073 Scenarios

A narrative exploring the future use of a product from a user’s point of view

• A scenario is a believable narrative, usually set in the future, of a person’s experience as he or she engages with a product or a service.

• By making design ideas explicit and concrete, the design team can empathetically envision the future ways in which a product is likely to be used.

• The scenario should focus efforts on building culturally meaningful artifacts that augment actual human activity, rather than designing toward technical requirements.

• Scenarios bring personas to life. Both deliverables therefore reinforce the value of the other.

• Scenarios should range from baseline, status quo to high-stress situations with less-than-optimal conditions.

• Scenarios can be written to follow a traditional story arc, with a trigger event, scene, and preconditions, and task resolution with technology that assists and delights.

See also   Business Origami • Personas • Speed Dating

Courtesy of MAYA Design

A goal-oriented scenario with a customer persona, showing key interactions and barriers to a successful library experience.