# Persona Quality Checklist

Validate that your personas are research-backed and actionable.

## Research Foundation

- [ ] Based on actual user data (not assumptions)
- [ ] Includes qualitative research (interviews)
- [ ] Includes quantitative data (analytics, surveys)
- [ ] Sample size adequate (5+ interviews per persona)
- [ ] Research is recent (< 1 year old)

## Persona Content

### Demographics (Not Too Much)
- [ ] Role/job title included
- [ ] Experience level indicated
- [ ] Context (company size, industry)
- [ ] Demographics relevant to product (not filler)

### Goals
- [ ] 2-3 primary goals defined
- [ ] Goals are specific (not generic)
- [ ] Goals relate to your product domain
- [ ] Success criteria for goals clear

### Pain Points
- [ ] 2-3 major pain points identified
- [ ] Pain points based on research evidence
- [ ] Pain points actionable (we can address them)
- [ ] Severity/frequency indicated

### Behaviors
- [ ] Workflow/usage patterns described
- [ ] Tools and channels mentioned
- [ ] Frequency of relevant activities
- [ ] Context of use (when, where)

### Quote
- [ ] Characteristic quote included
- [ ] Quote captures mindset
- [ ] Based on actual user statement

### Key Insight
- [ ] One key insight highlighted
- [ ] Insight is actionable
- [ ] Helps team make decisions

## Actionability

- [ ] Team can use persona to make decisions
- [ ] Persona answers "would X want this feature?"
- [ ] Clear differentiation from other personas
- [ ] Scenarios help with design decisions

## Format & Accessibility

- [ ] Easy to scan (not walls of text)
- [ ] Visual representation included
- [ ] Shareable format (1-2 pages max)
- [ ] Accessible to whole team

## Maintenance

- [ ] Review date scheduled (quarterly)
- [ ] Owner assigned for updates
- [ ] Process to incorporate new research
- [ ] Version history maintained

## Anti-Patterns to Avoid

- [ ] NOT based only on demographics
- [ ] NOT a wish-list of features
- [ ] NOT too many personas (3-5 max)
- [ ] NOT designed to justify existing plans
- [ ] NOT static forever (gets updated)
