user-simulation

name	user-simulation
description	This skill should be used when simulating real user interactions with a product to validate functionality and user experience. It helps create user personas, define usage scenarios, execute simulation tests, and generate experience reports.
depends	["real.md","cog.md"]
generates	["spec-user-simulation.md"]

User Simulation

Overview

This skill transforms product requirements into user-centered validation by simulating how real users interact with the product. To validate product functionality and experience, create user personas, design usage scenarios, and execute systematic simulation tests.

Note for AI Agents: The generated spec document is designed to be consumed by AI agents (especially Claude Code) to ensure consistent user simulation and reduce trial-and-error during development.

Prerequisites

Before using this skill, ensure the following foundation documents exist:

1. real.md - Reality Constraints Document
2. cog.md - Cognitive Model Document

If these documents do not exist, invoke the 00-meta skill first to generate them.

Pre-execution Checklist

[ ] real.md exists in project root or .42cog directory
[ ] cog.md exists in project root or .42cog directory
[ ] Read real.md to understand security and data constraints
[ ] Read cog.md to understand user agents and entity classifications

Context Loading

From cog.md, extract:

• Human agents (user types and their classifications)
• User-related entities and their unique identifiers
• User goals and pain points if documented

From real.md, extract:

• Constraints that affect user experience (e.g., data access rules)
• Security constraints users must comply with

When to Use This Skill

• Validating product functionality from the user's perspective
• Creating user personas for product design decisions
• Testing user flows and identifying experience issues
• Pre-release user acceptance testing
• Generating user experience reports

Process

Phase 1: Create User Personas

To create effective personas, gather the following information for each user type:

Persona Template:

## Persona: [Name]

**Profile:**
- Role/Occupation: 
- Technical Level: [Beginner/Intermediate/Expert]
- Usage Frequency: [Daily/Weekly/Occasional]

**Goals:**
- Primary goal 1
- Primary goal 2

**Pain Points:**
- Frustration 1
- Frustration 2

**Typical Flow:**
1. Step 1
2. Step 2
3. Step 3

Standard Personas for 42chat:

Persona	Description	Focus Area
Power User	Daily AI user, values efficiency	Multi-model switching, history search
New User	First-time user, needs guidance	Onboarding, API configuration
Administrator	System manager, controls access	User management, monitoring

Phase 2: Design Simulation Scenarios

For each persona, design scenarios that cover:

1. Happy Path - Normal successful usage
2. Edge Cases - Boundary conditions
3. Error Scenarios - Network issues, invalid input
4. Recovery Flows - How to recover from errors

Scenario Template:

## Scenario: [Name]

**Persona:** [Persona Name]
**Type:** [Happy Path/Edge Case/Error/Recovery]

**Steps:**
1. Action 1
2. Action 2
3. Action 3

**Checkpoints:**
- [ ] Checkpoint 1
- [ ] Checkpoint 2

**Expected Outcome:**
[Description of successful completion]

Phase 3: Execute Simulation

To execute a simulation:

1. Select a persona and scenario
2. Follow each step sequentially
3. Record observations at each checkpoint
4. Note any deviations from expected behavior
5. Capture screenshots or logs if needed

Observation Categories:

Category	What to Record
Functionality	Does the feature work as expected?
Usability	Is the operation intuitive?
Performance	Is the response time acceptable?
Feedback	Are status messages clear?
Recovery	Can the user recover from errors?

Phase 4: Generate Report

Report Structure:

# User Simulation Report

## Summary
- **Persona:** [Name]
- **Scenario:** [Name]
- **Date:** [YYYY-MM-DD]
- **Overall Result:** [Pass/Partial/Fail]

## Execution Details

| Step | Expected | Actual | Status | Notes |
|------|----------|--------|--------|-------|
| 1    |          |        | ✓/✗    |       |

## Issues Found

### Issue 1: [Title]
- **Severity:** [Critical/High/Medium/Low]
- **Description:** 
- **Steps to Reproduce:**
- **Suggested Fix:**

## Recommendations

1. Recommendation 1
2. Recommendation 2

## Conclusion

[Overall assessment and next steps]

Checklist

Functional Validation

• All primary features work correctly
• Feature transitions are smooth
• Edge cases are handled appropriately

User Experience

• Interface is intuitive
• Feedback is timely and clear
• Error messages are helpful
• Loading states are visible

Accessibility

• New users can get started quickly
• Common operations are efficient
• Help documentation is available

Performance

• Response times are acceptable
• Streaming output is smooth
• Navigation is responsive

Integration with Other Skills

Skill	Relationship
product-requirements	Input: provides acceptance criteria
quality-assurance	Output: provides test scenarios
ui-design	Collaboration: improves user experience