ux-researcher-designer

$2c

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"

Workflows

Workflow 1: Generate User Persona

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

Steps:

-

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"]

  }

]

-

Run persona generator

# Human-readable output

python scripts/persona_generator.py

# JSON output for integration

python scripts/persona_generator.py json

-

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?

-

Validate persona

• Show to 3-5 real users: "Does this sound like you?"

• Cross-check with support tickets

• Verify against analytics data

-

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

Workflow 2: Create Journey Map

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

Steps:

-

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

-

Gather journey data

Sources:

• User interviews (ask "walk me through...")

• Session recordings

• Analytics (funnel, drop-offs)

• Support tickets

-

Map the stages

Typical B2B SaaS stages:

Awareness → Evaluation → Onboarding → Adoption → Advocacy

-

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?

-

Identify opportunities

Priority Score = Frequency × Severity × Solvability

-

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

Workflow 3: Plan Usability Test

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

Steps:

-

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?"

-

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

-

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

-

Define success metrics

Metric

Target

Completion rate

>80%

Time on task

<2× expected

Error rate

<15%

Satisfaction

>4/5

-

Prepare moderator guide

• Think-aloud instructions

• Non-leading prompts

• Post-task questions

-

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

Workflow 4: Synthesize Research

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

Steps:

-

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

-

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)

-

Calculate segment sizes

Cluster

Users

%

Viability

Power Users

18

36%

Primary persona

Business Users

15

30%

Primary persona

Casual Users

12

24%

Secondary persona

-

Extract key findings

For each theme:

• Finding statement

• Supporting evidence (quotes, data)

• Frequency (X/Y participants)

• Business impact

• Recommendation

-

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?

-

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

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

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

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

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