522 lines
9.5 KiB
Markdown
522 lines
9.5 KiB
Markdown
# Tutorial 08: Initialize Your Scenario
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**Hands-on guide to starting a design scenario with the 5 essential questions**
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---
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## Overview
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This tutorial walks you through initializing a scenario - the moment where strategic thinking meets design execution.
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**Time:** 30-45 minutes
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**Prerequisites:** Trigger map completed
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**What you'll create:** A fully initialized scenario ready for sketching
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---
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## What You'll Learn
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- The 5 questions that define every scenario
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- How to connect scenarios to triggers
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- Setting clear success criteria
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- Defining scope and constraints
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- Getting AI support for scenario planning
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---
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## The 5 Essential Questions
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Every scenario must answer:
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1. **WHO** is this for? (Target group)
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2. **WHAT** trigger brings them here? (Trigger moment)
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3. **WHY** does this matter? (User + business value)
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4. **WHAT** is the happy path? (Success flow)
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5. **WHAT** could go wrong? (Edge cases)
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---
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## Step 1: Choose Your Scenario (5 min)
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### What is a scenario?
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A specific user journey from trigger moment to successful outcome.
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### How to choose:
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**From your trigger map, select:**
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- Highest priority trigger
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- Clear start and end points
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- Manageable scope for first design
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**Example (Dog Week):**
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```
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Scenario: Morning Dog Care Assignment
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Trigger: Morning chaos - nobody knows who's walking the dog
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Priority: #1 (highest impact)
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Scope: From opening app to seeing today's assignments
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```
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**Your turn:**
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```
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Scenario Name: [Your scenario]
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Trigger: [From trigger map]
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Priority: [Why this one first]
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Scope: [Start → End]
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```
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---
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## Step 2: Answer Question 1 - WHO? (5 min)
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### Define your target user
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**Be specific:**
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- Which target group?
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- What's their context?
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- What's their mindset?
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- What are they trying to accomplish?
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**Example (Dog Week):**
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```
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WHO: Sarah, busy parent with family dog
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Context:
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- Monday morning, 7:15 AM
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- Getting kids ready for school
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- Needs to coordinate dog care
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- Stressed, time-pressured
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Mindset:
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- Wants quick answer
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- Needs certainty
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- Values family harmony
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- Cares about dog's wellbeing
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Goal:
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- Know who's walking the dog today
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- Avoid family conflict
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- Ensure dog is cared for
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```
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**Your turn:**
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```
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WHO: [User name/persona]
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Context:
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- [When/where]
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- [What they're doing]
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- [Their situation]
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Mindset:
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- [How they feel]
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- [What they value]
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- [What they need]
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Goal:
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- [Primary objective]
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```
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**AI Support:**
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```
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Agent: "Let's make this user vivid:
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- What's their emotional state?
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- What just happened before this moment?
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- What are they worried about?
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- What would success feel like?"
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```
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---
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## Step 3: Answer Question 2 - WHAT Trigger? (5 min)
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### Define the trigger moment
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**Be specific about:**
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- Exact moment user realizes they need this
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- What caused the trigger
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- Emotional state at trigger
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- What they've tried before
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**Example (Dog Week):**
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```
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WHAT Trigger: Morning Chaos
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Exact Moment:
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- 7:15 AM, Monday morning
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- Kids asking "Who's walking Max?"
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- Nobody knows the answer
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- Everyone looking at each other
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What Caused It:
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- No clear schedule visible
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- Verbal agreements forgotten
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- Weekend disrupted routine
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- New week starting
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Emotional State:
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- Frustration (here we go again)
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- Guilt (dog needs care)
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- Stress (running late)
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- Urgency (need answer NOW)
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Previous Attempts:
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- Family calendar (too general)
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- Group chat (messages lost)
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- Verbal agreements (forgotten)
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- Whiteboard (not mobile)
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```
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**Your turn:**
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```
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WHAT Trigger: [Trigger name]
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Exact Moment:
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- [When/where]
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- [What's happening]
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- [What prompted need]
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Emotional State:
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- [How user feels]
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- [Why it matters]
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Previous Attempts:
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- [What they've tried]
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- [Why it didn't work]
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```
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---
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## Step 4: Answer Question 3 - WHY? (10 min)
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### Define the value
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**Two perspectives:**
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**User Value:**
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- What pain does this solve?
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- What does success feel like?
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- What changes in their life?
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**Business Value:**
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- How does this support business goals?
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- What metrics improve?
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- What's the strategic importance?
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**Example (Dog Week):**
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```
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WHY - User Value:
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Pain Solved:
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- No more morning chaos
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- No more family conflict
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- No more guilt about dog
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- Certainty and peace of mind
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Success Feels Like:
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- "I know exactly who's doing what"
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- "My family is coordinated"
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- "My dog is cared for"
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- "I can focus on my morning"
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Life Change:
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- Reduced daily stress
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- Better family harmony
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- Confident dog care
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- More mental space
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WHY - Business Value:
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Business Goals Supported:
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- Increased daily active users (checking schedule)
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- Higher retention (solving real pain)
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- Word-of-mouth growth (visible benefit)
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- Foundation for premium features
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Metrics Improved:
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- DAU (daily schedule checks)
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- 7-day retention rate
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- Task completion rate
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- NPS score
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Strategic Importance:
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- Core value proposition
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- Differentiation from competitors
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- Foundation for entire platform
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- Proves product-market fit
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```
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**Your turn:**
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```
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WHY - User Value:
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Pain Solved:
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- [Pain points addressed]
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Success Feels Like:
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- [User emotions]
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Life Change:
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- [What improves]
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WHY - Business Value:
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Business Goals:
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- [Goals supported]
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Metrics:
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- [What improves]
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Strategic Importance:
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- [Why this matters]
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```
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---
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## Step 5: Answer Question 4 - Happy Path? (10 min)
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### Define the success flow
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**Map the ideal journey:**
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- User starts at trigger
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- Takes clear actions
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- System responds appropriately
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- User achieves goal
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- Mutual success achieved
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**Example (Dog Week):**
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```
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HAPPY PATH: Morning Dog Care Check
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1. TRIGGER
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- Sarah opens app (7:15 AM Monday)
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- Feeling stressed, needs quick answer
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2. IMMEDIATE ANSWER
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- App shows TODAY view by default
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- Sarah's tasks highlighted
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- "You: Walk Max (8:00 AM)"
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- Clear, immediate, no searching
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3. FULL CONTEXT
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- Sees all today's dog tasks
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- Knows who's doing what
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- Sees upcoming tasks
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- Feels confident and informed
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4. QUICK ACTION (if needed)
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- Can mark task complete
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- Can reassign if emergency
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- Can add notes
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- Takes < 30 seconds
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5. SUCCESS
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- Sarah knows her responsibility
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- Tells family with confidence
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- Dog will be cared for
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- Morning proceeds smoothly
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MUTUAL SUCCESS:
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- User: Stress reduced, clarity achieved
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- Business: Daily engagement, value delivered
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```
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**Your turn:**
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```
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HAPPY PATH: [Scenario name]
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1. TRIGGER
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- [User starts]
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- [Emotional state]
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2. [Step 2]
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- [What happens]
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- [User sees/does]
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3. [Step 3]
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- [Next action]
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- [System response]
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[Continue through success]
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MUTUAL SUCCESS:
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- User: [What they gain]
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- Business: [What we gain]
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```
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**AI Support:**
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```
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Agent: "Let's optimize this flow:
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- Can we reduce steps?
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- Is anything unclear?
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- What information is missing?
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- How can we make this faster?"
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```
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---
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## Step 6: Answer Question 5 - What Could Go Wrong? (5 min)
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### Identify edge cases
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**Consider:**
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- First-time users
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- Error states
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- Missing data
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- Unusual situations
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- System failures
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**Example (Dog Week):**
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```
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EDGE CASES:
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First Time User:
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- No schedule exists yet
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- Show onboarding flow
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- Guide schedule creation
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No Tasks Today:
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- Show "No dog tasks today"
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- Show upcoming tasks
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- Offer to add tasks
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Multiple Dogs:
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- Show dog selector
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- Default to primary dog
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- Remember last selected
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Overdue Tasks:
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- Highlight in red
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- Show notification
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- Offer to reassign
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Offline:
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- Show cached schedule
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- Indicate offline mode
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- Queue actions for sync
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Someone Else's Phone:
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- Show family view
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- Highlight their tasks
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- Respect privacy
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```
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**Your turn:**
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```
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EDGE CASES:
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[Case 1]:
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- [Situation]
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- [How to handle]
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[Case 2]:
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- [Situation]
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- [How to handle]
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[Continue for major cases]
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```
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---
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## Step 7: Document Scenario Initialization (5 min)
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**Create file:** `C-Scenarios/[scenario-name]/00-scenario-init.md`
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**Include all 5 questions:**
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1. WHO - Target user in context
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2. WHAT Trigger - Specific moment
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3. WHY - User + business value
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4. Happy Path - Success flow
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5. Edge Cases - What could go wrong
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**Use template from:** `workflows/4-ux-design/templates/scenario-init.template.md`
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---
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## What You've Accomplished
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✅ **Clear target user** - You know WHO you're designing for
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✅ **Specific trigger** - You know WHAT brings them here
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✅ **Defined value** - You know WHY this matters
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✅ **Success flow** - You know the HAPPY PATH
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✅ **Edge cases** - You know WHAT could go wrong
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**You're ready to start sketching!**
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---
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## Next Steps
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**Immediate:**
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- Review initialization with stakeholders
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- Validate assumptions with users (if possible)
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- Gather any missing information
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**Next Module:**
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- [Module 09: Sketch Interfaces](../module-09-sketch-interfaces/module-09-overview.md)
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- Start drawing your solution with AI guidance
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---
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## Common Questions
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**Q: How detailed should the happy path be?**
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A: Detailed enough to guide sketching. 5-8 steps is typical.
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**Q: Should I document every possible edge case?**
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A: Focus on the most likely and most impactful. You can add more during design.
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**Q: What if I don't know all the answers yet?**
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A: Mark sections as "TBD" and research. Better to identify gaps now than during development.
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**Q: Can I change these answers later?**
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A: Yes! This is a living document. Update as you learn.
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---
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## Tips for Success
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**DO ✅**
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- Be specific about user context
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- Connect to trigger map
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- Define clear success criteria
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- Consider edge cases early
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- Get stakeholder alignment
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**DON'T ❌**
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- Rush through the questions
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- Skip the "why"
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- Ignore edge cases
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- Work in isolation
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- Start sketching without initialization
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---
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**A well-initialized scenario is half the design work done!**
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[← Back to Module 08](module-08-overview.md) | [Next: Module 09 →](../module-09-sketch-interfaces/module-09-overview.md)
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