Interactive Persona Builder & Visual Assets Guide

Status: Implementation Plan
Last Updated: January 2025
Purpose: Transform ReleaseRay's persona builder into a compelling, interactive experience and create world-class marketing assets

Table of Contents

  1. Executive Summary
  2. Persona Builder Enhancement Proposal
  3. Visual Assets Guide
  4. Competitive Analysis
  5. Implementation Roadmap

Executive Summary

Current State:

  • Persona builder exists in Settings but lacks engaging UI
  • No slider controls as mentioned in marketing materials
  • Disconnected from marketing site's polished aesthetic
  • Missing visual proof (screenshots/videos) for marketing

Goals:

  • Transform persona builder into an interactive, delightful experience
  • Align dashboard UI/UX with marketing site design system
  • Create comprehensive screenshot/video library
  • Surpass LaunchNotes and ReleaseNotes.io in visual appeal

Timeline: 3-4 weeks for full implementation

Persona Builder Enhancement Proposal

Current Issues

  1. Lack of Interactivity

    • Text-based form fields only
    • No visual feedback on tone/style changes
    • Difficult to understand impact of changes

  2. Disconnected from Marketing Promise

    • Marketing site mentions sliders for tone control
    • Current UI doesn't deliver on that promise
    • No real-time preview of persona output

  3. Poor Discoverability

    • Buried in Settings
    • No onboarding or guidance
    • Users don't understand custom personas value

Proposed Solution: Interactive Persona Studio

Transform the persona builder into a full-featured "Persona Studio" with:

1. Slider-Based Controls (Core Feature)

Tone Dimensions:

// Slider configuration
interface ToneSlider {
  dimension: string;
  min: string;
  max: string;
  defaultValue: number;
  description: string;
  examples: {
    min: string;
    mid: string;
    max: string;
  };
}

const TONE_SLIDERS: ToneSlider[] = [
  {
    dimension: "Formality",
    min: "Casual",
    max: "Formal",
    defaultValue: 50,
    description: "How professional should the language be?",
    examples: {
      min: "Hey team! We just shipped...",
      mid: "We've released...",
      max: "The organization has published...",
    },
  },
  {
    dimension: "Technical Depth",
    min: "Plain Language",
    max: "Technical",
    defaultValue: 50,
    description: "How much technical detail to include?",
    examples: {
      min: "Faster performance",
      mid: "40% latency reduction",
      max: "Reduced p95 latency from 200ms to 120ms via connection pooling",
    },
  },
  {
    dimension: "Enthusiasm",
    min: "Neutral",
    max: "Enthusiastic",
    defaultValue: 30,
    description: "How excited should the tone feel?",
    examples: {
      min: "New feature available",
      mid: "Introducing a new feature",
      max: "We're thrilled to announce an exciting new feature!",
    },
  },
  {
    dimension: "Detail Level",
    min: "Brief",
    max: "Comprehensive",
    defaultValue: 50,
    description: "How much explanation to provide?",
    examples: {
      min: "Added OAuth2 support",
      mid: "Added OAuth2 support for GitHub and GitLab",
      max: "Added OAuth2 support with GitHub and GitLab providers. Includes token refresh, scope management, and automatic session handling.",
    },
  },
];

UI Component:

// Slider component with real-time preview
<div className="space-y-8">
  {TONE_SLIDERS.map((slider) => (
    <div key={slider.dimension} className="space-y-3">
      <div className="flex items-center justify-between">
        <label className="text-sm font-medium">{slider.dimension}</label>
        <span className="text-xs text-muted-foreground">{slider.description}</span>
      </div>

      {/* Dual-label slider */}
      <div className="relative">
        <div className="flex justify-between text-xs text-muted-foreground mb-2">
          <span>{slider.min}</span>
          <span>{slider.max}</span>
        </div>

        <Slider
          value={[toneValues[slider.dimension]]}
          onValueChange={(value) => handleSliderChange(slider.dimension, value[0])}
          min={0}
          max={100}
          step={1}
          className="w-full"
        />
      </div>

      {/* Live examples based on slider position */}
      <div className="rounded-lg bg-muted/50 p-3 text-xs font-mono">
        <AnimatePresence mode="wait">
          <motion.div
            key={toneValues[slider.dimension]}
            initial={{ opacity: 0, y: -10 }}
            animate={{ opacity: 1, y: 0 }}
            exit={{ opacity: 0, y: 10 }}
            transition={{ duration: 0.2 }}
          >
            {getExampleForValue(slider, toneValues[slider.dimension])}
          </motion.div>
        </AnimatePresence>
      </div>
    </div>
  ))}
</div>

2. Real-Time Preview Panel (Split Screen)

Left Side: Controls

  • Sliders for tone dimensions
  • Content preference checkboxes
  • Terminology input fields
  • Example uploads

Right Side: Live Preview

  • Real draft rendering with current settings
  • Uses actual PR data from user's repo
  • Instant updates as sliders move
  • Side-by-side comparison with default persona
<div className="grid lg:grid-cols-2 gap-8">
  {/* Controls Panel */}
  <div className="space-y-6">
    <Card>
      <CardHeader>
        <CardTitle>Tone & Style</CardTitle>
        <CardDescription>Adjust sliders to customize your persona's voice</CardDescription>
      </CardHeader>
      <CardContent>{/* Sliders here */}</CardContent>
    </Card>

    <Card>
      <CardHeader>
        <CardTitle>Content Preferences</CardTitle>
      </CardHeader>
      <CardContent>{/* Checkboxes for what to include/exclude */}</CardContent>
    </Card>
  </div>

  {/* Live Preview Panel */}
  <div className="lg:sticky lg:top-24 h-fit">
    <Card>
      <CardHeader>
        <CardTitle>Live Preview</CardTitle>
        <CardDescription>See how your persona writes</CardDescription>
      </CardHeader>
      <CardContent>
        <Tabs defaultValue="custom">
          <TabsList>
            <TabsTrigger value="custom">Custom Persona</TabsTrigger>
            <TabsTrigger value="default">Default (Engineer)</TabsTrigger>
          </TabsList>

          <TabsContent value="custom">
            {/* Live-rendered draft with custom persona */}
            <div className="prose prose-sm max-w-none">{previewContent}</div>
          </TabsContent>

          <TabsContent value="default">
            {/* Same PR with default persona for comparison */}
          </TabsContent>
        </Tabs>
      </CardContent>
    </Card>
  </div>
</div>

3. Persona Templates Gallery

Pre-built templates for common industries:

// Persona template cards
const PERSONA_TEMPLATES = [
  {
    name: "Investment Research Platform",
    icon: TrendingUp,
    description: "Formal, data-focused, finance terminology",
    presets: {
      formality: 80,
      technicalDepth: 70,
      enthusiasm: 20,
      detailLevel: 75,
    },
    industries: ["Finance", "Investment", "Trading"],
  },
  {
    name: "Social Media Platform",
    icon: MessageCircle,
    description: "Casual, enthusiastic, Gen Z/Millennial language",
    presets: {
      formality: 20,
      technicalDepth: 30,
      enthusiasm: 85,
      detailLevel: 40,
    },
    industries: ["Social", "Consumer", "Entertainment"],
  },
  {
    name: "Enterprise SaaS (IT Admins)",
    icon: Shield,
    description: "Professional, security-focused, technical",
    presets: {
      formality: 75,
      technicalDepth: 80,
      enthusiasm: 30,
      detailLevel: 80,
    },
    industries: ["Enterprise", "B2B SaaS", "Security"],
  },
  // ... more templates
];

// Template gallery UI
<div className="grid md:grid-cols-2 lg:grid-cols-3 gap-4 mb-8">
  {PERSONA_TEMPLATES.map((template) => (
    <Card
      key={template.name}
      className="cursor-pointer hover:border-primary transition-colors"
      onClick={() => applyTemplate(template)}
    >
      <CardHeader>
        <div className="flex items-center gap-3">
          <div className="p-2 rounded-lg bg-primary/10">
            <template.icon className="h-5 w-5 text-primary" />
          </div>
          <CardTitle className="text-base">{template.name}</CardTitle>
        </div>
      </CardHeader>
      <CardContent>
        <p className="text-sm text-muted-foreground mb-3">{template.description}</p>
        <div className="flex flex-wrap gap-1">
          {template.industries.map((industry) => (
            <Badge key={industry} variant="secondary" className="text-xs">
              {industry}
            </Badge>
          ))}
        </div>
      </CardContent>
    </Card>
  ))}
</div>;

4. AI-Powered Persona Tuning

"Teach by Example" Feature:

Users paste 2-3 example release notes in their desired style, and AI:

  1. Analyzes tone, formality, detail level
  2. Automatically sets sliders to match
  3. Extracts terminology preferences
  4. Suggests content filters
<Card>
  <CardHeader>
    <CardTitle>Teach by Example (Beta)</CardTitle>
    <CardDescription>
      Paste 2-3 release notes in your desired style, and we'll match it
    </CardDescription>
  </CardHeader>
  <CardContent>
    <Textarea
      placeholder="Paste example release notes here..."
      rows={8}
      value={exampleText}
      onChange={(e) => setExampleText(e.target.value)}
    />
    <Button onClick={analyzeExamples} disabled={isAnalyzing} className="mt-4">
      {isAnalyzing && <Loader2 className="mr-2 h-4 w-4 animate-spin" />}
      Analyze & Apply
    </Button>

    {analysis && (
      <Alert className="mt-4">
        <Sparkles className="h-4 w-4" />
        <AlertTitle>Analysis Complete</AlertTitle>
        <AlertDescription>
          Detected: <strong>{analysis.formality}</strong> formality,{" "}
          <strong>{analysis.technicalDepth}</strong> technical depth. Applied settings to sliders.
        </AlertDescription>
      </Alert>
    )}
  </CardContent>
</Card>

5. Before/After Comparison

Show impact of custom persona:

<Card>
  <CardHeader>
    <CardTitle>Before vs. After</CardTitle>
    <CardDescription>See how your custom persona changes the output</CardDescription>
  </CardHeader>
  <CardContent>
    <div className="grid md:grid-cols-2 gap-6">
      <div>
        <h4 className="text-sm font-medium mb-2 flex items-center gap-2">
          <Badge variant="secondary">Default</Badge>
          Engineer Persona
        </h4>
        <div className="rounded-lg border bg-muted/30 p-4 text-sm">{defaultOutput}</div>
      </div>

      <div>
        <h4 className="text-sm font-medium mb-2 flex items-center gap-2">
          <Badge variant="default">Custom</Badge>
          {customPersonaName}
        </h4>
        <div className="rounded-lg border border-primary bg-primary/5 p-4 text-sm">
          {customOutput}
        </div>
      </div>
    </div>
  </CardContent>
</Card>

UX Enhancements

Onboarding Flow

First-time persona creation:

  1. Welcome modal: "Create your first custom persona!"
  2. Choose template or start from scratch
  3. Interactive tutorial: Guided tour of sliders with tooltips
  4. Test with real data: Pick a recent release to preview
  5. Save and celebrate: Confetti animation on first save

Discoverability

Make personas more prominent:

  • Add "Personas" tab to main navigation (not buried in Settings)
  • Show persona selector in draft generation UI
  • Add "Create custom persona" upsell in generate modal (for Free users)
  • Dashboard widget: "You're using 0/1 custom personas (Starter plan)"

Micro-Interactions

  • Slider drag: Smooth easing, haptic feedback (on supported devices)
  • Preview updates: Subtle fade transition
  • Save button: Loading state → Success checkmark animation
  • Template apply: Cards flip with animation
  • Persona switch: Smooth tab transitions

Visual Assets Guide

Screenshot Requirements

1. Dashboard Screenshots (10 total)

1.1 Dashboard Overview

  • Filename: 01-dashboard-overview.png
  • Size: 1920x1080px (16:9)
  • What to show:
    • Main dashboard with 3-4 recent releases
    • Repo cards showing activity
    • Navigation sidebar visible
    • User avatar in top-right
  • State: Populated with realistic data (5-7 PRs per release)
  • Callouts: None (clean screenshot)
  • Use cases: Homepage, product page, docs

1.2 Release List (Active State)

  • Filename: 02-release-list.png
  • Size: 1920x1080px
  • What to show:
    • Release list table with 8-10 releases
    • Mix of Published, Draft, and Pending states
    • Status badges visible
    • Hover state on one row
  • Annotations: None
  • Use cases: Docs (dashboard guide), product tour

1.3 Draft Generation in Progress

  • Filename: 03-draft-generation-loading.png
  • Size: 1920x1080px
  • What to show:
    • Loading screen with progress indicator
    • "Analyzing 15 merged PRs..." text
    • Progress bar at 60%
    • Subtle animation (or static frame showing motion)
  • Use cases: Feature showcase, product tour, quickstart

1.4 Multi-Persona Tabs

  • Filename: 04-multi-persona-tabs.png
  • Size: 1920x1080px
  • What to show:
    • Draft editor with 3 persona tabs visible
    • Engineer tab selected
    • Content showing technical details, PR numbers
    • Markdown editor visible
  • Callouts: Highlight persona tabs
  • Use cases: Personas doc, feature showcase (multi-persona card)

1.5 Engineer Persona Output

  • Filename: 05-persona-engineer.png
  • Size: 1920x1080px
  • What to show:
    • Engineer persona draft
    • PR references (#123, #456)
    • Technical terminology
    • Breaking changes section highlighted
  • Use cases: Personas doc example, docs

1.6 Internal/CSM Persona Output

  • Filename: 06-persona-internal.png
  • Size: 1920x1080px
  • What to show:
    • Internal/CSM persona draft
    • Customer impact language
    • No PR numbers
    • Professional tone
  • Use cases: Personas doc example

1.7 Customer Persona Output

  • Filename: 07-persona-customer.png
  • Size: 1920x1080px
  • What to show:
    • Customer persona draft
    • Plain language
    • Benefit-driven
    • Friendly tone with emoji
  • Use cases: Personas doc example

1.8 Custom Persona Builder (Interactive)

  • Filename: 08-persona-builder-interactive.png
  • Size: 1920x1080px
  • What to show:
    • NEW interactive persona builder
    • Sliders for Formality, Technical Depth, Enthusiasm, Detail Level
    • Live preview panel on right
    • Real-time example text updating
  • Callouts: Highlight sliders and live preview
  • Use cases: Personas doc, feature showcase, product page

1.9 Publish Modal (Multi-Channel)

  • Filename: 09-publish-modal.png
  • Size: 1920x1080px
  • What to show:
    • Publish modal open
    • Multiple channels selected (GitHub, Slack, Intercom)
    • Channel configuration visible
    • Preview of each channel's output
  • Callouts: Highlight channel checkboxes
  • Use cases: Publishing feature card, integrations doc

1.10 Analytics Dashboard

  • Filename: 10-analytics-dashboard.png
  • Size: 1920x1080px
  • What to show:
    • Analytics page with charts
    • Time saved metric prominent
    • Release frequency graph
    • Engagement metrics (views, clicks)
  • Callouts: Highlight ROI metrics
  • Use cases: Analytics feature card, dashboard guide

2. Integrations Screenshots (6 total)

2.1 Slack Integration Setup

  • Filename: 11-integration-slack-setup.png
  • Size: 1920x1080px
  • What to show:
    • Slack integration form
    • Webhook URL field
    • Channel selector
    • "Test Connection" button
  • Use cases: Integrations doc

2.2 Slack Notification Example

  • Filename: 12-slack-notification.png
  • Size: 800x600px (Slack window size)
  • What to show:
    • Actual Slack message
    • Release notes formatted nicely
    • ReleaseRay bot avatar
    • Buttons for "View on GitHub" etc.
  • Use cases: Integrations doc, feature showcase

2.3 Teams Integration Setup

  • Filename: 13-integration-teams-setup.png
  • Size: 1920x1080px
  • Similar to Slack setup

2.4 Intercom Help Center Article

  • Filename: 14-intercom-article.png
  • Size: 1920x1080px
  • What to show:
    • Published Intercom article
    • Release notes formatted in Intercom UI
    • Shows ReleaseRay → Intercom flow worked
  • Use cases: Integrations doc, publishing feature card

2.5 GitHub Release Published

  • Filename: 15-github-release.png
  • Size: 1920x1080px
  • What to show:
    • GitHub Releases page
    • Release published by ReleaseRay
    • Formatted markdown visible
    • Asset uploads visible
  • Use cases: Quickstart, publishing feature

2.6 Hosted Changelog (Public)

  • Filename: 16-hosted-changelog.png
  • Size: 1920x1080px
  • What to show:
    • releaseray.com/changelog/demo-company
    • Beautiful public changelog
    • Multiple releases visible
    • Custom branding (logo, colors)
  • Use cases: Product tour, publishing feature

3. Onboarding Screenshots (4 total)

3.1 GitHub App Installation

  • Filename: 17-github-app-install.png
  • Size: 1920x1080px
  • What to show:
    • GitHub OAuth screen
    • ReleaseRay requesting permissions
    • Repository selection
  • Use cases: Quickstart guide

3.2 Onboarding Welcome

  • Filename: 18-onboarding-welcome.png
  • Size: 1920x1080px
  • What to show:
    • Welcome screen after installation
    • "Create your organization" form
    • Clean, inviting design
  • Use cases: Quickstart, docs

3.3 Repository Selection

  • Filename: 19-onboarding-repo-select.png
  • Size: 1920x1080px
  • What to show:
    • List of user's GitHub repos
    • Checkboxes to select
    • Repo metadata (stars, language, last updated)
  • Use cases: Quickstart

3.4 First Draft Success

  • Filename: 20-first-draft-success.png
  • Size: 1920x1080px
  • What to show:
    • Success modal: "Your first draft is ready!"
    • Confetti animation (or static frame)
    • "View Draft" button
  • Use cases: Quickstart, product tour

4. Advanced Features (5 total)

4.1 Approval Workflow

  • Filename: 21-approval-workflow.png
  • Size: 1920x1080px
  • What to show:
    • Draft with approval request pending
    • Approvers listed
    • Comments/feedback visible
    • Approve/Reject buttons
  • Use cases: Dashboard guide, advanced features

4.2 Webhook Configuration

  • Filename: 22-webhook-config.png
  • Size: 1920x1080px
  • What to show:
    • Webhook setup page
    • Auto-generate on tag option
    • Event filters
    • Webhook logs
  • Use cases: Webhooks doc

4.3 Persona Override

  • Filename: 23-persona-override.png
  • Size: 1920x1080px
  • What to show:
    • Draft editor with "Override Persona" modal
    • Sliders to adjust tone for this release only
    • "Apply to this release only" checkbox
  • Use cases: Personas doc (advanced section)

4.4 CHANGELOG.md Preview

  • Filename: 24-changelog-preview.png
  • Size: 1920x1080px
  • What to show:
    • CHANGELOG.md diff view
    • New entry being added
    • PR creation preview
  • Use cases: Publishing doc, integrations

4.5 Email Subscriber Management

  • Filename: 25-email-subscribers.png
  • Size: 1920x1080px
  • What to show:
    • Subscriber list
    • Add/remove subscribers
    • Email templates
    • Send history
  • Use cases: Integrations doc, email feature

Video Assets Requirements

1. Product Tour Video (Hero Section)

Filename: product-tour-hero.mp4
Duration: 30-45 seconds
Resolution: 1920x1080px @ 60fps
Format: MP4 (H.264, web-optimized)

Storyboard:

  1. 0:00-0:05 - Dashboard overview (slow pan)
  2. 0:05-0:10 - Click "Generate Draft" button
  3. 0:10-0:15 - Loading animation (fast-forward to 2-3 seconds)
  4. 0:15-0:25 - Switch between persona tabs (Engineer → Internal → Customer)
  5. 0:25-0:30 - Click "Publish", show channels selected
  6. 0:30-0:35 - Success animation, GitHub + Slack shown

Production notes:

  • Smooth cursor movements (Figma prototype or real app)
  • No audio (will add music/VO later)
  • Clean data (no test/dummy text that looks fake)
  • Brand colors prominent

Use cases:

  • Homepage above-the-fold
  • Product page header
  • Demo page

2. Persona Builder Demo Video

Filename: persona-builder-interactive.mp4
Duration: 45-60 seconds
Resolution: 1920x1080px @ 60fps

Storyboard:

  1. 0:00-0:05 - Navigate to Personas page
  2. 0:05-0:10 - Click "Create Custom Persona"
  3. 0:10-0:25 - Drag sliders (show live preview updating)
    • Formality: Casual → Formal (preview text changes)
    • Technical Depth: Low → High (preview adds details)
    • Enthusiasm: Low → High (preview adds excitement)
  4. 0:25-0:35 - Click "Teach by Example", paste text, AI analyzes
  5. 0:35-0:45 - Show before/after comparison
  6. 0:45-0:50 - Click "Save Persona", success animation

Production notes:

  • Focus on interactivity (sliders smoothly moving)
  • Live preview updates immediately (key differentiator)
  • Split-screen for before/after comparison

Use cases:

  • Personas doc header
  • Product page (persona feature section)
  • Social media clips

3. Multi-Channel Publishing Demo

Filename: multi-channel-publishing.mp4
Duration: 60-90 seconds
Resolution: 1920x1080px @ 60fps

Storyboard:

  1. 0:00-0:10 - Draft ready, click "Publish"
  2. 0:10-0:20 - Publish modal opens, select channels:
    • ✅ GitHub Releases
    • ✅ Slack (#releases channel)
    • ✅ Intercom Help Center
    • ✅ Email subscribers
  3. 0:20-0:30 - Configure each channel (expand accordions)
  4. 0:30-0:35 - Click "Publish Now", loading state
  5. 0:35-0:50 - Split screen showing all channels receiving release:
    • GitHub Release appears
    • Slack message pops up
    • Intercom article published
    • Email sent
  6. 0:50-0:60 - Success dashboard showing "Published to 4 channels"

Production notes:

  • Split-screen editing for simultaneous publishing
  • Real integrations (not mocked)
  • Show actual Slack/Intercom/GitHub UI

Use cases:

  • Feature showcase (publishing card)
  • Integrations doc
  • Product demo videos

4. End-to-End Workflow (Long Form)

Filename: end-to-end-workflow.mp4
Duration: 3-5 minutes
Resolution: 1920x1080px @ 60fps

Storyboard:

  1. Chapter 1: Setup (0:00-0:45)

    • Install GitHub App
    • Select repositories
    • Configure preferences

  2. Chapter 2: Development (0:45-1:15)

    • Show GitHub repo
    • Merge PRs with labels
    • Create git tag

  3. Chapter 3: Auto-Generation (1:15-2:00)

    • Webhook triggers ReleaseRay
    • Draft generation loads
    • 3 personas generated

  4. Chapter 4: Review & Edit (2:00-2:45)

    • Switch between personas
    • Make inline edits
    • Request approval

  5. Chapter 5: Publish (2:45-3:30)

    • Approval granted
    • Multi-channel publish
    • Show results in GitHub, Slack, Intercom

  6. Chapter 6: Analytics (3:30-4:00)

    • View analytics dashboard
    • Time saved: "2 hours 15 minutes"
    • ROI metrics

Production notes:

  • Chapter markers for easy navigation
  • Voiceover narration
  • Background music
  • Professional editing

Use cases:

  • Demo calls (sales)
  • Onboarding videos
  • Documentation (embedded)

5. Feature Spotlight Videos (5 shorts, 15-30 seconds each)

5.1 Smart Classification

  • Show AI analyzing PRs and grouping by type
  • Highlight automatic labeling

5.2 Automatic Redaction

  • Show internal URL being removed
  • Before/after comparison

5.3 Approval Workflows

  • Request approval flow
  • Stakeholder commenting

5.4 Custom Personas

  • Quick demo of slider usage
  • Show different outputs

5.5 Analytics & ROI

  • Dashboard walkthrough
  • Time saved calculations

Use cases:

  • Social media (Twitter, LinkedIn)
  • Feature-specific landing pages
  • Email campaigns

Screenshot Production Checklist

Pre-Production

  • Set up demo organization with realistic data
  • Populate 5-7 repositories with real PRs
  • Create 10-15 releases with varied states (Draft, Published, Pending)
  • Set up integrations (Slack, Teams, Intercom test accounts)
  • Configure branding (logo, colors) for hosted changelog
  • Prepare sample persona configurations
  • Clean up any test data or placeholder text

Production Setup

Browser Configuration:

  • Chrome/Edge (latest version)
  • 1920x1080 window size
  • 100% zoom level
  • Hide browser chrome (use kiosk mode or crop)
  • Clear cookies/cache for consistent rendering
  • Use "ReleaseRay Demo" organization
  • Sign in as "demo@releaseray.com" user

Design Tokens:

  • Use production theme (light mode by default)
  • Dark mode screenshots where applicable
  • Consistent color scheme across all screenshots
  • Brand colors: Purple (#7c3aed), Blue (#3b82f6)

Data Standards:

  • Use realistic company names (e.g., "Acme SaaS", "TechCorp")
  • Use realistic PR titles (not "Test PR" or "asdfasdf")
  • Use realistic version numbers (v1.2.0, not v0.0.1)
  • Use realistic dates (recent, not years old)
  • Use realistic team member names and avatars

Screenshot Capture Process

Tools:

  • Primary: macOS Screenshot (Cmd+Shift+4)
  • Backup: CleanShot X (for annotations)
  • Video: Screen Studio or ScreenFlow

Workflow:

  1. Navigate to the page/feature
  2. Ensure proper state (data loaded, animations complete)
  3. Capture full window (1920x1080)
  4. Review for glitches/artifacts
  5. Annotate if needed (callouts, arrows)
  6. Export as PNG (optimized for web)
  7. Name according to convention
  8. Add to asset library

Post-Production

  • Optimize all images (TinyPNG or Squoosh)
  • Ensure consistent dimensions
  • Add annotations where specified
  • Verify text is readable
  • Check for sensitive information (redact if any)
  • Add to Figma asset library
  • Update screenshot index spreadsheet

Video Production Checklist

Pre-Production

  • Write detailed script/storyboard
  • Prepare voiceover script (if narrated)
  • Set up demo environment (same as screenshots)
  • Test all interactions beforehand
  • Clear browser cache
  • Disable notifications

Production Setup

Recording Tools:

  • Primary: Screen Studio (macOS) - best for smooth cursor
  • Backup: ScreenFlow or Camtasia
  • Resolution: 1920x1080 @ 60fps
  • Cursor: Smooth motion enabled
  • Clicks: Visual indicators enabled

Recording Settings:

  • 60fps for smooth animations
  • H.264 codec
  • High quality (not lossless, but close)
  • Audio: 48kHz if voiceover included

Recording Process

  1. Rehearse: Run through 2-3 times
  2. Record: Capture in one take if possible
  3. Review: Check for errors, glitches
  4. Re-record: If issues found
  5. Export: Raw footage (will edit later)

Post-Production

Editing:

  • Trim dead space (pauses, loading)
  • Speed up slow parts (2x for loading screens)
  • Add background music (royalty-free)
  • Add voiceover (if applicable)
  • Add text overlays (feature names, callouts)
  • Add transitions (subtle, professional)
  • Color grade for consistency

Deliverables:

  • MP4 (H.264, web-optimized)
  • WebM (for better browser support)
  • GIF (for email/social, <5MB)
  • YouTube upload (unlisted, for embedding)

Optimization:

  • Compress to <10MB for web
  • Generate preview thumbnails
  • Add to CDN
  • Update video index

Competitive Analysis

LaunchNotes.com

What They Do Well:

  • Clean, modern UI
  • Good changelog design
  • Easy-to-use editor

Where We Can Beat Them:

  1. Multi-Persona: They don't have this at all
  2. AI Generation: They're manual-first
  3. Interactive Persona Builder: They have no persona concept
  4. Automation: No GitHub webhook integration
  5. Analytics: Limited ROI tracking

Visual Opportunities:

  • Show side-by-side: LaunchNotes (manual) vs. ReleaseRay (automated)
  • Highlight our persona tabs vs. their single editor
  • Show our sliders vs. their static forms

ReleaseNotes.io

What They Do Well:

  • Simple setup
  • GitHub integration
  • Clean design

Where We Can Beat Them:

  1. Persona System: They have none
  2. Customization: No tone/style controls
  3. Multi-Channel: Limited publishing options
  4. Interactive Builder: Static forms only
  5. Visual Appeal: Dated UI, we're more modern

Visual Opportunities:

  • Feature comparison table (we win on 8/10 features)
  • Screenshot comparison (our UI is more polished)
  • Show our interactive sliders vs. their static fields

Visual Differentiation Strategy

Make our screenshots instantly recognizable:

  1. Color scheme: Purple + Blue gradients (unique)
  2. Micro-interactions: Show animations in videos
  3. Modern design: Rounded corners, soft shadows, glassmorphism
  4. Data richness: Our screenshots show real, compelling data
  5. Interactive elements: Sliders, live previews (competitors have none)

Implementation Roadmap

Phase 1: Interactive Persona Builder (2 weeks)

Week 1: Core Sliders

  • Design slider UI components
  • Implement 4 core sliders (Formality, Technical Depth, Enthusiasm, Detail)
  • Add real-time preview panel
  • Connect sliders to LLM prompt generation
  • Test with sample PRs

Week 2: Advanced Features

  • Add persona templates gallery
  • Implement "Teach by Example" AI analysis
  • Add before/after comparison
  • Build onboarding flow
  • Add micro-interactions and animations

Phase 2: Screenshot Production (1 week)

Day 1-2: Setup

  • Prepare demo environment
  • Populate realistic data
  • Set up integrations

Day 3-5: Capture

  • Dashboard screenshots (10)
  • Integration screenshots (6)
  • Onboarding screenshots (4)
  • Advanced features (5)

Day 6-7: Post-Production

  • Optimize all images
  • Add annotations
  • Update website/docs with new screenshots

Phase 3: Video Production (1 week)

Day 1: Planning

  • Finalize scripts
  • Storyboard all videos
  • Prepare voiceover scripts

Day 2-4: Recording

  • Record product tour
  • Record persona builder demo
  • Record multi-channel publishing
  • Record feature spotlights

Day 5-7: Editing

  • Edit all videos
  • Add music, voiceovers
  • Optimize and export
  • Upload to CDN and YouTube

Phase 4: Deployment & Marketing (1 week)

Website Updates:

  • Replace homepage feature showcase images
  • Update product page screenshots
  • Add videos to key pages
  • Update docs with new screenshots

Marketing Materials:

  • Create social media clips from videos
  • Design new ad creatives with screenshots
  • Update pitch deck with new visuals
  • Create blog post announcing new persona builder

Launch:

  • Announce on Twitter/LinkedIn
  • Email existing users about new feature
  • Update Product Hunt listing
  • Share in relevant communities

Success Metrics

Engagement:

  • 50%+ of users try interactive persona builder
  • 25%+ of users create custom persona
  • 5+ minutes average time in persona builder
  • 80%+ save persona after previewing

Marketing:

  • 2x increase in demo requests
  • 30% increase in homepage conversions
  • 50% reduction in "how do personas work?" support tickets
  • Feature in Product Hunt newsletter

Competitive:

  • "Most visually appealing" in customer surveys
  • Higher feature comparison scores vs. LaunchNotes/ReleaseNotes.io
  • Win 3+ head-to-head deals citing persona builder

Asset Delivery

File Structure

/assets
  /screenshots
    /dashboard
      01-dashboard-overview.png
      02-release-list.png
      ...
    /integrations
      11-integration-slack-setup.png
      ...
    /onboarding
      17-github-app-install.png
      ...
    /advanced
      21-approval-workflow.png
      ...
  /videos
    /product
      product-tour-hero.mp4
      product-tour-hero.webm
      product-tour-hero-thumbnail.png
    /features
      persona-builder-interactive.mp4
      multi-channel-publishing.mp4
      ...
    /social
      persona-builder-15s.mp4
      multi-channel-15s.mp4
      ...
  /figma
    persona-builder-mockups.fig
    video-storyboards.fig

Naming Convention

Screenshots:

  • Format: [number]-[feature]-[state].png
  • Example: 08-persona-builder-interactive.png

Videos:

  • Format: [feature]-[variant]-[duration].mp4
  • Example: persona-builder-demo-60s.mp4

Delivery Format

For Marketing Site:

  • PNG (optimized, <500KB each)
  • MP4 (H.264, <10MB for web player)
  • WebM (VP9, for modern browsers)

For Docs:

  • PNG (optimized)
  • GIF (for inline demos, <5MB)

For Social:

  • MP4 (square 1:1 and vertical 9:16)
  • GIF (Twitter-optimized)
  • Thumbnail images (1200x630px)

Questions & Next Steps

For Implementation:

  1. Which phase should we start with? (Recommend: Phase 1 - Interactive Builder)
  2. Do we need to hire a video editor or handle in-house?
  3. Should we create dark mode versions of all screenshots?

For Design:

  1. Should we add animation to sliders (spring physics)?
  2. Do we want a "Persona Playground" public demo?
  3. Should templates be free for all users or gated?

For Marketing:

  1. Which competitor should we target in side-by-side comparisons?
  2. Should we create a video specifically for sales demos?
  3. Do we want customer testimonials overlaid on videos?

Ready to transform ReleaseRay into the most visually compelling release notes tool on the market? 🚀

Let's start with Phase 1 and build that interactive persona builder that will blow LaunchNotes and ReleaseNotes.io out of the water!

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