---
name: Persona Definition
slug: persona-definition
category: AI Engineering
description: Persona Definition synthesizes behavioral personas from prior-stage evidence for PRD v0.4 journey mapping and marketing. Use it to define users, target segments, and feature relationships from CFD, BR, and FEA artifacts.
github: "https://github.com/mattgierhart/PRD-driven-context-engineering/tree/main/.claude/skills/prd-v04-persona-definition"
language: HTML
stars: 182
forks: 10
install: "npx degit https://github.com/mattgierhart/PRD-driven-context-engineering/tree/main/.claude/skills/prd-v04-persona-definition ~/.claude/skills/prd-v04-persona-definition"
installs_to: ~/.claude/skills/prd-v04-persona-definition
source_path: .claude/skills/prd-v04-persona-definition/SKILL.md
collection_size: 25
category_size: 3475
collection_url: "https://dirskills.com/collections/mattgierhart/PRD-driven-context-engineering"
added: 2026-09-07T05:20:13.460Z
last_synced: 2026-09-07T05:20:13.460Z
canonical_url: "https://dirskills.com/skills/persona-definition"
---

# Persona Definition

Persona Definition synthesizes behavioral personas from prior-stage evidence for PRD v0.4 journey mapping and marketing. Use it to define users, target segments, and feature relationships from CFD, BR, and FEA artifacts.

**Install:**

```bash
npx degit https://github.com/mattgierhart/PRD-driven-context-engineering/tree/main/.claude/skills/prd-v04-persona-definition ~/.claude/skills/prd-v04-persona-definition
```

## README

# Persona Definition

Position in workflow: v0.3 Feature Value Planning → **v0.4 Persona Definition** → v0.4 User Journey Mapping

Personas are not demographic profiles—they are behavioral models synthesized from evidence. Every persona must trace back to CFD- research, BR- targeting rules, and FEA- features they care about.

## Consumes

This skill requires prior work from v0.1-v0.3:

- **CFD-\* problem statements and pain points** (from v0.1 Problem Framing) — Behavioral signals about what users struggle with
- **CFD-\* value hypotheses** (from v0.1 User Value Articulation) — Evidence about what users want to accomplish
- **CFD-\* competitive intelligence and segment gaps** (from v0.2 Competitive Landscape) — Market segmentation and underserved signals
- **BR-\* targeting rules** (from v0.3 Moat Definition) — Constraints on which segments to pursue (switchers vs. new-to-category, etc.)
- **BR-\* product type classification** (from v0.2 Product Type Classification) — Determines which personas matter (Clone = feature parity users; Undercut = price-sensitive niche)
- **FEA-\* entries** (from v0.3 Features Value Planning) — Feature list to validate which features each persona cares about
- **MVP-SCOPE artifact** (from v0.3 Features Value Planning) — The explicit list of features defining MVP; personas map to MVP feature set only

This skill assumes v0.1-v0.3 work is complete.

## Produces

This skill creates/updates:

- **PER-\* entries** (persona definitions, confidence 2-3/5) — Behavioral profiles tied to CFD/BR/FEA evidence with acquisition channels and pricing sensitivity
- **Persona coverage artifact** — Map of which personas are Primary/Secondary and which product type segments they represent

All PER- entries should include:
- `confidence: 2-3/5` (based on evidence tier from CFD interviews and BR targeting decisions)
- Evidence source citations (CFD-ID references + BR-ID targeting rules)
- Forward target: "Would move to 4/5 if we validate persona behaviors with 5+ actual customers"

Example PER- entry with confidence:
```markdown
PER-001: The Overwhelmed Ops Manager
Source IDs: CFD-003 (pain: manual tracking), CFD-012 (value: automation), BR-041 (targeting: switchers at renewal)
Type: Primary
Confidence: 3/5 (source: 4-customer-interviews-jan-2026 + competitive-landscape confirms segment underserved)
Segment: SMB SaaS companies (10-50 employees)

Demographics:
  Role: Operations Manager / Head of Ops
  Context: Growing startup, wearing multiple hats, no dedicated tools budget
  Technical Level: Intermediate (comfortable with SaaS, not a developer)

Behavioral Profile:
  Goals: Reduce time spent on manual reporting (CFD-012)
  Frustrations: Current tools require too much setup (CFD-003)
  Decision Factors: Ease of use > feature count, must show ROI to CEO (CFD-025)
  Current Workflow: Spreadsheets + manual data entry + weekly report compilation

Product Relationship:
  Primary Value: CFD-012 ("Save 5 hours/week on reporting")
  Key Features: FEA-001 (auto-sync), FEA-003 (one-click reports), FEA-007 (dashboard) — all in MVP-SCOPE
  Pricing Sensitivity: BR-030 (SMB tier ≤$50/mo)
  Acquisition Channel: BR-041 (target at contract renewal of competing tools)

Marketing Hook: "Stop building reports. Start using them."
Next Target: "Would move to 4/5 if 5+ actual SMB ops managers validate this behavior in paid usage"
```

## Core Constraint

**Maximum 5 personas. Most products need 1-2.**

If you have more than 3, you're likely over-segmenting by demographics instead of behavior. Consolidate ruthlessly.

## Persona Types

| Type | Definition | When to Create |
|------|------------|----------------|
| **Primary** | Core user, drives most revenue | Always (at least 1) |
| **Secondary** | Important but not primary buyer | If distinct needs exist |
| **Negative** | Who we explicitly exclude | If exclusion is strategic |
| **Aspirational** | Future target, not current focus | Only for roadmap planning |

**Rule**: Primary personas must link to primary revenue KPI-. If a persona doesn't influence revenue, question whether it's truly primary.

## Evidence Requirements

Every persona field must link to prior stage evidence:

| Persona Field | Must Link To | Source Stage |
|---------------|--------------|--------------|
| Goals | CFD- value hypothesis | v0.1 User Value Articulation |
| Frustrations | CFD- pain points | v0.1 Problem Framing |
| Decision Factors | CFD- competitive research | v0.2 Competitive Landscape |
| Key Features | FEA- entries | v0.3 Feature Value Planning |
| Pricing Sensitivity | BR- pricing rules | v0.3 Pricing Model |
| Acquisition Channel | BR- targeting rules | v0.3 Moat Definition |

**No link = No claim.** If you can't cite evidence, the attribute is assumption, not fact.

## Synthesis Process

1. **Pull USER TYPE** from v0.1 Problem Framing (CFD-)
   - These are your candidate personas

2. **Pull SEGMENTS** from v0.2 Market Definition (CFD-, BR-)
   - How is the market divided? Which segments are we targeting?

3. **Pull TARGETING RULES** from v0.3 Moat Definition (BR-)
   - New-to-category vs. Switchers? Trigger moments?

4. **Synthesize behavioral patterns** from all CFD- evidence
   - What goals unite this segment?
   - What frustrations are consistent?

5. **Map FEA- features** to each persona
   - Which features matter most to each?
   - This informs journey mapping

6. **Create PER- entries** with full traceability

## PER- Output Template

```
PER-XXX: [Persona Name]
Source IDs: [CFD-XXX, CFD-YYY, BR-ZZZ that inform this persona]
Type: [Primary | Secondary | Negative | Aspirational]
Segment: [From v0.2 market segment]

Demographics:
  Role: [Job title / function]
  Context: [Company size, industry, team structure]
  Technical Level: [Novice | Intermediate | Expert]

Behavioral Profile:
  Goals: [What they're trying to achieve — link to CFD- value]
  Frustrations: [Current pain points — link to CFD- pain]
  Decision Factors: [What influences their choices — link to CFD- research]
  Current Workflow: [How they solve this today]

Product Relationship:
  Primary Value: [CFD- value hypothesis they care about most]
  Key Features: [FEA-XXX, FEA-YYY most relevant to them]
  Pricing Sensitivity: [From BR- pricing rules]
  Acquisition Channel: [How they'll find us — from BR- targeting]

Marketing Hook: [One-sentence pitch for this persona]
```

**Example PER- entry:**
```
PER-001: The Overwhelmed Ops Manager
Source IDs: CFD-003 (pain: manual tracking), CFD-012 (value: automation), BR-041 (target: switchers at renewal)
Type: Primary
Segment: SMB SaaS companies (10-50 employees)

Demographics:
  Role: Operations Manager / Head of Ops
  Context: Growing startup, wearing multiple hats, no dedicated tools budget
  Technical Level: Intermediate (comfortable with SaaS, not a developer)

Behavioral Profile:
  Goals: Reduce time spent on manual reporting (CFD-012)
  Frustrations: Current tools require too much setup (CFD-003)
  Decision Factors: Ease of use > feature count, must show ROI to CEO (CFD-025)
  Current Workflow: Spreadsheets + manual data entry + weekly report compilation

Product Relationship:
  Primary Value: CFD-012 ("Save 5 hours/week on reporting")
  Key Features: FEA-001 (auto-sync), FEA-003 (one-click reports), FEA-007 (dashboard)
  Pricing Sensitivity: BR-030 (SMB tier ≤$50/mo)
  Acquisition Channel: BR-041 (target at contract renewal of competing tools)

Marketing Hook: "Stop building reports. Start using them."
```

## Anti-Patterns to Avoid

| Anti-Pattern | Signal | Fix |
|--------------|--------|-----|
| **Persona explosion** | >5 personas | Consolidate by behavior, not demographics |
| **Fictional personas** | No CFD- links | Every attribute needs evidence |
| **Demographic-only** | "25-35 year old male" | Focus on behaviors and goals |
| **All personas are primary** | "Everyone is important" | Rank by revenue potential |
| **Copy-paste from competitors** | Generic descriptions | Ground in YOUR research |
| **Features without personas** | Personas created but no FEA- links | Map features to who cares |

## Quality Gates

Before proceeding to User Journey Mapping:

- [ ] Maximum 5 personas (ideally 1-3)
- [ ] At least one Primary persona defined
- [ ] Every persona has CFD- evidence links
- [ ] Key Features mapped from FEA- entries
- [ ] Acquisition Channel specified from BR- targeting
- [ ] Marketing Hook is specific and testable

## Downstream Connections

PER- entries feed into:

| Consumer | What It Uses | Example |
|----------|--------------|---------|
| **v0.4 User Journey Mapping** | Each UJ- references a PER- | UJ-001 is for PER-001 |
| **v0.4 Screen Flow Definition** | Persona context shapes UI | SCR-001 optimized for PER-001 tech level |
| **v0.9 GTM** | Marketing messaging per persona | Campaign targeting PER-002 segment |
| **Sales Enablement** | Persona-specific pitches | Discovery questions per PER- |

## Detailed References

- **Persona creation examples**: See `references/examples.md`
- **PER- entry template**: See `assets/per.md`