In computing, a scenario is a narrative describing foreseeable interactions of types of users (characters) and the system. Scenarios include information about goals, expectations, motivations, actions and reactions. Scenarios are neither predictions nor forecasts, but rather attempts to reflect on or portray the way in which a system is used in the context of daily activity.
Scenarios are frequently used as part of the systems development process. They are typically produced by usability or marketing specialists, often working in concert with end users and developers. Scenarios are written in plain language, with minimal technical details, so that stakeholders (designers, usability specialists, programmers, engineers, managers, marketing specialists, etc.) can have a common example which can focus their discussions.
Increasingly, scenarios are used directly to define the wanted behaviour of software: replacing or supplementing traditional Functional requirements. In the Agile style of software development, scenarios are written as brief User stories. In the more deliberate style of software development, scenarios are written as structured Use cases.
Negative scenarios or misuse cases may be written to indicate likely threats which should be countered to ensure that systems have sufficient security, safety, and reliability. These are categories of Non-functional requirements.
Scenarios can also be used in a number of other ways:
- As vision pieces. Vision pieces provide a high level picture of an envisioned system or product. One example is Apple's Knowledge Navigator video [1].
- Scenarios may focus on the value offered by a system, showing how it offers an advantage over the way things are. This type of scenario may be used to 'sell' an idea within the organization that is considering developing the system.
Vannevar Bush's As We May Think essay[1] is a famous example of a scenario that served as a vision piece. It was the user scenario that presented the idea of hyperlinks, and illustrated the value of hypertext. It described the (fictitious) Memex machine that inspired Douglas C. Engelbart to see the potential of the personal computer, and enabled him to secure the funding necessary to design the computer mouse and first graphical user interface in 1968.
Notes
- ^ The Atlantic Monthly, July 1945
See also
External links
- Alexander I., Maiden N. Scenarios, Stories, Use Cases. Wiley 2004. ISBN 0470861940.
- Notes on Design Practice: Stories and Prototypes as Catalysts for Communication. by Thomas Erickson, in "Scenario-Based Design: Envisioning Work and Technology in System Development (ed. John M. Carroll)
- Making Use: Scenario-based Design of Human-Computer Interactions Edited by John M. Carroll. MIT Press, 2000.
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