> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.livepeer.org/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Personas

> Personas for Livepeer Documentation

## Persona Definitions & Needs

## Persona Journeys

#### Developer Persona

**Definition:**
A Developer is:

> Any builder who writes software, infrastructure, smart contracts, or tools that consume or extend Livepeer's decentralised real-time video & AI compute network.

Developers map into concrete Livepeer roles only through their mode of interaction:

* Via hosted Gateways → Application Developer (not a protocol actor)
* Via self-hosted Gateway → Gateway Operator
* Via protocol contract development → Protocol Developer
* Via GPU node tooling → Tooling Developer
* Via ecosystem operations → Community/Governance Contributor

References:

* [Livepeer Data Geography Github](https://github.com/shtukaresearch/livepeer-data-geography/tree/main/roles)
* Doug on Developers (personal fireflies notes)

**Journey:**
The Builder Journey moves from
→ awareness
→ exploration
→ identification
→ activation
→ mastery
→ stewardship

| Stage | Name        | Purpose                                             | Outcomes                                                                           |
| ----- | ----------- | --------------------------------------------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| 0     | Awareness   | Understand Livepeer, compute model, ecosystem roles | Clarity on Protocol → Network → Apps; basic mental model                           |
| 1     | Orientation | Identify which builder persona fits their goals     | Path chosen: App Dev, Gateway Operator, GPU Node, Protocol Dev, Tooling, Community |
| 2     | Activation  | Perform first concrete action in chosen path        | "First win" achieved: app built, node deployed, contract written, tool created     |
| 3     | Progression | Increase expertise and contribution                 | Contributions, optimisations, mentoring, advanced workflows                        |
| 4     | Hero        | Become a leader/steward in the ecosystem            | Operate at scale, publish tools, author proposals, run programmes                  |

```mermaid theme={"theme":{"light":"github-light","dark":"dark-plus"}}
flowchart TD
    classDef stage fill:#0d0d0d,color:#fff,stroke:#2d9a67,stroke-width:1px;
    classDef phase fill:#0d0d0d,color:#fff,stroke:#2d9a67,stroke-width:1px;

    A["Stage 0: Awareness<br/>What is Livepeer?"]:::stage --> B["Stage 1: Orientation<br/>Choose builder path"]:::stage
    B --> C["Stage 2: Activation<br/>First wins"]:::stage
    C --> D["Stage 3: Progression<br/>Deepening skills"]:::stage
    D --> E["Stage 4: Hero<br/>Ecosystem leadership"]:::stage

    B --> B1["Paths:<br/>• Application Developer<br/>• Gateway Operator<br/>• GPU Node Operator<br/>• Protocol Developer<br/>• Tooling Developer<br/>• Community Builder"]:::phase
    C --> C1["Each path executes its first real success milestone"]:::phase
    D --> D1["Contribute, optimize, mentor, build advanced infra"]:::phase
    E --> E1["Heroes lead apps, gateways, nodes, protocol, tooling, gov"]:::phase
```