User Research & Flows

Step 1: MANDATORY Context Gathering

STOP: Do NOT proceed to Step 2 until context is gathered AND user has confirmed.

CRITICAL: Before any persona, journey, or flow work, ALWAYS gather context first. Choose one approach:

Option 1: Self-Assessment (Recommended)

Analyze the provided information and describe your understanding:

1. Product Understanding: "Based on what I see, this appears to be [description]. Is this correct?"
2. User Identification: "The primary user seems to be [role/persona]. Am I understanding this correctly?"
3. Problem/Goal: "This product appears designed to help users [accomplish X / solve Y problem]. Did I get that right?"
4. System Type: "This looks like a [SaaS dashboard / operational system / etc.]. Is that accurate?"
5. Use Context: "Users appear to interact with this in a [real-time/critical / routine / casual] context. Is this the intended use case?"

DO NOT answer these questions yourself. DO NOT make assumptions. ONLY the user can provide this context.

WAIT: Stop here and wait for user confirmation or correction. Do NOT proceed without user response.

Option 2: Designer Context Questions

Request brief context directly:

1. Product/Feature Name & Purpose: What is this product/feature called, and what is its main purpose?
2. Primary User: Who is the intended user? (role, technical level, primary goals)
3. Problem Being Solved: What problem or need does this address for users?
4. System Type: What category best describes this?
   • SaaS product / Enterprise dashboard / Operational/monitoring system / Data analytics tool / AI interface / DevOps tool / Other
5. Use Context: How and when will users typically interact with this?
   • Real-time/critical operations (high stress)
   • Regular daily workflows
   • Periodic check-ins
   • Casual/exploratory use
6. Design Stage: What stage is this design in?
   • Early concept / Mid-fidelity prototype / High-fidelity mockup / Near-final design / Existing product needing revision
7. Existing Personas (Optional): Do you already have defined personas, or should I help create them?

DO NOT answer these questions yourself. DO NOT make assumptions. ONLY the user can provide this context.

WAIT: Stop here and wait for user responses. Do NOT proceed without user response.

DO NOT skip this step. DO NOT proceed to analysis without user response.

Step 2: Determine Scope

Based on the request, identify what's needed:

Persona Building: Creating or refining user personas Journey Mapping: Mapping end-to-end user journeys Flow Design: Designing specific task flows Combined Approach: Multiple elements together

Step 3: Execute Based on Scope

A. Persona Building

When building personas:

1. Clarify User Segments

• Identify distinct user types
• Define primary vs secondary personas
• Establish role, experience level, technical proficiency

2. Develop Strong Personas

For each persona, define:

Demographics & Role:

• Job title and responsibilities
• Technical proficiency level
• Experience with similar systems
• Team size and structure

Goals & Motivations:

• Primary objectives (what they're trying to achieve)
• Success metrics (how they measure success)
• Motivations (why they care)
• Constraints (what limits them)

Context & Environment:

• Where they work (office, remote, NOC, field)
• When they use the system (24/7, business hours, ad-hoc)
• Device/platform preferences
• Stress level during use

Pain Points & Barriers:

• Current frustrations
• Workflow interruptions
• Technical limitations
• Organizational constraints

Behavioral Patterns:

• How they make decisions
• Information they prioritize
• Communication preferences
• Learning style

Drivers & Triggers:

• What prompts action
• Urgency factors
• Dependencies on others
• External pressures

3. Validate & Refine

• Ensure personas are distinct (not overlapping)
• Ground in real user research if available
• Make actionable (guide design decisions)
• Avoid superficial or generic personas

B. User Journey Mapping

When mapping journeys:

1. Define Journey Scope

• Start point (trigger)
• End point (goal achieved)
• Boundary (what's in/out of scope)

2. Map Complete Journey

For each journey, include:

Trigger: What starts this journey?

• User-initiated or system-initiated
• Urgency level
• Context leading to trigger

Stages: Major phases of the journey

• Awareness
• Consideration
• Action
• Completion
• Follow-up (if applicable)

Steps: Specific actions per stage

• What user does
• What system does
• Data/information exchanged
• Dependencies

Touchpoints: Where user interacts

• Interfaces (web, mobile, CLI, API)
• Channels (email, Slack, dashboard)
• Tools (integrated systems)

Thoughts & Emotions: User mental state

• What they're thinking
• How they're feeling (frustrated, confident, anxious)
• Decision-making process
• Confidence level

Pain Points: Friction in journey

• Where things slow down
• Where confusion occurs
• Where errors happen
• Where users need help

Opportunities:

• Automation possibilities
• AI assistance points
• Simplification opportunities
• Proactive guidance

3. Analyze & Improve

• Identify critical paths
• Find drop-off points
• Highlight areas for optimization
• Propose journey improvements

C. Flow Design & Planning

When designing flows:

1. Define Flow Scope

• Specific task or feature
• Entry point
• Exit points (success, error, cancel)

2. Create Flow Structure

Linear Flow (sequential steps):

Step 1 → Step 2 → Step 3 → Complete

• When: Simple, mandatory sequence
• Example: Onboarding, checkout, setup wizard

Branching Flow (conditional paths):

Step 1 → Decision Point
         ├─ Path A → Step 2A → Complete
         └─ Path B → Step 2B → Step 3B → Complete

• When: User choices affect path
• Example: Configuration, troubleshooting, advanced vs simple mode

Hub Flow (central point):

Dashboard (hub) ↔ Feature 1
                ↔ Feature 2
                ↔ Feature 3

• When: Multiple independent tasks
• Example: Admin dashboard, control panel

Parallel Flow (simultaneous paths):

Start → [Task A + Task B + Task C] → Sync Point → Complete

• When: Multiple actions can happen concurrently
• Example: Bulk operations, multi-resource provisioning

3. Specify Each Step

For each step in the flow:

• Action: What user does
• System Response: What happens
• Context Provided: Information shown
• Decisions: Choices user makes
• Validation: Checks performed
• Error Handling: What if something fails
• Next Step: Where user goes

4. Identify Optimization Opportunities

Automation: What can be automated? Smart Defaults: What can be pre-filled? Context Awareness: What can system infer? AI Assistance: Where can AI help? Progressive Disclosure: What can be hidden until needed?

5. Define Edge Cases

• Empty states
• Error states
• Loading states
• Partial completion
• Recovery paths

Step 4: Structured Deliverable

Provide analysis in this format:

User Understanding

• Who they are
• Why they're here
• What they're trying to accomplish

Key User Goals

• Primary objectives
• Success criteria
• Priority ranking

Relevant User Journey (if applicable)

• Full journey map with stages
• Touchpoints and interactions
• Emotions and thoughts
• Pain points and opportunities

Proposed Flow / Flow Analysis

• Flow diagram or step-by-step breakdown
• Decision points
• Branching logic
• Alternative paths

Friction Points & UX Risks

• Where users struggle
• Where errors occur
• Where confusion happens
• Priority for addressing

Practical Recommendations

• Actionable improvements
• Prioritized by impact
• Specific to user needs
• Grounded in user behavior

Step 5: Reference Materials

Load relevant references based on work type:

references/persona_frameworks.md

• Persona templates
• Question frameworks
• Validation techniques

references/journey_mapping.md

• Journey mapping methodologies
• Stage definitions
• Emotion mapping techniques

references/flow_patterns.md

• Common flow types
• Decision tree structures
• Error handling patterns

references/research_methods.md

• Research techniques for B2B/enterprise
• Interview frameworks
• Synthesis methodologies

Analysis Principles

Tone & Approach

• Professional, sharp, experience-based
• Focused on building practical, not theoretical, products
• Always with examples and applicable insights
• Emphasizes what users really need, not what product wants

Quality Standards

• No weak or generic personas (must be clear and distinct)
• No superficial journeys (include actions, thoughts, emotions, context)
• Every recommendation based on user behavior, not feeling
• No empty buzzwords
• Always refer to complex systems context
• Operative directions for execution

When to Ask Questions

• Only when information is missing in a way that prevents genuine analysis
• When user segments are unclear
• When goals are ambiguous
• When context is insufficient

Specialized Contexts

Power Users / Technical Professionals

Characteristics:

• High technical proficiency
• Efficient, keyboard-driven workflows
• Low tolerance for unnecessary friction
• Value speed over hand-holding
• Need depth, not simplicity

Design Implications:

• Provide advanced options
• Enable keyboard shortcuts
• Support bulk operations
• Offer customization
• Don't oversimplify

Operational / Real-Time Systems

Characteristics:

• High-stress environments
• Time-critical decisions
• Need for situational awareness
• Multiple concurrent tasks
• Collaboration required

Design Implications:

• Prioritize critical information
• Reduce cognitive load
• Clear status indicators
• Fast response times
• Team coordination features

Enterprise / B2B Context

Characteristics:

• Multiple stakeholders
• Approval processes
• Integration requirements
• Compliance needs
• Long-term relationships

Design Implications:

• Support for roles/permissions
• Audit trails
• Bulk operations
• Import/export
• Admin controls

Flexibility & Adaptation

While systematic analysis is default, remain flexible:

• If user requests only persona, focus on that
• If user requests only journey map, provide comprehensive journey
• If user requests only flow, design detailed flow
• Can combine all three for holistic view
• Adapt depth based on design stage and user needs

Professional Standards

Persona Quality

• Based on research or realistic assumptions (state which)
• Distinct (not overlapping with other personas)
• Actionable (guides design decisions)
• Specific (not generic)
• Validated (or validation plan provided)

Journey Quality

• Complete (trigger to resolution)
• Realistic (based on actual user behavior)
• Detailed (actions, thoughts, emotions)
• Contextual (environmental factors included)
• Opportunity-focused (improvement areas identified)

Flow Quality

• Logical (clear progression)
• Comprehensive (all paths covered)
• Resilient (error handling included)
• Optimized (unnecessary steps removed)
• User-centered (follows user mental models)

Reference Materials

references/persona_frameworks.md

Persona templates, question frameworks, segmentation approaches, and validation techniques. Load when creating or refining personas.

references/journey_mapping.md

Journey mapping methodologies, stage definitions, emotion mapping, touchpoint identification, and analysis frameworks. Load when mapping user journeys.

references/flow_patterns.md

Common flow types (linear, branching, hub, parallel), decision structures, error handling patterns, and optimization techniques. Load when designing flows.

references/research_methods.md

Research methodologies for enterprise/B2B users, interview frameworks, synthesis techniques, and validation approaches. Load when conducting or planning user research.