User Personas Expert

Specialist in customer research, behavioral analysis, Jobs-to-be-Done framework, empathy mapping, and creating actionable persona profiles that guide product, marketing, and business strategies.

Quick Start

5-step workflow to create actionable personas:

1. Research → Customer interviews (10-15), surveys (100+), data analytics, support tickets
2. JTBD Framework → "When [situation], I want to [motivation], so I can [outcome]"
3. Forces of Progress → Map Push, Pull, Anxiety, Habit
4. Validation → The Mom Test (past behaviors, not future promises)
5. Documentation → Persona cards with demographics, goals, challenges, messaging

Key deliverable: Complete persona card with behavioral data, JTBD, forces of progress, and messaging strategy.

When to Use This Skill?

Your need?
│
├─ "Understand my customers" → USE CASE 1: Initial persona creation
├─ "Ineffective marketing segment" → USE CASE 2: Behavioral segmentation
├─ "Marketing messages don't convert" → USE CASE 3: Persona-based messaging
├─ "Product features unused" → USE CASE 4: Product-market fit validation
├─ "High churn" → USE CASE 5: Retention/at-risk personas
└─ "Long B2B sales cycle" → USE CASE 6: Decision-Making Unit mapping

Core Framework: Three-Dimensional Personas

To understand personas deeply, explore 3 critical dimensions:

Dimension 1: Current Situation

Key questions:

• What is their current state?
• How do they feel about it?
• Who do they talk to about this problem?
• Who influences their decisions?
• What does a typical day look like?

Dimension 2: Goal/Aspiration

Key questions:

• What are their ambitions?
• How would achieving this goal change their life?
• What does success look like to them?
• What metrics define success?

Dimension 3: Blockers

Key questions:

• What is their main blocker?
• How long have they had this problem?
• What are the consequences of not solving it?
• What have they already tried?
• What are their fears about the product?

Core principle: Anchor each dimension in real behavioral evidence (The Mom Test).

Jobs-to-be-Done (JTBD)

Customers don't "buy" products - they "hire" them to do a job.

JTBD Structure:

When [situation],
I want to [motivation],
So I can [expected outcome].

Examples:

• "When launching a new product, I want to understand my competitors, so I can position myself effectively."
• "When managing my team, I want to track project progress, so I can deliver on time."

3 Components:

1. Functional Job (Practical task): "I need to track website analytics"
2. Emotional Job (How to feel): "I want to feel confident in my decisions"
3. Social Job (How to be perceived): "I want to be seen as innovative"

See JTBD Framework for complete details and examples.

Forces of Progress

4 forces that drive or prevent customer behavior change.

The 4 Forces:

1. Push (Pushes away from current situation): Frustrations, pain points
2. Pull (Pulls toward new solution): Desired benefits, vision of future
3. Anxiety (Worries about new solution): Risks, fears, objections
4. Habit (Keeps status quo): Comfort, investments already made

Decision formula:

When (Push + Pull) > (Anxiety + Habit) = Customer switches
When (Anxiety + Habit) > (Push + Pull) = Customer stays put

See Forces of Progress for complete guide.

Customer Awareness Stages (Eugene Schwartz)

Customers are at different awareness stages - adapt messaging accordingly.

The 5 Stages:

1. Unaware: Doesn't know they have a problem → Problem education
2. Problem Aware: Recognizes the problem → Solutions education
3. Solution Aware: Knows solutions exist → Explain your unique approach
4. Product Aware: Knows your product → Differentiation vs competitors
5. Most Aware: Ready to buy → Direct offer with clear CTA

Golden rule: Never pitch product to Unaware prospects.

See Awareness Stages for messaging strategies per stage.

30 Elements of Value

Framework to identify which value elements matter most to your persona.

4 Levels:

• Functional (14 elements): Saves time, Simplifies, Makes money, Reduces risk, etc.
• Emotional (10 elements): Reduces anxiety, Rewards me, Design/aesthetics, Badge value, etc.
• Life Changing (5 elements): Provides hope, Self-actualization, Motivation, Affiliation, etc.
• Social Impact (1 element): Self-transcendence

Application: Identify the top 5 value elements for each persona and build features + messaging around them.

See Value Elements for complete framework with examples.

Persona Template Structure

# Persona: [Name] - [Title/Role]

## Demographics

[Age, Location, Education, Income, Company Size, Industry]

## Professional Background

[Role, Responsibilities, Experience, Career Goals]

## Goals & Motivations

1. [Primary Goal 1]
2. [Primary Goal 2]
3. [Primary Goal 3]

## Challenges & Frustrations

1. [Pain Point 1]
2. [Pain Point 2]
3. [Pain Point 3]

## Jobs-to-be-Done

When [situation], I want to [motivation], so I can [outcome].

## Forces of Progress

**Push**: [Frustrations pushing away]
**Pull**: [Outcomes pulling toward]
**Anxiety**: [Concerns about switching]
**Habit**: [What keeps them stuck]

## Customer Awareness Stage

[Unaware | Problem Aware | Solution Aware | Product Aware | Most Aware]

## Top 5 Value Elements

1. [Element] (Level) - Why it matters
2. [Element] (Level) - Why it matters
3. [Element] (Level) - Why it matters
4. [Element] (Level) - Why it matters
5. [Element] (Level) - Why it matters

## Behavior Patterns

- Decision-Making: [Process]
- Information Sources: [Where they research]
- Buying Process: [How they evaluate]

## Messaging That Resonates

- Value Proposition: [What appeals]
- Key Messages: [Message 1, 2, 3]
- Proof Points: [What builds trust]

## Quotes (Real)

> "[Actual quote from interview/review]"

Complete template in assets/templates/persona-card-template.md.

The Mom Test Validation

Core principle: Validate personas with real behavioral evidence, not opinions or promises.

The 3 Rules:

1. Talk about their life, not your idea

   • ❌ "Would you use a tool that does X?"
   • ✅ "Tell me about the last time you tried to solve [problem]"

2. Ask about specifics in the past, not generics or future

   • ❌ "Do you usually do X?"
   • ✅ "When was the last time you did X? Walk me through what happened"

3. Talk less, listen more

   • Stop pitching
   • Let them tell their story
   • Follow their tangents (they reveal truth)

Behavioral validation questions:

• What have they actually tried before? (reveals commitment level)
• How much time/money have they spent on this problem? (reveals priority)
• What are they doing right now to solve this? (reveals current behavior)
• When was the last time they experienced [problem]? (reveals frequency)

See Mom Test Validation for complete guide.

Persona Research Data Sources

Quantitative:

• Analytics (demographics, behavior, traffic)
• CRM data (purchase history, LTV)
• Survey results (needs, preferences)
• A/B test results
• Sales data

Qualitative:

• Customer interviews (1-on-1, 30-60 min)
• User testing sessions
• Support tickets
• Reviews and feedback
• Sales call recordings
• Social media conversations

Minimum for valid persona: 10-15 interviews + 100+ survey responses + CRM/analytics data.

Behavioral Segmentation

By Engagement:

• Super Users (daily active)
• Regular Users (weekly)
• Occasional Users (monthly)
• Inactive Users (signed up, rarely use)

By Lifecycle:

• Prospects
• New Customers (first 90 days)
• Active Customers
• At-Risk Customers
• Churned Customers

By Purchase Behavior:

• Impulse Buyers
• Researchers
• Bargain Hunters
• Loyalists
• Advocates

See Behavioral Segmentation for details.

B2B vs B2C Personas

B2B Additions:

• Decision-Making Unit (DMU): Economic Buyer, Technical Buyer, End User, Champion
• Company Attributes: Industry, size, tech stack, budget cycle
• Business Goals: Aligned with company objectives
• ROI Focus: How they measure business impact

B2C Additions:

• Lifestyle Details: Daily routines, hobbies
• Shopping Habits: Where, when, how they shop
• Brand Affinity: Loyalty, switching behavior
• Social Influences: Family, friends, influencers

See B2B-B2C Differences for complete comparison.

Using Personas Effectively

Product Development:

• Feature prioritization (what matters to primary persona?)
• UX design (how does persona navigate?)
• Product roadmap (what jobs need solving?)

Marketing:

• Message development (what resonates?)
• Channel selection (where do they spend time?)
• Content strategy (what questions do they have?)

Sales:

• Qualification criteria (are they a fit?)
• Discovery questions (uncover persona needs)
• Objection handling (address persona concerns)

Customer Success:

• Onboarding flows (persona-specific paths)
• Engagement tactics (based on behavior patterns)
• Retention strategies (address persona churn risks)

Persona Anti-Patterns

Avoid:

• ❌ Personas based on assumptions, not data
• ❌ Demographic-only personas (age/gender/location only)
• ❌ Too many personas (5+ primary = unfocused)
• ❌ Static personas (never updated)
• ❌ Vanity personas (ideal customer you wish you had)
• ❌ Irrelevant details (favorite color, pet names)

Red Flags:

• Based on what people say they'll do (not what they've done)
• Too broad (applies to everyone)
• Too narrow (applies to 1-2 people)
• Not actionable (can't target or message)
• No evidence of time/money spent on problem

Resources

Bundled documentation:

• reference/jtbd-framework.md - Complete Jobs-to-be-Done with examples
• reference/forces-of-progress.md - The 4 forces detailed
• reference/awareness-stages.md - 5 stages with messaging strategies
• reference/value-elements.md - 30 Elements of Value framework
• reference/mom-test-validation.md - Behavioral validation principles
• reference/empathy-mapping.md - Empathy map templates
• reference/behavioral-segmentation.md - Segmentation dimensions
• reference/b2b-b2c-personas.md - B2B vs B2C differences

Templates:

• assets/templates/persona-card-template.md - Complete persona template
• assets/templates/empathy-map-template.md - Empathy map template
• assets/templates/interview-script.md - Customer interview script
• assets/templates/survey-template.md - Persona survey questions

Examples:

• assets/examples/b2b-saas-persona.md - Marketing Manager Maya
• assets/examples/b2c-ecommerce-persona.md - Busy Mom Brittany
• assets/examples/b2b-enterprise-persona.md - CTO persona

Response Format

When creating personas, structure as follows:

# Persona Research: [Target Segment]

## Research Summary

[Number of interviews, surveys, data sources]

## Persona: [Name] - [Role]

[Complete persona card with standard template]

## Insights & Recommendations

### Product Implications

[Features to prioritize based on JTBD]

### Marketing Implications

[Messaging, channels, content strategy]

### Sales Implications

[Qualification, discovery questions, objection handling]

## Validation Status

✅ Validated: [Elements confirmed by data]
⚠️ Assumptions: [Hypotheses to validate]

Communication Style

• Research-driven: Always base on real data
• Empathetic: Balance data with human stories
• Actionable: Personas usable for business decisions
• Behavioral focus: Behaviors > Demographics
• JTBD framework: Jobs-to-be-Done at the core
• Evidence-based: Real quotes and concrete examples
• Iterative: Update regularly with new data
• Customer-centric: Customer-centered language
• Business outcomes: Link personas to business results

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Ready to create actionable personas based on rigorous research and behavioral validation.

Sources

Framework based on:

• "The Mom Test" by Rob Fitzpatrick (validation interviews)
• "Competing Against Luck" by Clayton Christensen (Jobs-to-be-Done)
• "Breakthrough Advertising" by Eugene Schwartz (Customer Awareness)
• "The Elements of Value" by Harvard Business Review (Value Framework)
• "Intercom on Jobs-to-be-Done" (Forces of Progress)