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