User Persona Template

Use this template to synthesize your user interview data into a clear, evidence-backed persona. A good persona is not a collection of stereotypes; it is a data-driven archetype that represents a key user segment, helping your team build empathy and make user-centered decisions.

How to Use This Template

Fill in each section with patterns and direct quotes from your interview transcripts. This persona should be a composite character representing a cluster of similar behaviors and motivations you observed across multiple participants.

[Persona Name] - "[A short, impactful title, e.g., The Overwhelmed Illustrator]"

Photo	[Insert a stock photo that represents the persona. This makes them more relatable.]
Quote	>"[Insert a powerful, representative quote from one of your interviews that encapsulates this persona's core frustration or goal.]"

Bio & Background

[Write a short, 2-3 sentence narrative describing the persona's professional life, context, and what's important to them in relation to your product domain. This should be an amalgamation of the stories you heard in your interviews.]

Demographics

• Age: [e.g., 28-35]
• Location: [e.g., Jakarta, Indonesia]
• Role/Title: [e.g., Freelance Graphic Designer]
• Experience: [e.g., 3 years as a freelancer]
• Key Tools: [e.g., Adobe Suite, Slack, Google Drive, a specific spreadsheet app]

Goals

[List 3-5 primary goals this persona has related to your product's domain. What are they trying to achieve? What does success look like for them? Start each with a verb.]

• [e.g., Spend less time on administrative tasks and more time on creative work.]
• [e.g., Feel confident and in control of their business finances.]
• [e.g., Present a professional image to their clients.]

Frustrations / Pain Points

[This is the most critical section. List 3-5 key frustrations or pain points that this persona experiences. Use direct or paraphrased quotes from your research to make these tangible and powerful.]

• [e.g., "I hate having to chase clients for late payments; it feels so awkward."]
• [e.g., "I'm always worried that I'm not tracking my expenses correctly for tax season."]
• [e.g., "My current 'system' of spreadsheets and screenshots feels unprofessional and I'm scared it's going to break."]

Behaviors & Workarounds

[Describe 2-4 key behaviors or workarounds you observed. How do they currently solve their problems? What are the specific, often inefficient, steps they take?]

• [e.g., Uses three different apps and a spreadsheet to track a single client payment.]
• [e.g., Manually creates invoices from a generic template, which is time-consuming and error-prone.]
• [e.g., Checks their bank account app multiple times a day when waiting for a payment to clear.]

Ground Your Persona in Evidence

Remember, every point in this persona should be traceable back to a specific observation, quote, or theme from your research synthesis. This is what makes it an evidence-backed tool, not a work of fiction.