# Examples for Scenarios

**URL:** <https://discourse.opensourcedesign.net/t/examples-for-scenarios/102>\
**Category:** Interaction design\
**Created:** [April 21, 2017, 8:08am UTC](https://discourse.opensourcedesign.net/t/examples-for-scenarios/102 "2017-04-21T08:08:07Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 9\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![jdittrich](https://yyz1.discourse-cdn.com/flex029/user_avatar/discourse.opensourcedesign.net/jdittrich/32/42_2.png) [@jdittrich](https://discourse.opensourcedesign.net/u/jdittrich)\
**Post date:** [April 21, 2017, 8:08am UTC](https://discourse.opensourcedesign.net/t/examples-for-scenarios/102/1 "2017-04-21T08:08:07Z")

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I’m currently thinking about using [scenarios](https://www.usability.gov/how-to-and-tools/methods/scenarios.html) more/better in our design process. Using them for [community involvement at Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Wikidata:List_generation_input) seemed to work, and they also seem to do a good job in bridging research and concept work (and also allow to loop back; see "[5 Reasons for Scenario Based Design" (pdf)](http://testingeducation.org/BBST/testdesign/CarrollScenarios.pdf))

Do you have worked with scenarios in the past and possibly have some examples to share? – ideally under CC-BY or CC0, so they can be reused as examples easily.

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**Author:** ![evalica](https://yyz1.discourse-cdn.com/flex029/user_avatar/discourse.opensourcedesign.net/evalica/32/9_2.png) [@evalica](https://discourse.opensourcedesign.net/u/evalica)\
**Post date:** [April 26, 2017, 4:41pm UTC](https://discourse.opensourcedesign.net/t/examples-for-scenarios/102/2 "2017-04-26T16:41:20Z")

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I have created and used a scenario for a small usability session I’ve run with 9 users. The scenario is available here [http://design.xwiki.org/xwiki/bin/view/Proposal/UsabilityScenario4](http://design.xwiki.org/xwiki/bin/view/Proposal/UsabilityScenario4)  
The task completion is available here [http://design.xwiki.org/xwiki/bin/view/Proposal/UsabilityScenario4TaskStatus](http://design.xwiki.org/xwiki/bin/view/Proposal/UsabilityScenario4TaskStatus)  
and some conclusions, issues reported back to the development team presented here [http://design.xwiki.org/xwiki/bin/download/Proposal/UsabilityScenario4Report/UsabilityReportScenario4.pdf](http://design.xwiki.org/xwiki/bin/download/Proposal/UsabilityScenario4Report/UsabilityReportScenario4.pdf)

Not sure is the best scenario or the most successful / relevant, but there were some interesting results 🙂

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**Author:** ![jdittrich](https://yyz1.discourse-cdn.com/flex029/user_avatar/discourse.opensourcedesign.net/jdittrich/32/42_2.png) [@jdittrich](https://discourse.opensourcedesign.net/u/jdittrich)\
**Post date:** [April 26, 2017, 6:56pm UTC](https://discourse.opensourcedesign.net/t/examples-for-scenarios/102/3 "2017-04-26T18:56:48Z")

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@evalica: Thanks a lot!  
So you used them to define what people should attempt to do in a usability test, if I understand it right?

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**Author:** ![jdittrich](https://yyz1.discourse-cdn.com/flex029/user_avatar/discourse.opensourcedesign.net/jdittrich/32/42_2.png) [@jdittrich](https://discourse.opensourcedesign.net/u/jdittrich)\
**Post date:** [April 26, 2017, 6:59pm UTC](https://discourse.opensourcedesign.net/t/examples-for-scenarios/102/4 "2017-04-26T18:59:23Z")

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On twitter (via @peter\_works) we got the [metapolator scenarios](https://github.com/metapolator/metapolator/wiki/user-scenarios) meant to be “…the ‘paths to wonder along’ during expert evaluations”

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**Author:** ![evalica](https://yyz1.discourse-cdn.com/flex029/user_avatar/discourse.opensourcedesign.net/evalica/32/9_2.png) [@evalica](https://discourse.opensourcedesign.net/u/evalica)\
**Post date:** [April 27, 2017, 8:58am UTC](https://discourse.opensourcedesign.net/t/examples-for-scenarios/102/5 "2017-04-27T08:58:53Z")

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> [@jdittrich](#):
>
> So you used them to define what people should attempt to do in a usability test, if I understand it right?

Yes. That was just 1 example, there are multiple scenarios that I did. It all depends on what functionality / use case you are testing. But some parts are common.

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**Author:** ![jan](https://yyz1.discourse-cdn.com/flex029/user_avatar/discourse.opensourcedesign.net/jan/32/8_2.png) [@jan](https://discourse.opensourcedesign.net/u/jan)\
**Post date:** [April 30, 2017, 5:37pm UTC](https://discourse.opensourcedesign.net/t/examples-for-scenarios/102/6 "2017-04-30T17:37:35Z")

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For a usability test I collaborated with Ubuntu on for their photo manager, we had a really simple and broad scenario. This helped with people not being led by any terminology or specific commands. Of course this is also an advantage because a photo manager/editor is a pretty everyday tool.

> **[Shotwell usability testing](https://jancborchardt.wordpress.com/2010/08/09/shotwell/)**
>
> As part of the UX advocates project, I’m working together with Charline Poirier of Canonical to conduct some usability testing on Shotwell (which is scheduled to be the default photo manager in Ubu…

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**Author:** ![jdittrich](https://yyz1.discourse-cdn.com/flex029/user_avatar/discourse.opensourcedesign.net/jdittrich/32/42_2.png) [@jdittrich](https://discourse.opensourcedesign.net/u/jdittrich)\
**Post date:** [May 7, 2017, 7:34am UTC](https://discourse.opensourcedesign.net/t/examples-for-scenarios/102/7 "2017-05-07T07:34:20Z")

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@jtmorgan liked me these [scenarios on anticipated use on Wikipedia’s “Tea house”](https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Research:Teahouse/scenarios). They are nice examples for detailed, narrative scenarios and they also show how you can make those accessible (each has a summary).

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**Author:** ![andreasn](https://yyz1.discourse-cdn.com/flex029/user_avatar/discourse.opensourcedesign.net/andreasn/32/128_2.png) [@andreasn](https://discourse.opensourcedesign.net/u/andreasn)\
**Post date:** [May 11, 2017, 8:34am UTC](https://discourse.opensourcedesign.net/t/examples-for-scenarios/102/8 "2017-05-11T08:34:05Z")

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I use scenarios for pretty much every new feature I design for Cockpit. I feel they are good for keeping the discussion with the developers focused and get a common understanding of what we want to build and for who.  
I didn’t write all of these, the ABRT one is written by the developer who needed that, as a tool to make me understand what they need from the design.

Some examples:

> **[cockpit-project/cockpit](https://github.com/cockpit-project/cockpit/wiki/Atomic:-OSTree-Update)**
>
> There's code a goin' on. Contribute to cockpit-project/cockpit development by creating an account on GitHub.

  

> **[cockpit-project/cockpit](https://github.com/cockpit-project/cockpit/wiki/Feature:SOS-reporting)**
>
> There's code a goin' on. Contribute to cockpit-project/cockpit development by creating an account on GitHub.

  

> **[cockpit-project/cockpit](https://github.com/cockpit-project/cockpit/wiki/Feature:-iSCSI-Initiator)**
>
> There's code a goin' on. Contribute to cockpit-project/cockpit development by creating an account on GitHub.

  

> **[cockpit-project/cockpit](https://github.com/cockpit-project/cockpit/wiki/Feature:-ABRT)**
>
> There's code a goin' on. Contribute to cockpit-project/cockpit development by creating an account on GitHub.

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![jdittrich](https://yyz1.discourse-cdn.com/flex029/user_avatar/discourse.opensourcedesign.net/jdittrich/32/42_2.png) [@jdittrich](https://discourse.opensourcedesign.net/u/jdittrich)\
**Post date:** [May 14, 2017, 1:58pm UTC](https://discourse.opensourcedesign.net/t/examples-for-scenarios/102/9 "2017-05-14T13:58:42Z")

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I wrote a little blogpost on scenarios, quoting the examples posted here and giving some background on possible use and research on scenarios: [http://fordes.de/posts/usingscenariosindesign.html](http://fordes.de/posts/usingscenariosindesign.html) (If you find your example not described correctly, drop me a line!)