PER: Personas

Document Type

Code: PER
Name: Personas
Domain: Customer & Value

Abstract

This specification defines the Personas document type within the BSpec 1.0 Universal Business Specification Standard. It establishes normative requirements, structured templates, and implementation guidance for organizations documenting personas within the customer-value domain. This specification enables systematic, machine-readable documentation that supports strategic planning, operational execution, and organizational alignment.

Purpose and Scope

The Personas document creates detailed archetypal representations of key customer segments. Personas humanize customer data and provide shared understanding of who the organization serves.

Document Metadata Schema

yaml

---
id: PER-{persona-identifier}
title: "Customer Persona: [Persona Name]"
type: PER
status: Draft|Review|Accepted|Deprecated
version: 1.0.0
owner: Product-Marketing|Customer-Research
stakeholders: [product-team, marketing-team, sales-team, design-team]
domain: customer
priority: critical
scope: global
horizon: medium
visibility: internal

depends_on: [SEG-*]
enables: [JTB-*, USE-*, CJM-*]

success_criteria:
  - "Personas are research-backed and data-driven"
  - "Teams reference personas in decision-making"
  - "Personas guide product and marketing decisions"
  - "Customer behavior validates persona accuracy"

assumptions:
  - "Persona represents significant customer segment"
  - "Persona characteristics are stable over time"
  - "Teams will use personas for guidance"

research_sources:
  - "Customer interviews (n=X)"
  - "Survey data (n=X)"
  - "Usage analytics"
  - "Support interactions"

validation_date: YYYY-MM-DD
review_cycle: quarterly
---

Content Structure Template

markdown

# Customer Persona: [Persona Name]

## Overview
*Brief description of this persona and their significance to our business*

## Persona Profile

### Basic Demographics
**Name**: [Persona Name - should be memorable and human]
**Age**: [Age range]
**Location**: [Geographic information]
**Role/Title**: [Professional or life role]
**Company/Organization**: [If B2B - organization type and size]
**Education**: [Educational background]
**Income/Budget**: [Relevant financial information]

### Psychographic Profile

**Values and Beliefs**
- Core values that drive decisions
- Beliefs about work/life/industry
- Political/social orientations (if relevant)
- Ethical considerations

**Personality Traits**
- Communication style
- Decision-making approach
- Risk tolerance
- Innovation adoption
- Social preferences

**Lifestyle Characteristics**
- Daily routines and patterns
- Hobbies and interests
- Technology usage
- Information consumption
- Social media behavior

**Professional Context** *(if B2B)*
- Industry and market
- Company culture
- Role responsibilities
- Career aspirations
- Performance metrics

### Behavioral Patterns

**Technology Adoption**
- Technology comfort level
- Platform preferences
- Device usage patterns
- Digital behaviors
- Security awareness

**Information Seeking**
- Research approach
- Trusted sources
- Decision criteria
- Information processing style
- Expert consultation patterns

**Purchase Behavior**
- Buying process
- Decision timeline
- Budget authority
- Risk considerations
- Vendor evaluation criteria

**Communication Preferences**
- Preferred channels
- Communication style
- Response timeframes
- Information depth
- Relationship expectations

## Context and Environment

### Daily Life/Work Context
**Typical Day Structure**
- Morning routines
- Work patterns
- Peak productivity times
- Break patterns
- Evening activities

**Workplace Environment** *(if B2B)*
- Physical workspace
- Team dynamics
- Meeting culture
- Communication tools
- Collaboration patterns

**Technology Environment**
- Primary devices
- Software tools used
- Platform ecosystems
- Connectivity patterns
- Technical constraints

### Constraints and Pressures

**Time Constraints**
- Time scarcity issues
- Competing priorities
- Scheduling challenges
- Urgency drivers

**Resource Constraints**
- Budget limitations
- Access restrictions
- Skill gaps
- Tool limitations

**Organizational Constraints** *(if B2B)*
- Policy restrictions
- Approval processes
- Compliance requirements
- Political dynamics

**External Pressures**
- Market conditions
- Competitive pressures
- Regulatory requirements
- Stakeholder expectations

## Goals and Motivations

### Primary Goals
**Professional Goals** *(if B2B)*
- Performance objectives
- Career advancement
- Skill development
- Recognition and status

**Personal Goals**
- Life objectives
- Relationship goals
- Health and wellness
- Financial security

**Organizational Goals** *(if B2B)*
- Business outcomes
- Team success
- Department objectives
- Company missions

### Success Metrics
**How They Define Success**
- Key performance indicators
- Personal satisfaction measures
- Recognition criteria
- Achievement markers

**How Success is Measured**
- Formal evaluation criteria
- Informal feedback mechanisms
- Peer comparison
- Self-assessment

## Pain Points and Frustrations

### Current State Problems
**Daily Frustrations**
- Recurring irritations
- Process inefficiencies
- Tool limitations
- Communication breakdowns

**Strategic Challenges**
- Long-term obstacles
- Capability gaps
- Resource limitations
- Market pressures

**Emotional Frustrations**
- Stress points
- Anxiety sources
- Confidence challenges
- Relationship tensions

### Impact of Problems
**Productivity Impact**
- Time waste
- Efficiency losses
- Quality issues
- Error rates

**Emotional Impact**
- Stress levels
- Job satisfaction
- Confidence effects
- Relationship strain

**Financial Impact**
- Cost implications
- Revenue effects
- Budget pressures
- Opportunity costs

## Jobs-to-be-Done Connection

### Primary Jobs
*Link to specific JTB documents*
- Core functional jobs
- Emotional jobs
- Social jobs

### Job Context
- When jobs arise
- Trigger conditions
- Situational factors
- Environmental influences

### Job Constraints
- Resource limitations
- Time pressures
- Skill requirements
- Tool availability

## Decision-Making Process

### Decision Journey
**Problem Recognition**
- How problems are identified
- Trigger events
- Pain thresholds
- Urgency factors

**Information Gathering**
- Research approach
- Information sources
- Evaluation criteria
- Expert consultation

**Option Evaluation**
- Comparison methods
- Decision criteria
- Risk assessment
- Stakeholder input

**Purchase Decision**
- Final decision factors
- Approval processes
- Implementation planning
- Change management

### Influencers and Stakeholders
**Decision Influencers**
- Colleagues and peers
- Industry experts
- Thought leaders
- Personal network

**Decision Makers**
- Primary decision authority
- Approval hierarchy
- Budget control
- Implementation responsibility

**Decision Supporters**
- Implementation team
- End users
- Technical advisors
- Success partners

## Relationship with Our Solution

### Current Relationship
**Awareness Level**
- Brand recognition
- Solution understanding
- Category awareness
- Competitive knowledge

**Experience History**
- Previous interactions
- Trial experiences
- Implementation attempts
- Success/failure history

**Current Status**
- Prospect/Customer/Former customer
- Usage patterns
- Satisfaction level
- Advocacy potential

### Value Perception
**Perceived Benefits**
- Functional value
- Emotional value
- Social value
- Economic value

**Perceived Barriers**
- Adoption challenges
- Implementation concerns
- Risk perceptions
- Cost considerations

**Unmet Needs**
- Current gaps
- Improvement opportunities
- Future requirements
- Innovation desires

## Communication and Engagement

### Preferred Channels
**Information Consumption**
- Content formats preferred
- Platform usage
- Timing preferences
- Information depth

**Communication Channels**
- Email preferences
- Social media usage
- Event participation
- Direct communication

**Engagement Style**
- Interaction preferences
- Relationship expectations
- Support requirements
- Community participation

### Messaging Resonance
**Effective Messages**
- Value propositions that resonate
- Emotional triggers
- Rational arguments
- Social proof types

**Message Timing**
- Optimal contact times
- Decision timing
- Seasonal factors
- Life cycle timing

## Research Foundation

### Data Sources
**Quantitative Research**
- Survey data (sample size and methodology)
- Usage analytics and patterns
- Market research findings
- Demographic data

**Qualitative Research**
- Interview insights (number and approach)
- Focus group findings
- Observational research
- Case study analysis

**Internal Data**
- Customer support interactions
- Sales conversation insights
- Customer success data
- Product usage patterns

### Validation Evidence
**Behavioral Validation**
- Usage pattern confirmation
- Purchase behavior alignment
- Communication response validation
- Engagement pattern confirmation

**Feedback Validation**
- Direct customer feedback
- Survey response alignment
- Interview confirmation
- Support interaction patterns

### Research Quality
**Sample Representativeness**
- Segment coverage
- Geographic distribution
- Size and scale representation
- Demographic diversity

**Data Recency**
- Research timeline
- Update frequency
- Trend validation
- Evolution tracking

## Persona Evolution

### Historical Changes
**Past Evolution**
- How persona has changed
- Driving factors for change
- Trend identification
- Adaptation lessons

### Current Trends
**Observed Changes**
- Behavioral shifts
- Technology adoption
- Preference evolution
- Need development

**Driving Forces**
- Technology advancement
- Market changes
- Life stage progression
- External pressures

### Future Considerations
**Expected Evolution**
- Anticipated changes
- Trend extrapolation
- Scenario planning
- Adaptation preparation

**Monitoring Indicators**
- Signals of change
- Leading indicators
- Measurement approaches
- Update triggers

## Usage Guidelines

### Application Areas
**Product Development**
- Feature prioritization
- User experience design
- Technical architecture
- Quality standards

**Marketing Strategy**
- Message development
- Channel selection
- Campaign design
- Content creation

**Sales Strategy**
- Qualification criteria
- Pitch customization
- Objection handling
- Relationship building

**Customer Success**
- Onboarding design
- Support approach
- Success metrics
- Expansion strategy

### Team Alignment
**Shared Understanding**
- Cross-functional alignment
- Common language
- Decision criteria
- Priority setting

**Reference Usage**
- Meeting discussions
- Decision justification
- Feature debates
- Strategy alignment

## Validation
*Evidence that persona accurately represents target customers*

### Validation Metrics
- Customer interview alignment: X% match
- Behavioral data confirmation: X% correlation
- Purchase pattern validation: X% accuracy
- Support interaction alignment: X% match

### Ongoing Validation
- Regular customer research
- Behavior tracking
- Feedback collection
- Usage monitoring

Quality Standards

Bronze Level (Minimum Viable)

[ ] Key personas identified and categorized
[ ] Basic demographic and behavioral data documented
[ ] Core pain points and motivations captured
[ ] All required metadata fields completed

Silver Level (Investment Ready)

[ ] Comprehensive persona research with quantitative validation
[ ] Detailed behavioral patterns and decision-making process
[ ] Jobs-to-be-done connection established
[ ] Communication preferences and messaging guidance
[ ] Research methodology and validation documented
[ ] Team usage guidelines established

Gold Level (Operational Excellence)

[ ] Dynamic persona tracking with real-time updates
[ ] Advanced behavioral analytics integration
[ ] Predictive persona evolution modeling
[ ] Cross-functional persona utilization measurement
[ ] Continuous validation and refinement process
[ ] Persona-driven organizational decision making

Common Pitfalls

Demographic obsession: Over-focusing on demographics rather than behaviors and needs
Assumption-based personas: Creating personas from internal beliefs rather than customer research
Static personas: Treating personas as unchanging rather than evolving with customers
Single-use personas: Creating personas that only serve one team or function

Success Patterns

Research-grounded: Based on substantial customer research and data
Behavior-focused: Emphasizing what customers do and why they do it
Decision-useful: Providing actionable insights for product and marketing decisions
Living documents: Regularly updated based on new customer insights

Relationship Guidelines

Typical Dependencies

SEG (Segmentation): Market segments define persona boundaries

Typical Enablements

JTB (Jobs-to-be-Done): Personas provide context for job analysis
USE (Use Cases): Personas inform usage scenario development
CJM (Customer Journey): Personas drive journey mapping focus

Document Relationships

This document type commonly relates to:

Depends on: SEG (Segmentation)
Enables: JTB (Jobs-to-be-Done), USE (Use Cases), CJM (Customer Journey)
Informs: Product strategy, marketing campaigns, user experience design
Guides: Feature development, content creation, sales approach

Validation Checklist

[ ] Personas based on actual customer research not assumptions
[ ] Demographics, psychographics, and behaviors documented
[ ] Pain points, goals, and motivations clearly identified
[ ] Decision-making process and influencers mapped
[ ] Current relationship with solution assessed
[ ] Communication preferences and messaging guidance provided
[ ] Research sources and validation evidence documented
[ ] Evolution tracking and update process established
[ ] Usage guidelines for cross-functional teams defined
[ ] Regular validation and refinement process implemented

PER: Personas ​

Abstract ​

Purpose and Scope ​

Document Metadata Schema ​

Content Structure Template ​

Quality Standards ​

Bronze Level (Minimum Viable) ​

Silver Level (Investment Ready) ​

Gold Level (Operational Excellence) ​

Common Pitfalls ​

Success Patterns ​

Relationship Guidelines ​

Typical Dependencies ​

Typical Enablements ​

Document Relationships ​

Validation Checklist ​

Related Documents ​