User Scenarios
A scenario is a narrative that explores the future use of a product from a user’s point of view, helping design teams reason about its place in a person’s day-to-day life. (Bella Martin&Bruce Hanington, 2012)
Aims
Through task analysis, you can better understand the what the user wants on your site and therefore what the site must have for them to leave satisfied.
Outline
User scenarios are created by writing clearly what interaction needs to take place in order for a task to be carried out. A scenario should be understood by those who do not have a technological background. The user scenario should not just be confined to the user’s interaction with technology, but also the other things that happen while this interaction takes place. User scenarios can therefore include cultural information and context and a description of the circumstances that lead the user to use the product or application. For example, a user scenario describing how someone uses a mobile phone app could include information that the device is used while the user is on the train, or that an action is interrupted by an incoming call. This information can help developers adapt their designs to improve the usability and user experience of an application.
Examples
Example 1: A parent is worried about a ten-year old refusing to drink milk and wants to know if it really makes a difference that the child is getting very little calcium.
Example 2: You are traveling to Seattle for your job next week and you want to check on the amount you can be reimbursed for meals and other expenses.
Example 3: Mr. and Mrs. Macomb are retired schoolteachers 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.
Comments
including application in practice.
Thanks to Scenarios, we can determine:
the most important points to focus on during the UX design process
which steps of the process would require additional help to your users
the main needs and motivations of your users.
It needs to be mentioned, that Scenarios are built upon a tool called User Story: these short statements describe what a certain User Persona needs, and why. Scenarios take User Stories to the next level by adding the interaction with the product or service to the story.
Application
It’s possible to define your user scenarios right inside “Justinmind”. This easy to follow walkthrough will help us as we create our own interactive wireframes.
Learning
This software can help us a lot, and there are many templates for us to use
Time and cost
1-3 hours.
References
§ Bella Martin&Bruce Hanington. (2012). Universal Methods. rockport publishers.