AI Builder - Personas & User Stories

This skill creates/updates detailed user personas and prioritized user stories to define who will use the product and what they need to accomplish.

When to Use This Skill

• User asks to "create personas" or "define user stories"
• User requests to start Stage 2 or the next stage after market-research
• User wants to define target users in detail
• User wants to create/update user stories

Prerequisites

This skill requires 00-init-ideas to be completed. Market research (01-market-research) is optional.

Your Roles in This Skill

• Product Manager: Create user stories in "As a [role], I want [feature] so that [benefit]" format. Prioritize features based on user needs and business goals (P0/P1/P2). Define acceptance criteria for each feature.
• UX Designer: Create user personas based on target user research. Map user journeys and identify user needs and pain points. Ensure personas reflect real user behaviors and goals.

Role Communication

As an expert in your assigned roles, you must announce your actions before performing them using the following format:

As a {Role} [and {Role}, ...], I will {action description}

This communication pattern ensures transparency and allows for human-in-the-loop oversight at key decision points.

Instructions

Follow these steps in order:

Step 0: Verify Prerequisites and Gather Context

1. Check if 00-init-ideas/ exists (mandatory):

   • If NOT found: Inform user they need to init ideas first, then STOP
   • If found: Read all files to understand:
     • Problem statement
     • Target users
     • Value proposition
     • Owner requirements
     • Cost budget (to understand constraints for this stage)

2. Check if 01-market-research/ exists (optional):

   • If found: Read files to understand:
     • Target audience segments
     • Competitor user bases
     • Market validation findings
     • Gap analysis
   • If NOT found: Continue with just init-ideas data (acceptable for L2 projects)

2.5 Verify previous stage completion (01-market-research):

• If 01-market-research/README.md exists, read it and list required docs
• If README is missing or required docs are missing:
  • Ask the user to start/continue stage 01, or skip it
  • If skip: create 01-market-research/SKIP.md with a short reason
  • If continue: STOP and return after stage 01 is complete

3. Check if this stage should be skipped:

   • Check if 02-personas/SKIP.md exists
   • If SKIP.md exists:
     • Read SKIP.md to understand why this stage was skipped
     • Inform the user: "Stage 2 (personas) is marked as SKIP because [reason from SKIP.md]"
     • Ask the user: "Would you like to proceed to the next stage (mvp)?"
     • If user says yes:
       • Exit this skill and inform them to run the next stage skill
     • If user says no:
       • Ask if they want to proceed with personas anyway
       • If yes, delete SKIP.md and continue with this skill
       • If no, exit the skill

4. Check if 02-personas/ folder exists:

   • If exists: Read all existing files to understand current state
   • If NOT exists: Will create new structure

5. If README.md exists: Check whether it requires diagrams. If it does, follow dev-swarm/docs/mermaid-diagram-guide.md and use the dev-swarm-mermaid skill to render outputs.

6. Proceed to Step 1 with gathered context

Step 1: Refine Design Requirements in README and Get Approval

CRITICAL: Create/update README.md first without pre-approval. Then ask the user to review/update/approve it, re-read it after approval, and only then create other docs.

1. Analyze information from previous stages:

   • Read 00-init-ideas/ to understand problem, target users, value proposition
   • Read 01-market-research/ (if exists) to understand market segments and user validation
   • Consider cost-budget constraints for this stage

2. Create or update 02-personas/README.md with refined requirements:

   • Use the template in references/README.md
   • Follow the checkbox rules: checked items apply after README approval; create file items only after approval; propose default checks; allow user changes
   • Populate only the template sections; do not add new headings such as Documents or Deliverables
   • Follow dev-swarm/docs/stage-readme-guidelines.md before drafting
   • Refer to references/deliverables.md to select deliverables by project type
   • Present any choices as checkbox lists with a default selection
   • List deliverables explicitly in README (typical: persona-primary.md, persona-secondary.md, user-stories.md)
   • Stage overview and objectives (based on previous stage context)
   • Owners: Product Manager, UX Designer
   • Diagrams (if required by project init):
     • Reference dev-swarm/docs/mermaid-diagram-guide.md
     • Include diagram/ deliverables when needed
   • What personas will be created:
     • How many personas (1-2 typically)
     • What market research insights will inform personas
     • What user stories will be created (P0/P1/P2)
   • Methodology:
     • How personas will be created (based on init-ideas + market research)
     • User story format and prioritization approach
   • Deliverables planned:
     • List of files that will be created (persona-primary.md, user-stories.md, etc.)
   • Status: In Progress (update to "Completed" after implementation)

3. Notify user after README is created:

   • Say: "I have created README.md file, please check and update or approve the content."
   • Summarize the personas approach and what will be created
   • Summarize what documentation files will be created
   • Explain how it aligns with previous stages

4. Wait for user approval:

   • If user says yes: Re-read README.md (user may have updated it), then proceed to Step 2
   • If user says no:
     • Ask what needs to be changed
     • Update README based on feedback
     • Ask for approval again, then re-read README.md before proceeding

Step 2: Create/Update Personas Structure

Only after user approves the README and you re-read it:

1. Create files as specified in the approved README.md:

   IMPORTANT: The file structure below is a SAMPLE only. The actual files you create must follow what was approved in the README.md in Step 1.

   Typical structure (example):

   02-personas/
   ├── README.md (created in Step 1, then reviewed/approved)
   ├── persona-primary.md (if specified in README)
   ├── persona-secondary.md (if specified in README)
   └── user-stories.md (if specified in README)
   

   Create only the files listed in the README's "Deliverables planned" section.

Step 3: Create/Update User Personas

IMPORTANT: Only create personas after README is approved in Step 1 and re-read.

• Use references/deliverables.md for persona file content guidance.

Step 4: Create/Update User Stories

• Use references/deliverables.md for user story content guidance.

Step 5: Ensure Traceability

Make sure user stories map back to:

• Problem statement from 00-init-ideas
• Value proposition from 00-init-ideas
• Gap analysis from 01-market-research (if available)
• Owner requirements from 00-init-ideas

Step 6: Final User Review

1. Inform user that personas and user stories are complete

2. Update README.md:

   • Change Status from "In Progress" to "Completed"
   • Add a Summary section with key insights (2-3 paragraphs)
   • Add a Created Files section listing all created files

3. Present completed work to user:

   • Number of personas created
   • P0/P1/P2 story distribution
   • How stories address the core problem

4. Ask if they want to proceed to the next stage (MVP definition)

5. Make adjustments based on user feedback if needed

Step 7: Commit to Git (if user confirms)

1. If user confirms personas and user stories are complete:
   • Ask if they want to commit to git
2. If user wants to commit:
   • Stage all changes in 02-personas/
   • Commit with message: "Define user personas and prioritized user stories (Stage 2)"