On 5/16/08, Sachendra Yadav <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > Is there a concrete distinction between use cases and user scenarios?
Here is my take on answering your question: First the similarities: Both are functional analysis tools and help to drill down on the behaviour of a system vis-a-vis another system, components of the same system and living beings. Both can have varying levels of detailing and can be described similarly and both are created by people responsible for defining the behaviour of the system- typically business analysts, IxDers, architects etc. Now to the dissimilarities: Use cases do not qualify a user and hence take all users are entities in the system that interact with the system. Thus every use case just lists the behaviour of how a user will interact with the system. Where the user scenario differs is that it also qualifies the user by way of persona definition and hence the user is no more an entity interacting with the syetm but a living being with specific emotional, physical and technology-understanding limitations that can impact her inetraction with the system. Just to showcase the difference between teh two using an example, lets take an example of system that requires a Cashier interacting with the Cash Register. The use case will be: 1. Cashier enters the cash tendered by the Customer into the system. 2. Cash Register reports back the balance. 3. Cashier takes back the balance from the Register and gives back to Customer. 4. Cash Register prints a cash receipt. 5. Cashier gives the cash receipt to the Customer. Now if you see the user case nowhere puts in the limitations of the Cashier in terms of whether he is from first world or third world, whether the Cashier or the Customer is english speaking or only understands native language only, whether the shop where the cash register is at a duty free airport terminal or at a grocery store in the neighbourhood, whether the Cash Register can take credit card payments or only cash, whether the Cash Register supports multiple currencies or only one currency etc etc etc. Adding all these details is what defines a User Scenario. Do note a very important point and that is that the User Scenario not only creates a persona for the living being but also for the system (in the example Cash Register also has a persona defined as to whetehr it can take multiple currencies and credit card etc). So in summary what differentiates a Use Case from the User Scenario is the additional data in terms of persona creation and how that impacts the over all behaviours of the system. Hope it makes sense. Thanks Pankaj ________________________________________________________________ Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)! To post to this list ....... [EMAIL PROTECTED] Unsubscribe ................ http://www.ixda.org/unsubscribe List Guidelines ............ http://www.ixda.org/guidelines List Help .................. http://www.ixda.org/help
