Researchers Define Eleven Personas for Quantum Software Design

Understanding stakeholder needs in quantum computing was previously fragmented across institutions and specialist communities. Lukas Schmidbauer from GThe researchersrlands and colleagues have now achieved a consolidated view by identifying eleven distinct personas representing potential users and stakeholders of quantum software. These personas are defined by their use cases, interests, constraints and preferred levels of abstraction; balancing ease of use with detailed hardware exposure is key to effective development. Eleven types of individuals who will utilise or develop quantum software have been mapped, ranging from those needing simple tools to experts requiring detailed hardware access. This moves beyond general design approaches by acknowledging that users possess varying levels of expertise and specific requirements when interacting with this technology. Consequently, developers can build more accessible resources and accelerate progress in applying quantum computing across multiple disciplines. Increasing focus on designing effective quantum software coincides with rapid advances in hardware, but understanding the actual user base has been a challenge due to fragmented knowledge across institutions and specialist groups. Schmidbauer and colleagues addressed this by identifying eleven distinct “personas”, character profiles representing different potential users, a technique similar to market research used for customer needs. These personas vary in their expertise and requirements; some need simple tools while others demand detailed access to underlying hardware, requiring careful balance of abstraction level for optimal usability.

The team gathered insights through expert workshops and interviews at conferences, paving the way for more tailored software development. Detailed quantum software user roles facilitate targeted tool development Eleven distinct user ‘personas’ define quantum software development; this represents an improvement over previous methods which could not differentiate between varying needs for abstraction versus hardware detail exposure. A key barrier to designing accessible tools was the lack of granular identification of stakeholder groups, yet developers can now target specific needs across diverse expertise levels. Schmidbauer and colleagues gathered insights from an expert focus group in 2024 and practitioner interviews at IEEE QCE in 2025, resulting in detailed profiles encompassing use cases, interests, constraints and preferred abstraction layers. These personas range from those requiring high-level functionality to experts needing direct access to underlying hardware components, enabling tailored experiences previously unattainable due to fragmented knowledge within the field. During a focus group at the Dagstuhl Seminar in 2024, researchers identified five short-term personas; this initial work expanded with six mid-term and another five long-term profiles derived from the same source. Nine further distinct personas then emerged from qualitative interviews with practitioners at IEEE QCE in 2025, concentrating on immediate needs within quantum computing. The aggregation of these findings resulted in eleven thorough user ‘personas’ for quantum software development, each detailed regarding their specific use cases, interests, constraints and preferred levels of abstraction. As quantum computers develop, so too must the software that unlocks their potential for diverse users beyond physics specialists. Detailed profiles representing typical individuals within this emerging field offer developers a valuable means of tailoring tools to specific needs and expertise levels, moving away from one-size-fits-all approaches. Acknowledging that defining user personas can appear abstract given the nascent stage of quantum computing provides a strong foundation for practical development efforts; by considering eleven specific individuals, ranging from researchers needing detailed hardware access to business analysts requiring high-level results, targeted software design is enabled. This granular approach acknowledges the diverse backgrounds spanning physics, computer science, and engineering within the field. Characterising use cases alongside preferred technical detail or abstraction now gives developers targeted insights for building more accessible tools beyond generic designs. Establishing a common language for discussing user requirements opens further questions regarding how these profiles translate into measurable improvements in usability and development speed. The research identified eleven distinct personas representing potential users of quantum software. Understanding these varied stakeholders, ranging from physicists to business analysts, helps address fragmented knowledge within this interdisciplinary field. These detailed profiles outline specific needs concerning use cases, interests, constraints and desired levels of technical detail in software design. By moving away from general approaches, developers can create tailored tools that better serve the diverse expertise present in emerging quantum computing applications. 👉 More information🗞 Know Your Qubits, Know Your Users: Personas for Quantum Software✍️ Lukas Schmidbauer, Joshua Ammermann, Laura Schulz, Jose Garcia-Alonso, Robert Wille, Sebastian Feld, Ina Schaefer and Wolfgang Mauerer🧠 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1145/3837062.3839073 More like thisQuantum ProgrammingKvantify workshop explores tools for efficient quantum programmingQuantum ProgrammingChatgpt Completed 150 Tested Quantum Tasks with Zero ResiliencyQuantum Research NewsHirata & Tsukada Build Language for Quantum-Controlled ChannelsQuantum Computing NewsCETQAP’s PkTron 9.0.6 Supports Full Qiskit C-API CompatibilityStay currentSee today’s quantum computing news on Quantum Zeitgeist for the latest breakthroughs in qubits, hardware, algorithms, and industry deals. Tags: