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Usage Scenarios

MAD9034

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UX Design Process

Usage Scenarios

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  • Empathize
  • Define
  • Design/Ideate

Experience and explore possible solutions

    • Ideation
    • Scenario Mapping
    • User task flow diagram
    • Wireframes (UI layout/user flow)
    • Interaction design
    • Visual design
  • Prototype
  • Test
  • Implement + Measure

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Scenarios

Definition and Goals

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Scenarios are short stories that provide context behind why a specific user group represented by a persona use your product and how this persona is planning to accomplish a key task.

Goals

  • Document the goals and questions to be achieved by users (persona)
  • Define the different ways tasks can be accomplished with the product
  • Give life to an abstract use case scenario

Ideation is NOT design-by-committee.

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Scenarios

Personas and Usage Scenarios

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PERSONA

  • Who (uses the product)

SCENARIO

  • Why and How (the persona is using the product)
  • Existing or hypothetical situation

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Scenarios

Example

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Scenarios

Example

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Scenarios | Use Cases | User Stories

Measure and Analysis

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Use Cases

Very similar to scenarios, expressed from a system’s perspective

User Stories

Sequences of actions and events that lead to an outcome.�Written from the user’s perspective.

Simple in structure, short and testable - one task per story

Bridge between users, designers and developers

Defined during development, before or at the beginning of each sprint

Commonly used in Agile development process

Part of detailed product requirements

Goal of an action > trigger event that starts a process > each step required

Written in the form of an actor or user, performing an action, followed by the expected system response

Scenarios

Narrative that describes the user’s motivation and environment/context.

Lots of detail, often represented as storyboards or written in narrative form

at the beginning of a project

Human-centered anchors to guide design and development

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User Stories and Scenarios

Both from a user’s perspective

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As Cynthia, the grandparent, I want to have a straightforward way to add the items from the wish list to the shopping list, so that I can purchase the gifts for my family.

Scenario

User Story

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Scenarios

Why might we use scenarios?

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To answer these questions:

  • Who is the user?
  • Why does this user use my product?
  • What does this user want from my product?
  • How can this user achieve their goals?
  • Why does this persona want to use my product and not a different one?

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Scenarios

Types of Scenarios

  • Goal-Based / Task-Based
  • Elaborated
  • Full Scale Task

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Scenarios

Types of Scenarios

  • Goal-Based/Task-Based

Focus only on what the user wants to do

Used to define information architecture and content

Used to create usability testing scenarios�

  • Elaborated
  • Full Scale Task

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Scenarios

Types of Scenarios

  • Goal-Based/Task-Based

Cynthia is traveling to see her family for Christmas and she wants to get her shopping done early.

  • Elaborated
  • Full Scale Task

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Who

Why using the app?

What are the goals?

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Scenarios

Types of Scenarios

  • Goal-Based/Task-Based �
  • Elaborated�More detail than a goal-based scenario�Helps the team to better understand the persona to design for�Helps the team to better understand how the persona characteristics may affect the interaction with the product/service�Helps craft the right content and functionality for a specific user type�
  • Full Scale Task

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Scenarios

Types of Scenarios

  • Goal-Based/Task-Based �
  • ElaboratedMr. and Mrs. Macomb are retired teachers who are now in their 70s. Their Social Security checks are an important part of their income. They've just sold their big house and moved to a small apartment. They know that one of the many chores they need to do now is tell the Social Security Administration that they have moved. They don't know where the nearest Social Security office is and it's getting harder for them to do a lot of walking or driving.

If it is easy and safe enough, they would like to use the computer to notify the Social Security Administration of their move. However, they are somewhat nervous about doing a task like this by computer. They never used computers in their jobs. However, their son, Steve, gave them a computer last year, set it up for them, and showed them how to use email and go to websites. They have never been to the Social Security Administration's website, so they don't know how it is organized. Also, they are reluctant to give out personal information online, so they want to know how safe it is to tell the agency about their new address this way.

  • Full Scale Task

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Who

Why using the app?

What are the goals?

Additional details

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Scenarios

Types of Scenarios

  • Goal-Based/Task-Based
  • Elaborated
  • Full Scale Task�Includes the steps required to complete a task�Written from a user’s perspective�Describes how the product would support the task-oriented or elaborated scenario that you started with

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Scenarios

Types of Scenarios

  • Goal-Based/Task-Based
  • Elaborated
  • Full Scale Task�Cynthia is traveling to see her family for Christmas and she wants to get her shopping done early.

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  • Opens the wish list app
  • Sends a request to her family for wish lists
  • Receives notifications when a family member added items to the wish list
  • Adds items from the wish list to the shopping list
  • Purchases the items online
  • Checks the wish list which has all the purchased items checked off

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Scenarios

Usage

Scenarios are critical for:

  • Design ideation�
  • Usability testing�

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Scenarios

Usage

Scenarios are critical for:

  • Design ideation
    • Focus on your user’s tasks
    • Eliminate bias
    • Organize the content and entry points into the key tasks in a manner that makes sense to your users �
  • Usability testing�

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Scenarios

Usage

Scenarios are critical for:

  • Design ideation�
  • Usability testing
    • Orient user research around your users’ tasks > evaluate how effectively your product supports these tasks.
    • Identify the key steps required to complete the task > observe the path followed by users > evaluate the effectiveness of your product’s architecture and navigation.

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Scenarios

Dos and Don’ts

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DON’T

Marty clicks on the username input field then types his name. He then clicks on the password input field and enters his password. Marty clicks on the login button.

DO

Marty signs into the product.

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Scenarios

Best practices

  • Scenarios are based on user research.
  • At least 1 scenario per persona.
  • Context of use is described.
  • ln each scenario, a goal is indicated and a specific situation is described.
  • The goal connects the scenario to a specific persona.
  • The tasks and activities describe how the goal is achieved.

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Scenarios

Best practices

  • Describe the entire sequence of steps, in order, from start to finish, with an appropriate amount of detail.
  • Scenarios describe interactions, not interfaces.
  • The set of scenarios combine to describe the core usage of the app.

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Scenarios and Storyboards

Narrative versus comic strip style

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Scenarios

Major project: Week 3 of 9

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Scenarios

Assignment Recap

A hypothetical key usage scenario to understand how your primary persona may interact with your app. "What are some of the things my user will try to accomplish with my app?"

  • Basic user info
  • Scenario statement
  • Summary (tie in user goals)
  • Tasks (steps)
  • Context of use.

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Scenarios

Assignment mark criteria

  • Conform to specs
  • Effective use of time in class
  • Effectiveness of scenario writing
  • Overall quality of work
  • Feedback from your instructor

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Today, in class

Steps

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Brainstorm possible usage scenarios

(10-15 mins)

What are some of the things my user will try to accomplish with my app?

Choose 1 key scenario to work on

Open the scenario template (Figma)

(5 mins)

Fill in name, photo and goal

Summary (10-15 mins)

In paragraph form, describe how the persona’s characteristics led to a specific event or trigger, where they found themselves with a specific goal, which led them to your site or product

Steps (10-15 mins)

In point form, step-by-step, how the goal is achieved

Context of use (10-15 mins)

In paragraph form, the actual conditions where the scenario occurs

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Step 1: Brainstorm Usage Scenarios

10-15 minutes

  • What are some of the things my user will try to accomplish with my app?
    • What you know about your primary persona
    • Pain points, challenges, opportunities, etc
    • Phrase it as a goal/task�Example 1: Mark is taking a trip to Seattle, and needs to find out how much his company will reimburse him for meals and other expenses.�Example 2: Marie recently adopted a 6 month old dog, and needs to find a way to walk the dog mid-day, while she’s normally at work.�
  • Choose one to be your key scenario

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Step 2: Open Template

5 minutes

  • Open Figma�
  • Fill in
    • Persona photo
    • Scenario goal (selected at step 1)

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Step 3: Fill in the Details

10-15 minutes each section

  • Summary (10-15 minutes)

In paragraph form, describe how the persona’s characteristics led to a specific event or trigger, where they found themselves with a specific goal, which led them to your site or product

  • Steps (10-15 minutes)
    • In point form, step-by-step, now the goal is achieved �
  • Context of use (10-15 minutes)

In paragraph form, the actual conditions where the scenario occurs

    • Tools used
    • Environment (physical, operational, technical constraints)
    • Other contextual factors that may affect the user experience

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Coming up

Information Architecture

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Mandatory

Submit your scenario assignment