# Writing user personas with Large Language Models: Testing phase 6 of a Thematic Analysis of semi-structured interviews

arXiv: https://arxiv.org/abs/2305.18099 · HTML: https://mlsanity.com/paper/2305.18099/

## Key facts

- Cited by 7 papers in the map (data through 14 Oct 2026).
- Builds on 4 of its 26 references that are in the map.
- First posted on arXiv 29 May 2023.

## Builds on (most cited first, 4 of 4)

- [Supporting Qualitative Analysis with Large Language Models: Combining Codebook with GPT-3 for Deductive Coding](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2304.10548/) (2023)
- [ChatGPT and a New Academic Reality: Artificial Intelligence-Written Research Papers and the Ethics of the Large Language Models in Scholarly Publishing](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2303.13367/) (2023)
- [Can Large Language Models emulate an inductive Thematic Analysis of semi-structured interviews? An exploration and provocation on the limits of the approach and the model](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2305.13014/) (2023)
- [Conversational AI-Powered Design: ChatGPT as Designer, User, and Product](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2302.07406/) (2023)

## Built on by (most cited first, 7 of 7)

- [Meaning Is Not A Metric: Using LLMs to make cultural context legible at scale](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2505.23785/) (2025)
- [Improved prompting and process for writing user personas with LLMs, using qualitative interviews: Capturing behaviour and personality traits of users](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2310.06391/) (2023)
- [Harnessing ChatGPT for thematic analysis: Are we ready?](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2310.14545/) (2023)
- [Reflections on Inductive Thematic Saturation as a potential metric for measuring the validity of an inductive Thematic Analysis with LLMs](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2401.03239/) (2024)
- [Using AI for User Representation: An Analysis of 83 Persona Prompts](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2508.13047/) (2025)
- [How to Model AI Agents as Personas?: Applying the Persona Ecosystem Playground to 41,300 Posts on Moltbook for Behavioral Insights](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2603.03140/) (2026)
- ["She was useful, but a bit too optimistic": Augmenting Design with Interactive Virtual Personas](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2508.19463/) (2025)

## Abstract (arXiv)

The goal of this paper is establishing if we can satisfactorily perform a Thematic Analysis (TA) of semi-structured interviews using a Large Language Model (more precisely GPT3.5-Turbo). Building on previous work by the author, which established an embryonal process for conducting a TA with the model, this paper will perform a further analysis and then cover the last phase of a TA (phase 6), which entails the writing up of the result. This phase was not covered by the previous work. In particular, the focus will be on using the results of a TA done with the LLM on a dataset of user interviews, for writing user personas, with the model building on the TA to produce the personas narratives. User personas are models of real users, usually built from a data analysis like interviews with a sample of users. User personas are tools often used in User Centered Design processes. The paper shows that the model can build basic user personas with an acceptable quality deriving them from themes, and that the model can serve for the generation of ideas for user personas.