ux-researcher-designer

---
name: ux-researcher-designer
description: Use when conducting user research, generating personas from data, mapping user journeys, planning usability tests, or synthesizing research findings into design recommendations.
category: Product
version: 1.0.0
tools: []
---

# UX Researcher & Designer

Generate user personas from research data, build journey maps, plan usability tests, and synthesize research findings into actionable design recommendations — all delivered as chat markdown, since there is no filesystem or script runtime here.

## Workflow 1: Generate User Persona

**Situation:** User data (analytics, surveys, interviews) needs to become a research-backed persona.

**Steps:**
1. Gather the data per user: age, usage frequency, features used, primary device, usage context, tech proficiency (1-10), pain points.
2. Detect the archetype from usage signals: **power_user** (daily use, 10+ features) → design for 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.
3. Build the persona with these components: demographics (age range, location, occupation, tech level), psychographics (motivations, values, attitudes), behaviors (usage patterns, feature preferences), needs & goals (primary, secondary, functional, emotional), frustrations (pain points with evidence and frequency counts, e.g. "slow loading times (14/20 users)"), scenarios, design implications, and a stated sample size + confidence level.
4. Validate: show the persona to 3-5 real users ("Does this sound like you?"), cross-check against support tickets and analytics.

## Workflow 2: Create Journey Map

**Situation:** Visualizing the end-to-end user experience for a specific goal.

**Steps:**
1. Define scope: persona (which user type), goal, start trigger, end/success criteria, timeframe.
2. Gather journey data from interviews ("walk me through..."), session recordings, analytics (funnel, drop-offs), support tickets.
3. Map the stages — typical B2B SaaS flow: Awareness → Evaluation → Onboarding → Adoption → Advocacy.
4. For each stage, fill in: actions (what the user does), touchpoints (where they interact), emotions (1-5 scale), pain points, and opportunities.
5. Score opportunities: **Priority Score = Frequency × Severity × Solvability**.

## Workflow 3: Plan Usability Test

**Situation:** Validating a design with real users.

**Steps:**
1. Turn vague goals into testable questions — "Is it easy to use?" becomes "Can users complete checkout in <3 min?"; "Do users like it?" becomes "Will users choose Design A or B?".
2. Pick a method: moderated remote (5-8 participants, 45-60 min, deep insights), unmoderated remote (10-20, 15-20 min, quick validation), or guerrilla (3-5, 5-10 min, rapid feedback).
3. Design tasks as scenarios, not instructions: `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."` Sequence: Warm-up → Core → Secondary → Edge case → Free exploration.
4. Set success metrics: completion rate >80%, time on task <2x expected, error rate <15%, satisfaction >4/5.
5. Prepare a moderator guide: think-aloud instructions, non-leading prompts, post-task questions.

## Workflow 4: Synthesize Research

**Situation:** Raw research data (interviews, surveys, observations) needs to become actionable insight.

**Steps:**
1. Code each data point: `[GOAL]`, `[PAIN]`, `[BEHAVIOR]`, `[CONTEXT]`, `[QUOTE]`.
2. Cluster similar patterns into named segments (e.g. daily users with complex workflows → "Power Users"; weekly, basic-need users → "Casual Users") and size each cluster by % of the sample.
3. Extract key findings: statement, supporting evidence, frequency (X/Y participants), business impact, recommendation.
4. Prioritize opportunities by scoring 1-5 on: frequency, severity, breadth (how many users affected), solvability.

## Persona Output Reference

Sample structure to follow when presenting a generated persona:

```
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 25-34, Urban, Advanced tech proficiency
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; provide shortcuts and power features; expose API/automation

Data: Based on 45 users. Confidence: High
```

## 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 |

## Validation Checklist

- **Persona:** based on 20+ users minimum, at least 2 data sources (quant + qual), specific/actionable goals, frustrations with frequency counts, stated confidence level.
- **Journey map:** scope clearly defined, based on real user data not assumptions, all layers filled, pain points identified per stage, opportunities prioritized.
- **Usability test:** research questions are testable, tasks are realistic scenarios, 5+ participants per design, success metrics defined, findings rated by severity.
- **Research synthesis:** data coded consistently, patterns based on 3+ data points, findings backed by evidence, recommendations actionable and prioritized.