# Persona Research Methodology

## Research Method Selection

| Situation | Recommended Method | Sample Size |
|-----------|-------------------|-------------|
| New product, no users yet | Exploratory interviews | 8–12 participants |
| Existing product, need depth | In-depth interviews | 5–8 per segment |
| Validating existing personas | Survey | 50+ respondents |
| Behavioral patterns | Analytics + session recordings | All available data |
| Competitive landscape | Competitor review + job forums | Qualitative |

## Interview Design Checklist

- [ ] Questions focus on past behavior, not hypothetical future behavior
- [ ] "Tell me about a time when..." used instead of "Would you...?"
- [ ] No leading questions (avoid "Don't you find X frustrating?")
- [ ] Follow-up probes prepared: "Why?", "What happened next?", "How did that make you feel?"
- [ ] Job-to-be-done lens: ask what they're trying to accomplish, not what features they want
- [ ] Session recorded (with consent) for later synthesis
- [ ] Duration: 45–60 minutes per interview

## Data Collection Quality Gates

- [ ] Minimum 5 interviews per distinct segment before drawing conclusions
- [ ] Direct quotes captured verbatim (not paraphrased during interview)
- [ ] Demographic bias checked — sample matches target market
- [ ] B2B: multiple roles interviewed (buyer, user, influencer)
- [ ] Negative cases included — interview users who churned or rejected the product

## Synthesis Process

1. **Affinity mapping**: Group raw observations by theme (not by participant)
2. **Pattern extraction**: Identify recurring pain points and jobs across 3+ participants
3. **Segmentation**: Cluster participants by shared motivations (not demographics)
4. **Persona drafting**: One persona per distinct motivation cluster
5. **Validation**: Cross-reference each persona claim against source data

## Persona Validity Checklist

- [ ] Each persona grounded in ≥3 real participants from research
- [ ] Personas are mutually distinct — overlapping personas should be merged
- [ ] Unexpected insights included — if all insights are obvious, dig deeper
- [ ] Demographics are secondary — job-to-be-done drives persona definition
- [ ] Quotes used are verbatim from research (not invented)
- [ ] Data gaps explicitly flagged — don't fill gaps with assumptions

## Common Research Mistakes

| Mistake | Consequence | Fix |
|---------|-------------|-----|
| Asking "what features do you want?" | Users design solutions, not needs | Ask about current behavior and pain |
| Only interviewing enthusiasts | Survivorship bias | Include churned users and non-adopters |
| Conflating segment with persona | Personas become stereotypes | Base personas on motivations, not age/gender |
| Too many personas (>5) | Team ignores them | Merge overlapping clusters, max 3–4 |
| No data gaps acknowledged | False confidence | Flag what you don't yet know |
