Segmentation & Personas
Segmentation Methods
Splitting markets by demographic, geographic, psychographic, behavioral, or needs-based variables.
Complete guideBuyer Personas
Cooper's technique of designing for named, evidence-based archetypes of real users rather than 'everyone'.
Complete guidePsychographics
Profiling audiences by values, attitudes, interests, and lifestyles rather than demographics alone.
Complete guideJobs to Be Done (JTBD)
Christensen's lens: customers 'hire' products to make progress in a circumstance, the job, not the demographic, explains purchase.
Complete guideDecision-Journey Models
Purchase Funnel
The classic linear model of narrowing stages from awareness to purchase, descended from AIDA.
Complete guideConsumer Decision Journey (McKinsey)
A circular model where buyers add and drop brands during active evaluation, with a loyalty loop after purchase.
Complete guideCustomer Journey Mapping
Visualizing a persona's actions, thoughts, and emotions across a scenario to find friction and moments that matter.
Complete guideMoments of Truth
The decisive instants (shelf, screen, unboxing, support call) where brand promise meets experienced reality.
Complete guideBehavioral Science
System 1 / System 2 Thinking
Kahneman's two modes (fast intuitive vs. slow deliberate) explaining why most choices are made on autopilot.
Complete guideCognitive Biases in Buying
Predictable judgment shortcuts (anchoring, loss aversion, availability) that shape price and choice perception.
Complete guideSocial Proof
People infer correct behavior from others' behavior, the engine behind reviews, ratings, and 'bestseller' labels.
Complete guideHabit Loops (Hook Model)
Eyal's Trigger→Action→Variable reward→Investment cycle by which products become habitual.
Complete guideQualitative Methods
Depth Interviews
One-on-one guided conversations surfacing motivations and language that surveys flatten.
Complete guideFocus Groups
Moderated small-group discussion revealing shared reactions and social dynamics around a concept.
Complete guideEthnographic Observation
Studying customers in their natural context to see actual behavior, not reported behavior.
Complete guideUsability & Concept Testing
Watching real users attempt tasks or react to concepts before committing to build or launch.
Complete guideQuantitative Methods
Survey Research
Structured questionnaires measuring attitudes and behavior across a sample sized for statistical confidence.
Complete guideConjoint Analysis
Inferring the value of individual features and price by forcing trade-off choices between bundled profiles.
Complete guideVan Westendorp PSM
Four price-perception questions locating the acceptable price range and optimal price point.
Complete guideBrand Tracking Studies
Repeated-wave surveys measuring awareness, consideration, and image shifts over time.
Complete guide