trying to achieve
   Start	Trigger that begins journey
   End	Success criteria
   Timeframe	Hours/days/weeks

2. Gather journey data

   Sources:

   • User interviews (ask "walk me through...")
   • Session recordings
   • Analytics (funnel, drop-offs)
   • Support tickets

3. Map the stages

   Typical B2B SaaS stages:

   Awareness → Evaluation → Onboarding → Adoption → Advocacy
   

4. Fill in layers for each stage

   Stage: [Name]
   ├── Actions: What does user do?
   ├── Touchpoints: Where do they interact?
   ├── Emotions: How do they feel? (1-5)
   ├── Pain Points: What frustrates them?
   └── Opportunities: Where can we improve?
   

5. Identify opportunities

   Priority Score = Frequency × Severity × Solvability

6. Reference: See references/journey-mapping-guide.md for templates

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Workflow 3: Plan Usability Test

Situation: You need to validate a design with real users.

Steps:

1. Define research questions

   Transform vague goals into testable questions:

   Vague	Testable
   "Is it easy to use?"	"Can users complete checkout in <3 min?"
   "Do users like it?"	"Will users choose Design A or B?"
   "Does it make sense?"	"Can users find settings without hints?"

2. Select method

   Method	Participants	Duration	Best For
   Moderated remote	5-8	45-60 min	Deep insights
   Unmoderated remote	10-20	15-20 min	Quick validation
   Guerrilla	3-5	5-10 min	Rapid feedback

3. Design tasks

   Good task format:

   SCENARIO: "Imagine you're planning a trip to Paris..."
   GOAL: "Book a hotel for 3 nights in your budget."
   SUCCESS: "You see the confirmation page."
   

   Task progression: Warm-up → Core → Secondary → Edge case → Free exploration

4. Define success metrics

   Metric	Target
   Completion rate	>80%
   Time on task	<2× expected
   Error rate	<15%
   Satisfaction	>4/5

5. Prepare moderator guide

   • Think-aloud instructions
   • Non-leading prompts
   • Post-task questions

6. Reference: See references/usability-testing-frameworks.md for full guide

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Workflow 4: Synthesize Research

Situation: You have raw research data (interviews, surveys, observations) and need actionable insights.

Steps:

1. Code the data

   Tag each data point:

   • [GOAL] - What they want to achieve
   • [PAIN] - What frustrates them
   • [BEHAVIOR] - What they actually do
   • [CONTEXT] - When/where they use product
   • [QUOTE] - Direct user words

2. Cluster similar patterns

   User A: Uses daily, advanced features, shortcuts
   User B: Uses daily, complex workflows, automation
   User C: Uses weekly, basic needs, occasional
   
   Cluster 1: A, B (Power Users)
   Cluster 2: C (Casual User)
   

3. Calculate segment sizes

   Cluster	Users	%	Viability
   Power Users	18	36%	Primary persona
   Business Users	15	30%	Primary persona
   Casual Users	12	24%	Secondary persona

4. Extract key findings

   For each theme:

   • Finding statement
   • Supporting evidence (quotes, data)
   • Frequency (X/Y participants)
   • Business impact
   • Recommendation

5. Prioritize opportunities

   Factor	Score 1-5
   Frequency	How often does this occur?
   Severity	How much does it hurt?
   Breadth	How many users affected?
   Solvability	Can we fix this?

6. Reference: See references/persona-methodology.md for analysis framework

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Tool Reference

persona_generator.py

Generates data-driven personas from user research data.

Argument	Values	Default	Description
format	(none), json	(none)	Output format

Sample Output:

============================================================
PERSONA: Alex the Power User
============================================================

📝 A daily user who primarily uses the product for work purposes

Archetype: Power User
Quote: "I need tools that can keep up with my workflow"

👤 Demographics:
  • Age Range: 25-34
  • Location Type: Urban
  • Tech Proficiency: Advanced

🎯 Goals & Needs:
  • Complete tasks efficiently
  • Automate workflows
  • Access advanced features

😤 Frustrations:
  • Slow loading times (14/20 users)
  • No keyboard shortcuts
  • Limited API access

💡 Design Implications:
  → Optimize for speed and efficiency
  → Provide keyboard shortcuts and power features
  → Expose API and automation capabilities

📈 Data: Based on 45 users
    Confidence: High

Archetypes Generated:

Archetype	Signals	Design Focus
power_user	Daily use, 10+ features	Efficiency, customization
casual_user	Weekly use, 3-5 features	Simplicity, guidance
business_user	Work context, team use	Collaboration, reporting
mobile_first	Mobile primary	Touch, offline, speed

Output Components:

Component	Description
demographics	Age range, location, occupation, tech level
psychographics	Motivations, values, attitudes, lifestyle
behaviors	Usage patterns, feature preferences
needs_and_goals	Primary, secondary, functional, emotional
frustrations	Pain points with evidence
scenarios	Contextual usage stories
design_implications	Actionable recommendations
data_points	Sample size, confidence level

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Quick Reference Tables

Research Method Selection

Question Type	Best Method	Sample Size
"What do users do?"	Analytics, observation	100+ events
"Why do they do it?"	Interviews	8-15 users
"How well can they do it?"	Usability test	5-8 users
"What do they prefer?"	Survey, A/B test	50+ users
"What do they feel?"	Diary study, interviews	10-15 users

Persona Confidence Levels

Sample Size	Confidence	Use Case
5-10 users	Low	Exploratory
11-30 users	Medium	Directional
31+ users	High	Production

Usability Issue Severity

Severity	Definition	Action
4 - Critical	Prevents task completion	Fix immediately
3 - Major	Significant difficulty	Fix before release
2 - Minor	Causes hesitation	Fix when possible
1 - Cosmetic	Noticed but not problematic	Low priority

Interview Question Types

Type	Example	Use For
Context	"Walk me through your typical day"	Understanding environment
Behavior	"Show me how you do X"	Observing actual actions
Goals	"What are you trying to achieve?"	Uncovering motivations
Pain	"What's the hardest part?"	Identifying frustrations
Reflection	"What would you change?"	Generating ideas

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Knowledge Base

Detailed reference guides in references/:

File	Content
persona-methodology.md	Validity criteria, data collection, analysis framework
journey-mapping-guide.md	Mapping process, templates, opportunity identification
example-personas.md	3 complete persona examples with data
usability-testing-frameworks.md	Test planning, task design, analysis

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Validation Checklist

Persona Quality

• Based on 20+ users (minimum)
• At least 2 data sources (quant + qual)
• Specific, actionable goals
• Frustrations include frequency counts
• Design implications are specific
• Confidence level stated

Journey Map Quality

• Scope clearly defined (persona, goal, timeframe)
• Based on real user data, not assumptions
• All layers filled (actions, touchpoints, emotions)
• Pain points identified per stage
• Opportunities prioritized

Usability Test Quality

• Research questions are testable
• Tasks are realistic scenarios, not instructions
• 5+ participants per design
• Success metrics defined
• Findings include severity ratings

Research Synthesis Quality

• Data coded consistently
• Patterns based on 3+ data points
• Findings include evidence
• Recommendations are actionable
• Priorities justified

Related Skills

• UI Design System (product-team/ui-design-system/) — Research findings inform design system decisions
• Product Manager Toolkit (product-team/product-manager-toolkit/) — Customer interview analysis complements persona research