Stage 02 - Personas

Create/Update detailed user personas and user stories to deeply understand target users' needs, behaviors, pain points, and goals.

When to Use This Skill

• User asks to start stage 02 (personas)
• User wants to create/update user personas or user stories
• User wants to map user journeys or empathy maps

Your Roles in This Skill

See dev-swarm/docs/general-dev-stage-rule.md for role selection guidance.

Role Communication

See dev-swarm/docs/general-dev-stage-rule.md for the required role announcement format.

Pre-Stage Check

Before starting, verify previous stages:

1. Check if 00-init-ideas/ folder has content (not just .gitkeep)
2. Check if 01-market-research/ folder has content
3. If any previous stage is empty and has no SKIP.md:

- Ask user: "Stage {XX} is not complete. Would you like to skip it or start from that stage first?"

Instructions

Step 1: Context Review

Read all files to understand the project:

• ideas.md
• 00-init-ideas/*.md - All markdown files
• 01-market-research/*.md - All markdown files

Step 2: Create Stage Proposal

General Rules: See dev-swarm/docs/general-dev-stage-rule.md → "Create Stage Proposal Rules" section.

If this stage is skipped (has SKIP.md), execute the next non-skipped stage's agent skill. Otherwise, create the file 02-personas/README.md with the following content:

2.1 Stage Goal

Brief the goal in 2-3 paragraphs:

• What this stage aims to achieve
• Why user personas are critical for product success
• How this builds upon previous stages
• What deliverables will be produced

2.2 File Selection

Select files from these options based on project needs:

User Research & Personas:

• personas.md - Detailed user personas with demographics, behaviors, motivations
• pain-points.md - Comprehensive list of user pain points
• empathy-maps/ - Diagrams visualizing what users say, think, do, and feel

User Stories & Journeys:

• user-stories.md - Stories in "As a [persona], I want to [action], so that [benefit]" format
• user-journey-maps/ - Journey diagrams showing user interactions
• use-cases.md - Detailed use cases for different personas

For each selected file, provide:

• Short description
• Why it's essential for this project
• Key information it should include

Note: Not all files may be necessary. Select based on project complexity.

2.3 Request User Approval

Ask user: "Please check the Stage Proposal in 02-personas/README.md. Update it directly or tell me how to update it."

Step 3: Execute Stage Plan

Once user approves 02-personas/README.md:

3.1 Create All Planned Files

Create each file listed in the approved README:

• For .md files: Write comprehensive, well-structured content based on insights from previous stages
• For diagram folders: Follow dev-swarm/docs/mermaid-diagram-guide.md to create the related diagrams files

Quality Guidelines:

• Base personas on real insights from market research, not assumptions
• Create 3-5 distinct personas representing different user segments
• Ensure user stories are specific, measurable, and actionable
• Include both primary and secondary personas if relevant
• Map pain points to specific personas
• Connect user journeys to business goals

3.2 Request User Approval for Files

After creating all files:

• Provide a summary of what was created
• Highlight key insights from the personas
• Ask: "Please review the personas and user stories. You can update or delete files, or let me know how to modify them."

Step 4: Finalize Stage

Once user approves all files:

4.1 Documentation Finalization

• Sync 02-personas/README.md to remove any deleted files
• Ensure all files are complete and well-formatted
• Verify personas align with market research findings
• Confirm user stories cover key use cases
• Check that all diagrams render correctly

4.2 Prepare for Next Stage

• Summarize key personas and insights for reference in later stages
• Identify which personas should be prioritized for MVP (stage 03)
• Note any open questions or assumptions needing validation

4.3 Announce Completion

Inform user:

• "Stage 02 (Personas) is complete"
• Summary of deliverables created
• Key insights discovered
• "Ready to proceed to Stage 03 (MVP) when you are"

Stage Completion Rules

See dev-swarm/docs/general-dev-stage-rule.md for stage completion, commit, and skip rules.

Key Principles

• Base personas on research data, not assumptions
• Keep personas specific and actionable
• Connect personas to business goals
• Support smooth transition to MVP definition