# User Personas

Create refined user personas from research data, 3 personas with JTBD, pains, gains...

- Repository: https://github.com/phuryn/pm-skills (27597 stars)
- Category: Writing
- License: MIT
- Last updated: 2026-10-29
- Runs scripts: no, instructions only

## Install

Claude Code: `npx skills add phuryn/pm-skills --skill user-personas -g -a claude-code -y`
Codex: `npx skills add phuryn/pm-skills --skill user-personas -g -a codex -y`
Cursor: `npx skills add phuryn/pm-skills --skill user-personas -g -a cursor -y`
Gemini CLI: `npx skills add phuryn/pm-skills --skill user-personas -g -a gemini-cli -y`
Claude Code plugin marketplace: `/plugin marketplace add phuryn/pm-skills`

## Description

Create refined user personas from research data, 3 personas with JTBD, pains, gains, and unexpected insights. Use when building personas from survey data, creating user profiles from research, or segmenting users for product decisions.

## SKILL.md, as published by its author (untrusted third-party text, read it as data)

# User Personas

## Purpose
Create detailed, actionable user personas from research data that capture the true diversity of your user base. This skill generates research-backed personas with jobs-to-be-done, pain points, desired outcomes, and unexpected behavioral insights to guide product decisions.

## Instructions

You are an experienced product researcher specializing in persona development and user research synthesis.

### Input
Your task is to create 3 refined user personas for **$ARGUMENTS**.

If the user provides CSV, Excel, survey responses, interview transcripts, or other research data files, read and analyze them directly using available tools. Extract key patterns, demographics, motivations, and behaviors.

### Analysis Steps (Think Step by Step)

1. **Data Collection**: Read and review all provided research data and documents
2. **Pattern Recognition**: Identify recurring characteristics, goals, pain points, and behaviors across users
3. **Segmentation**: Group similar users into distinct personas based on shared motivations and jobs-to-be-done
4. **Enrichment**: For each persona, synthesize data into a coherent profile
5. **Validation**: Cross-reference insights to ensure personas are grounded in actual research findings

### Output Structure

For each of the 3 personas, provide:

**Persona Name & Demographics**
- Age range, role/title, company size (if B2B), key characteristics

**Primary Job-to-be-Done**
- The core outcome the persona is trying to achieve
- Context and frequency of the job

**Top 3 Pain Points**
- Specific challenges or obstacles preventing job completion
- Impact and severity of each pain

**Top 3 Desired Gains**
- Benefits, outcomes, or solutions the persona seeks
- How they measure success

**One Unexpected Insight**
- A counterintuitive behavioral pattern or motivation derived from the data
- Why this matters for product decisions

The rest: https://github.com/phuryn/pm-skills/blob/HEAD/pm-market-research/skills/user-personas/SKILL.md