Everything you need to use, contribute to, and integrate the Persona Library into your workflow.
The Persona Library is an open-source collection of deep, research-grade persona profiles for the tools that run modern work. Each persona represents a real archetype — not a marketing segment, but someone with specific goals, frustrations, workflows, and decision patterns.
Every persona follows a consistent 14-field schema that captures identity, intention, outcome, goals, frustrations, worldview, scenarios, context, impact, composability notes, aha moments, job stories (JTBD), success signals, and churn triggers.
112 personas across 12 categories, each community-validated and exportable in Markdown or PDF.
Each persona is defined as a YAML file with front matter and structured fields. Here is the full schema:
pidUnique identifier in the format APP-NNNidentityWho this person is — role, company size, relationship to the toolintentionThe specific action they are trying to take — concrete and operationaloutcomeThe tangible deliverable or state change when the intention succeedsgoalsWhat they are trying to achieve with the productfrustrationsPain points and friction they experienceworldviewCore beliefs that shape how they evaluate toolsscenarioA realistic day-in-the-life narrativecontextEnvironmental factors — industry, team, constraintsimpactBusiness and personal outcomes they achievecomposabilityHow this persona relates to others in the libraryaha_momentThe moment of realization that drove adoptionjtbdJob-to-be-done story in When/Want/So formatsuccess_signalObservable behavior indicating successful adoptionchurn_triggerWhat causes this persona to abandon the productEvery field in every persona can be confirmed, corrected, or extended by real users. There are two ways to contribute:
Click the + button next to any section on a persona detail page. Choose your contribution type and write from lived experience. Your submission creates a GitHub pull request automatically.
addSomething missing from the persona that should be includedconfirmValidate that existing content matches your real experiencecorrectFix inaccurate information based on your lived experienceedge-caseA notable exception or unusual pattern worth documentingcontextIndustry-specific or regional context that adds nuanceFork the repository, add or modify YAML files in the personas/ directory, and submit a pull request. Follow the schema reference above and review the CONTRIBUTING.md for detailed guidelines.
Every persona can be exported for use in your tools, presentations, or research workflows.
Click Export MD on any persona detail page to download a complete Markdown file with front matter and all fields. Compatible with Notion, Obsidian, Confluence, and any Markdown editor.
Click Export PDF to generate a print-friendly version. The page uses a clean print stylesheet that removes navigation and interactive elements.
Access the raw persona YAML files directly from the GitHub repository. Each file in personas/apps/ is a self-contained persona definition.
Import personas into your research tools as starting hypotheses. Use the aha_moment and jtbd fields to inform interview guides. Validate with your own users and contribute findings back to the library.
Print persona cards for design sprint exercises. The structured format makes it easy to reference goals, frustrations, and scenarios during ideation sessions.
Use persona YAML files as context for AI-assisted design, copywriting, or product analysis. The structured schema is optimized for LLM consumption — paste a persona into any AI tool to get role-specific feedback.
Many real users match multiple personas. Use the composability field to understand overlaps and create composite user profiles for more nuanced product decisions.
No. Personas are research-grade archetypes based on patterns observed across real users. They represent common behaviors, not specific individuals.
Yes. The Persona Library is open source. You can use, modify, and distribute personas in your commercial projects.
Every contribution creates a GitHub pull request. Maintainers review for accuracy, specificity, and alignment with the persona schema before merging.
Create a new YAML file following the schema reference and submit a pull request on GitHub. Include as many fields as possible from your experience.
Click the + button on the relevant section and select "Something needs correcting." Describe the inaccuracy and what the correct information should be.
Yes! Open a GitHub issue with the app name and any initial observations about its user archetypes. The community can then build on that foundation.