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. 1. Prepare user data

Required format (JSON):
CODEBLOCK0

1. 2. Run persona generator

CODEBLOCK1

1. 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? |

1. 4. Validate persona

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

1. 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. 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 |

1. 2. Gather journey data

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

1. 3. Map the stages

Typical B2B SaaS stages:
CODEBLOCK2

1. 4. Fill in layers for each stage

CODEBLOCK3

1. 5. Identify opportunities

Priority Score = Frequency × Severity × Solvability

1. 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. 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?" |

1. 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 |

1. 3. Design tasks

Good task format:
CODEBLOCK4

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

1. 4. Define success metrics

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

1. 5. Prepare moderator guide

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

1. 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. 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

1. 2. Cluster similar patterns

CODEBLOCK5

1. 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 |

1. 4. Extract key findings

For each theme:
- Finding statement
- Supporting evidence (quotes, data)
- Frequency (X/Y participants)
- Business impact
- Recommendation

1. 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? |

1. 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:

CODEBLOCK6

Archetypes Generated:

Archetype	Signals	Design Focus
poweruser	Daily use, 10+ features	Efficiency, customization
casualuser

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 |
| needsandgoals | 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
INLINECODE10	Validity criteria, data collection, analysis framework
INLINECODE11

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