Data Sufficiency Assessment

When research data falls below minimum thresholds, the skill provides honest assessment with options: wait for more data or proceed with provisional personas. Includes margin of error calculations and specific guidance.

Input

What you provide to the skill

Can you create personas from just 6 interviews plus 85 survey responses? Should I wait for more data?

Output

What the skill generates for you

Data Sufficiency Assessment: Can You Build Personas Now?

Your Current Data

6 interviews
85 survey responses
Total: 91 data points

Skill Minimum Requirements

The skill specifies minimum requirements as one of these:

8-10 interview transcripts OR
200+ survey responses OR
5+ interviews + 100+ survey responses

Analysis: You’re Close, But Below Threshold

What You Have vs. What’s Recommended

Metric	Your Data	Minimum	Recommended	Status
Interviews	6	8-10	15-30	❌ Below minimum
Survey responses	85	200+	300+	❌ Below minimum
Combined	6 + 85	5 + 100	15 + 300	❌ 15 responses short

What This Means

You are 15 survey responses short of the minimum combined threshold (5 interviews + 100 surveys). With only 91 total data points, you risk:

Fewer personas - Likely 2-3 provisional personas instead of 3-5 validated ones
Lower confidence - Statistical clustering won’t be robust (need 100+ for confidence)
Weaker evidence - Fewer supporting quotes per persona (may have only 2-4 quotes instead of 5-10)
Shakier segmentation - Harder to identify distinct behavioral patterns with high certainty

Recommendation: Two Options

Option A: Wait for 15+ More Survey Responses (RECOMMENDED)

Why:

Crosses minimum threshold (100+ surveys)
Significantly improves statistical validity
Enables 3-4 solid personas instead of 2-3 provisional ones

Action: Push to get 15-20 more survey completions, then proceed

Option B: Proceed Now with Provisional Personas (ACCEPTABLE IF URGENT)

What you’ll get:

2-3 provisional personas (not 3-5 validated)
Clearly labeled as “provisional” or “hypothesis-driven”
Fewer supporting quotes per persona (3-5 instead of 5-10)
Explicit caveats about sample size limitations

When to choose this:

You need personas urgently for stakeholder alignment
You’re willing to validate/refine them as more data comes in

My Recommendation

Wait for 15-20 more survey responses. Here’s why:

You’re so close - Only 15 responses away from the minimum threshold
Surveys are fast - Much faster than conducting 2-4 more interviews
Quality jump - Going from 85 to 100+ responses significantly improves confidence

Quick Math on Confidence

At 85 responses: Margin of error ~10.8% (assuming 95% confidence)
At 100 responses: Margin of error ~9.8%
At 120 responses: Margin of error ~8.9%

The jump from 85 to 100-120 is statistically meaningful.

If You Decide to Proceed Now

I can execute the skill with your current data and deliver:

2-3 provisional personas clearly marked as hypothesis-driven
Best available supporting evidence from your 6 interviews + 85 surveys
Explicit methodology notes acknowledging sample size limitations

Just confirm if you want to proceed or wait.