antigravity-ipa-workflow/skills/lean-user-research/SKILL.md

name: lean-user-research description: Generate user research documentation — personas, customer journey maps, and competitor landscape — before MVP definition. Runs BEFORE lean and IPA stages. Use when defining target users and their pain points, mapping the customer journey to inform UI design, or researching competitors before committing to an MVP scope. Trigger phrases: "user research", "create personas", "customer journey map".

Overview

Generates docs/USER_RESEARCH.md with 2-3 user personas and a customer journey map to inform lean MVP definition and UI specification design rationale. Runs before lean for data-informed product decisions.

When to Use

• Defining target users before MVP scoping
• Informing design decisions with empathy-driven research
• Mapping customer journey stages to planned screens
• Researching competitors before committing to product direction

Don't Use When

• User research already exists in docs/USER_RESEARCH.md
• Product is already in post-launch iteration phase (use lean-analyze-usage)

Input

Examples:

• "SaaS product managers struggling with tool fragmentation"
• "Small business owners managing inventory manually"

Workflow

Step 1: Clarify Context

Ask user:

• Who is the target user? (role, demographics)
• What problem are they experiencing?
• What do they currently use?
• What constraints do they have?

Step 2: Research

If needed: search for competitor analysis and industry trends, analyze competitor screenshots.

Step 3: Generate Personas (2-3)

### Persona 1: [Name + Archetype]

**Demographics:**
- Age: [range]
- Role: [job title]
- Location: [geography]

**Behaviors:** [Key activities, tool patterns]
**Goals:** [Primary, Secondary]
**Pain Points:** [Frustration 1, Frustration 2]
**Quote:** "[Mindset statement]"
**Tech Savviness:** Low/Medium/High

Step 4: Map Customer Journey (5 Stages)

For primary persona:

### Stage 1: Discovery
**Touchpoint:** [Where they encounter product]
**Emotion:** [Feeling]
**Actions:** [What they do]
**Pain Points:** [Frustrations]
**Opportunities:** [Improvements]
**Design Implications:** [UI/UX decisions]

Stages: Discovery → Onboarding → Usage → Retention → Advocacy

Step 5: Output docs/USER_RESEARCH.md

# User Research

**Generated:** {date}
**Context:** {problem-space}

## Executive Summary
**Target Users:** [Description]
**Key Insights:** [Insight 1, Insight 2]

## Personas
[Persona 1]
[Persona 2]

## Customer Journey Map
[Journey for primary persona]

## Competitor Landscape
| Competitor | Features | Strengths | Weaknesses | Differentiation |

## Assumptions to Validate
- [ ] Assumption 1 (validate via...)
- [ ] Assumption 2 (validate via...)

## Next Steps
1. Use personas in lean MVP definition
2. Map journey stages to screens in ipa-bd
3. Validate assumptions via interviews/testing

Integration

lean-user-research "target users"
    ↓
docs/USER_RESEARCH.md
    ↓
lean → reads USER_RESEARCH.md → data-informed MVP
    ↓
ipa-bd → UI_SPEC.md (with design rationale from personas)