How to craft use scenarios
To create a use scenario, start by researching your users. You can study and interview them so you know what they need and what struggles they face. For example, an online retailer might examine how often customers place items in a cart without completing the purchase.

You can also survey them to identify patterns. For example, a travel company might ask users how often they travel, how long their trips last and how they choose their destination.
Once you understand who your users are, you can create personas to represent them. What are their goals? What steps are they taking to reach those goals? How and where will they use your product, and what struggles do they face? What do they expect? How does their company measure their performance? What would it take for them to have a great day, week or quarter?
You want to answer who, what, where, when and why to create your use scenarios. A good use scenario is written so all of your stakeholders—even non-technical people—can understand it.
A strong use scenario will describe the persona with details such as:
- Name
- Age
- Gender
- Marital/family status
- Occupation
- Location
You may want to include a photo that represents your persona.
Depending on your product or service, you might want to include other descriptors relevant to your business. Those could be factors such as computer and phone usage, app usage, commute time, food purchasing habits, TV viewing, etc.
You want to include the obstacles your persona faces and the ways they might use your product or service. Outline their situation and put it together in a brief story to craft your use scenario. Keep the focus on your user.