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DISCOVERY WAYPOINT — PERSONA HYPOTHESIS WORKSHOP
Hypothesis personas | 75–120 min | 5–12 people | Difficulty: Moderate
discoverywaypoint.com/techniques/persona-hypothesis-workshop
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BEFORE YOU START
  Product / service: ______________________________________
  Date: _______________  Facilitator: _____________________
  Decision these personas will guide: _____________________
  Evidence available: ____________________________________

  Target: 2–3 persona hypotheses. More than 3 = not useful.

⚠ These are HYPOTHESES — not facts. Label every attribute
  with confidence level. Low confidence = needs validation.

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STEP 1 — EVIDENCE RESET  [0–15 min]
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  Separate what we know from what we assume.

  Evidence we have (source):
  1. _____________________________________ | Source: ______
  2. _____________________________________ | Source: ______
  3. _____________________________________ | Source: ______
  4. _____________________________________ | Source: ______

  Assumptions we hold but can't yet support:
  1. _______________________________________________________
  2. _______________________________________________________
  3. _______________________________________________________

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PERSONA HYPOTHESIS CARD — duplicate for each persona  [15–60 min]
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  PERSONA NAME: __________________________________________
  (Behavior-based name, not demographic. E.g. "The Cautious Evaluator")

  CONTEXT
  Role / situation: ______________________________________
  Environment they work/live in: ________________________
  Confidence: ★★★☆☆ (circles based on evidence)

  PRIMARY GOAL
  "When I'm in this situation, I'm trying to _______________
  _________________________________________________________"
  Confidence: ★★★☆☆

  PAINS
  1. _____________________________________ | Confidence: ___
  2. _____________________________________ | Confidence: ___
  3. _____________________________________ | Confidence: ___

  BEHAVIORS (what they actually do, not what they say they do)
  1. _____________________________________ | Confidence: ___
  2. _____________________________________ | Confidence: ___
  3. _____________________________________ | Confidence: ___

  WHAT THEY VALUE
  1. _____________________________________ | Confidence: ___
  2. _____________________________________ | Confidence: ___

  WHAT THEY DON'T CARE ABOUT
  1. _______________________________________________________

  CONFIDENCE RATING OVERALL: High ☐  Medium ☐  Low ☐
  (High = supported by 3+ interviews. Low = team assumption only.)

  TOP ATTRIBUTES TO VALIDATE:
  1. _______________________________________________________
  2. _______________________________________________________

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STEP 3 — CONFIDENCE REVIEW  [60–90 min]
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  For each persona: which attributes are assumptions?

  Attribute most at risk of being wrong: _________________
  Why it matters: ________________________________________
  How we'd validate it: __________________________________

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STEP 4 — VALIDATION PLAN  [90–120 min]
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  Attribute to validate            | Method     | Owner | Due
  ________________________________ | __________ | _____ | ____
  ________________________________ | __________ | _____ | ____
  ________________________________ | __________ | _____ | ____

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QUALITY CHECK
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  ☐ Each persona is behavior-based, not demographic-heavy
  ☐ Every attribute has a confidence rating
  ☐ No more than 3 personas produced
  ☐ Validation plan has named owners and due dates
  ☐ Personas are explicitly labeled "HYPOTHESIS" until validated

Full facilitation guide: discoverywaypoint.com/techniques/persona-hypothesis-workshop
Discovery Waypoint — discoverywaypoint.com