CBrowser includes 21 pre-configured user personas with research-backed cognitive trait profiles. Each represents a common user archetype for testing how different users experience your site.

6 Cognitive personas for common user archetypes
11 Accessibility personas for disability simulation and inclusive testing
4 Emotional personas for emotional state simulation

Available Personas

Cognitive Personas (6)

Persona	ID	Description	Key Characteristics
Power User	`power-user`	Tech-savvy expert	High comprehension, low patience, rapid scanning
First Timer	`first-timer`	New to the interface	Low comprehension, high curiosity, methodical
Elderly User	`elderly-user`	Older adult (65+)	Low working memory, high reading tendency
Mobile User	`mobile-user`	Smartphone-first	Low patience, high satisficing, touch-focused
Impatient User	`impatient-user`	Quick to abandon	Very low patience, high FOMO
Screen Reader User	`screen-reader-user`	Assistive technology	High persistence, sequential navigation

Accessibility Personas (11)

Persona	ID	Description	Key Characteristics
Motor Tremor	`motor-impairment-tremor`	Motor impairment	Low risk tolerance, high patience
Low Vision	`low-vision-magnified`	Vision impairment (magnified)	High reading tendency, high change blindness
ADHD	`cognitive-adhd`	Attention differences	Low working memory, high curiosity, low patience
Dyslexic User	`dyslexic-user`	Reading/text processing	High patience, low reading speed
Deaf User	`deaf-user`	Hearing impairment	Relies on visual cues, captions
Elderly Low Vision	`elderly-low-vision`	Combined age + vision	High patience, needs large text
Color Blind	`color-blind-deuteranopia`	Red-green color blindness	Cannot distinguish red/green UI cues
Autism Spectrum	`autism-spectrum`	Autistic adult user	Needs predictability, literal interpretation, low risk tolerance
Intellectual Disability	`intellectual-disability`	Mild-moderate ID	Needs plain language, image support, simple navigation
Aphasia (Receptive)	`aphasia-receptive`	Language comprehension impairment	Relies on icons and visual cues, avoids text-heavy pages
Dyscalculia	`dyscalculia`	Numerical processing difficulty	Struggles with pricing, quantities, dates, percentages

Emotional Personas (4)

Persona	ID	Description	Key Characteristics
Anxious User	`anxious-user`	High risk aversion	Needs reassurance, reads warnings
Confident User	`confident-user`	High self-efficacy	Quick decisions, skips help text
Emotional User	`emotional-user`	High emotional contagion	Mood-driven, responds to tone
Stoic User	`stoic-user`	Low emotional response	Methodical, ignores urgency cues

Persona Trait Profiles

Quick Reference Table

All values on 0.0-1.0 scale. Higher = more of the trait.

Trait	Power	First	Elderly	Mobile	Impatient	Explorer	Screen	Motor	Low Vision	ADHD	Autism	ID	Aphasia	Dyscalculia
patience	0.3	0.7	0.8	0.3	0.1	0.15	0.9	0.6	0.7	0.2	0.65	0.5	0.55	0.5
riskTolerance	0.8	0.3	0.2	0.5	0.6	0.7	0.2	0.4	0.3	0.7	0.2	0.2	0.25	0.4
comprehension	0.9	0.3	0.5	0.6	0.6	0.65	0.8	0.7	0.6	0.6	0.55	0.2	0.25	0.65
persistence	0.7	0.5	0.6	0.4	0.2	0.2	0.9	0.7	0.7	0.3	0.7	0.4	0.5	0.6
curiosity	0.8	0.9	0.4	0.5	0.3	0.9	0.5	0.4	0.3	0.9	0.4	0.3	0.3	0.6
workingMemory	0.9	0.5	0.4	0.5	0.6	0.6	0.7	0.7	0.6	0.3	0.6	0.2	0.45	0.5
readingTendency	0.2	0.6	0.8	0.2	0.1	0.15	0.9	0.6	0.8	0.2	0.7	0.3	0.15	0.65
siteFamiliarity	0.9	0.0	0.5	0.4	0.2	—	0.3	0.5	0.3	0.35	0.4	0.15	0.25	0.5

For full trait documentation, see Trait Index (26 cognitive traits across 6 tiers).

Motivational Values

Each persona has a value profile based on Schwartz's 10 Universal Values. Traits describe HOW users behave. Values describe WHO they are and what motivates their decisions.

Value	Description	Key Persona Patterns
Self-Direction	Independent thought, creativity, freedom	Power users high, elderly users lower
Stimulation	Excitement, novelty, challenge	ADHD and curious users high
Hedonism	Pleasure, sensuous gratification	Impatient users seek immediate gratification
Achievement	Personal success through competence	Power users and confident users high
Power	Social status, prestige, control	Confident users higher
Security	Safety, harmony, stability	Anxious and elderly users high
Conformity	Restraint, following social norms	Stoic users higher
Tradition	Respect for customs, heritage	Elderly users higher
Benevolence	Welfare of close others	Emotional users higher
Universalism	Tolerance, social justice, environment	Screen reader users often high

For complete value documentation, see Values Index.

Persona Categories

Cognitive Personas

Power User - Experienced users who know shortcuts, scan quickly, and expect responsive interfaces
First Timer - New users learning the interface, more exploratory and methodical
Mobile User - Users on smartphones with touch interaction and attention constraints
Impatient User - Users with very low tolerance for friction, quick to abandon
Impatient Explorer - Curious but time-pressured users who rapidly scan and explore multiple paths
Elderly User - Older adults with age-related cognitive changes
Screen Reader User - Users navigating via screen reader technology

Accessibility Personas

Motor Tremor (motor-impairment-tremor) - Users with motor impairments affecting precision
Low Vision (low-vision-magnified) - Users with significant vision impairment (magnification)
ADHD (cognitive-adhd) - Users with attention differences
Dyslexic User (dyslexic-user) - Users with reading/text processing differences
Deaf User (deaf-user) - Users who cannot hear audio content
Elderly Low Vision (elderly-low-vision) - Combined age and vision impairment
Color Blind (color-blind-deuteranopia) - Users with red-green color blindness
Autism Spectrum (autism-spectrum) - Autistic adult users needing predictability and clear labels
Intellectual Disability (intellectual-disability) - Users needing plain language and image support
Aphasia (Receptive) (aphasia-receptive) - Users with language comprehension impairment
Dyscalculia (dyscalculia) - Users with numerical processing difficulty

Emotional Personas

Anxious User - Users with high anxiety, need reassurance before actions
Confident User - High self-efficacy users who trust their decisions
Emotional User - Mood-driven users who respond strongly to tone and emotion
Stoic User - Low emotional response users who ignore urgency tactics

Using Personas

Via MCP Tool

await cognitive_journey_init({
  persona: "elderly-user",
  goal: "complete checkout",
  startUrl: "https://example.com/shop"
});

Via CLI

npx cbrowser cognitive-journey \
  --persona elderly-user \
  --start https://example.com/shop \
  --goal "complete checkout"

Custom Traits

Override any trait for a built-in persona:

await cognitive_journey_init({
  persona: "power-user",
  goal: "find settings",
  startUrl: "https://example.com",
  customTraits: {
    patience: 0.1  // Even more impatient power user
  }
});

Research Basis

Persona trait values are derived from peer-reviewed research:

Persona	Primary Research Sources
Power User	Nielsen (2006) expert user studies
First Timer	Card et al. (1983) novice-expert differences
Elderly User	Czaja & Lee (2007) aging and technology
Mobile User	Adipat et al. (2011) mobile usability
Impatient Explorer	Pirolli & Card (1999) information foraging theory
Screen Reader	Lazar et al. (2007) assistive technology
Motor Tremor	Trewin & Pain (1999) motor impairment HCI
Low Vision	Jacko et al. (2000) low vision computing
ADHD	Goodman et al. (2007) ADHD and web use
Autism Spectrum	Yaneva et al. (2018) eye tracking, AASPIRE (Raymaker/Nicolaidis 2019)
Intellectual Disability	Karreman et al. (2007), Rocha et al. (2015), W3C COGA
Aphasia (Receptive)	W3C COGA Aphasia module, Brandenburg et al. (PMC12336571)
Dyscalculia	W3C COGA module, UK Gov Design System (2022), Butterworth (2005)

Trait Interactions

When personas encounter challenges, their trait combinations produce characteristic behaviors:

Persona	Typical Response to Friction
Power User	Tries keyboard shortcuts, abandons quickly if blocked
First Timer	Reads help text, tries multiple options systematically
Elderly User	Re-reads content, may call for help, patient retries
Mobile User	Taps repeatedly, tries swiping, abandons if >2 taps needed
Impatient User	Immediate abandonment, high frustration expression
Impatient Explorer	Closes tab, moves to next open tab, no frustration
Screen Reader	Navigates to next element, uses landmarks, persists
Motor Tremor	Careful targeting, uses larger targets, avoids hover
Low Vision	Zooms in, traces text carefully, uses high contrast
ADHD	Distracted by other elements, forgets original goal
Autism Spectrum	Re-examines labels, confused by ambiguity, needs consistency
Intellectual Disability	Retries same action, discouraged by errors, may abandon
Aphasia (Receptive)	Scans for icons and images, skips text-heavy content
Dyscalculia	Avoids number-heavy sections, seeks text-based alternatives

Creating Custom Personas

Use the questionnaire or define traits directly:

// Via questionnaire (generates trait profile)
await runPersonaQuestionnaire();

// Direct definition
const customPersona = {
  patience: 0.4,
  riskTolerance: 0.6,
  comprehension: 0.7,
  persistence: 0.5,
  curiosity: 0.8,
  workingMemory: 0.6,
  readingTendency: 0.3
};

Bibliography

See Bibliography for all academic sources used in persona development.

Copyright: (c) 2026 Alexa Eden.

License: MIT License

Contact: [email protected]

Originally created by Alexa Eden 2026. Learn more at https://cbrowser.ai

Create Custom Personas on the Web

You can also create and edit custom personas directly at cbrowser.ai/account/personas:

Describe your user in plain English — AI generates 26 cognitive traits and 10 Schwartz values
Fine-tune with sliders — drag trait bars to adjust each dimension
Use in any tool — your custom personas appear in list_cognitive_personas and work with all CBrowser tools
Schwartz values included — motivational values (achievement, security, conformity, etc.) modulate how the persona processes decisions

Persona Index