> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://www.thinkinglikeyouruser.com/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://www.thinkinglikeyouruser.com/thinking-like-your-user.md). # Thinking like your user It is important to remember that your user is different from you. These differences are in your background, your skillset, and your goals. Understand these differences and use them to help shape the interface for your tool. ## Value Proposition Statement The most important question you will answer is what your tool does and why someone would want to use it. This is another way to think about your user, but from the perspective of your tool. Think about and write out: What is it that your tool does? Why do people want to use it? A Value Proposition Statement is just a few sentences that you can think of as a sales pitch you would give to a potential user who asks about your tool. Note that this is not a list of features; it's a problem that your tool solves. Use it to center your UX work and refer back to it regularly as you work through your projects. ## Write about your user Who will use this tool? While you may think that saying 'Everyone!' is a good way to make it more accessible, it is almost impossible to make something truly universal for everyone. In fact, the more specific your answer is, the easier it will be for you to create a design that really works for your target users. If you are designing a tool for more than one type of user, list out who each of your users are. Pick one, or at most two, types of users who you are going to focus on for this round of design. Add more users you will support as you continue to develop your tool. Focusing on just a few users will ensure you will serve some users very well and you will likely serve your other users well enough. Take a look at the questions below and write out some of your answers in a document that you can reference later. ### Questions to consider * Why do users need my tool? What is their short-term goal? What is their medium-term goal? What is their long-term goal? What problem will it solve for them? * What is the skillset of my users? Do they have experience with the command line? Do they prefer to use R or Python or something else? Do they use Linux or Mac or Windows? * What tools will feed into my tool? What do those outputs look like? * What tools will take results from my tool and do further analysis? What do their input requirements look like? * What administrative privileges do my users have for the computer my tool will be used on? Will they be able to install the tool themselves or will they need IT to do it for them? Will they only be able to access certain web browsers or web browser versions? Will certain websites be blocked, either by an institution or a country? * What are the security requirements for my tool? Does it need to run in a secure environment? What are the security requirements for the data inputs and outputs? * Will the user be running this tool on a shared computer or cluster? If so, what requirements will that put on the tool in those environments? * Will they publish using the results from my tool? Are there any requirements for publishing? * What are the requirements for reproducibility? * Will they be sharing results with coworkers/PIs/etc? Who are they? What is the best way to share results with them? * When are the users going to use my tool? At the beginning, middle, or end of a project? * How long will it take to run my tool? Are there any time constraints? * Think about the user's social networks, broader career, professional goals, and personal goals. Will they tweet/post about your tool? Are they far along in their career or just getting started? Will they teach about your tool? Will they need to easily leave and come back to your tool? ## Create personas/archetypes In addition to writing about your users, you can also create personas/archetypes, which are short blurbs about your users. Remember that until you start talking to your users, these are hypotheses about who your users are. When making personas, focus on the constraints, motives, and needs that affect their interaction with the tool. Don't focus on details that aren't relevant and are just baseless fluff at best or harmful stereotyping at worst. You may be able to find personas/archetypes that other folks have made. They may be for your exact target user or a user who is similar to yours that you can then modify. In any case, it's worth looking to see what might be out there. NN/G is a resource to get you started with Lightweight personas: [3 Persona Types: Lightweight, Qualitative, and Statistical - NN/G](https://www.nngroup.com/articles/persona-types/) Remember: update your personas as you [research your users](/researching-your-users.md). --- # Agent Instructions This documentation is published with GitBook. GitBook is the documentation platform designed so that both humans and AI agents can read, navigate, and reason over technical content effectively. Learn more at gitbook.com. ## Querying This Documentation If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation dynamically by asking a question. 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