Scenario-based design is a user-centered approach that employs narrative descriptions of envisioned usage episodes to guide system development, shifting the focus from system operations to how users will interact with a system. This design method emphasizes the creation of scenarios that detail user goals, actions, and contexts, enabling designers to explore and visualize possible interactions in a concrete manner. It is illustrated through examples contrasting different online interaction scenarios, benefits of the approach, and its applicability in educational settings.

1. Scenario-Based
Design
IFI7313.DT Interaction Design Methods

2. Carroll, J. M. (2000). Making Use: Scenario-Based
Design of Human-Computer Interactions.
Cambridge, MA: The MIT Press.

3. Rosson, M. B., & Carroll, J. M. (2002). Scenario-
Based Design. In J. A. Jacko & A. Sears, The
Human-Computer Interaction Handbook:
Fundamentals, Evolving Technologies and Emerging
Applications (pp. 1032–1050). Mahwah, NJ:
Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
Rosson & Carroll: SBD 1
Scenario-Based Design
Mary Beth Rosson and John M. Carroll
Department of Computer Science and Center for Human-Computer Interaction
Virginia Tech, Blacksburg VA
Chapter 53 in J. Jacko & A. Sears (Eds.), The Human-Computer Interaction Handbook: Fundamentals,
Evolving Technologies and Emerging Applications. Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, 2002, pp. 1032-1050.
1. The Basic Idea
Scenario-based design is a family of techniques in which the use of a future system
is concretely described at an early point in the development process. Narrative descriptions
of envisioned usage episodes are then employed in a variety of ways to guide the
development of the system that will enable these use experiences.
Like other user-centered approaches, scenario-based design changes the focus of
design work from defining system operations (i.e., functional specification) to describing
how people will use a system to accomplish work tasks and other activities. However,
unlike approaches that consider human behavior and experience through formal analysis
and modeling of well-specified tasks, scenario-based design is a relatively lightweight
method for envisioning future use possibilities.
A user interaction scenario is a sketch of use. It is intended to vividly capture the
essence of an interaction design, much as a two-dimensional, paper-and-pencil sketch
captures the essence of a physical design.
2. A Simple Example
Scenarios are stories. They consist of a setting, or situation state, one or more actors with
personal motivations, knowledge, and capabilities, and various tools and objects that the
actors encounter and manipulate. The scenario describes a sequence of actions and events
that lead to an outcome. These actions and events are related in a usage context that
includes the goals, plans, and reactions of the people taking part in the episode.
Table 1 presents three brief scenarios in which a member of a club uses different
network tools to interact with club members. In all of these scenarios, the person’s goal is
to visit a club and interact with her friends at the club. The scenarios contrast three ways
that such a goal might be supported by computer network technologies. Each is a potential
“solution” to Sharon’s needs, but the user experience varies from asynchronous text-based
reading and posting, to a real-time graphical simulation of a meeting place.
Designers can quickly construct scenarios like these in order to make envisioned
possibilities more concrete. The example contrasts three contemporary approaches to
online interactions, but not as an abstraction, not as a list of features or functions. It
contrasts three episodes of human-computer interaction and personal experience.

4. What are scenarios?
Short stories of people and their activities that
… describe typical usage situation
… focus on goals, actions and objects
… leave out user interface details

5. Benefits of scenario-based design
• Scenarios support visible progress, but relax commitment to
the ideas expressed in the scenarios
• Scenarios direct attention to the use-appropriateness of design
ideas
• Incomplete nature of scenarios raises questions
(Rosson & Carroll, 2002)

6. Scenario’s elements
• Setting — description of the starting state of the episode and objects
that are involved
• Actors
• Goals
• Actions — things that actors do
• Events — things that happen to actors
• Objects
(Carroll, 2000)

7. Goals
Harry is interested in bridge failures; as a child, he saw a small
bridge collapse when its footings were undermined after a heavy
rainfall.
He opens the case study of the Tacoma Narrows Bridge and requests
to see the film of its collapse. He is stunned to see the bridge
first sway, then ripple, and ultimately lurch apart.
He quickly replays the film, and then opens the associated course
module on harmonic motion.
He browses the material (without doing the exercises), saves the
film clip in his workbook with a speech annotation, and then
enters a natural language query to find pointers to other physical
manifestations of harmonic motion.
He moves on to a case study involving flutes and piccolos.
(Carroll, 2000)

8. Actions
Harry is interested in bridge failures; as a child, he saw a small
bridge collapse when its footings were undermined after a heavy
rainfall.
He opens the case study of the Tacoma Narrows Bridge and requests
to see the film of its collapse. He is stunned to see the bridge
first sway, then ripple, and ultimately lurch apart.
He quickly replays the film, and then opens the associated course
module on harmonic motion.
He browses the material (without doing the exercises), saves the
film clip in his workbook with a speech annotation, and then
enters a natural language query to find pointers to other physical
manifestations of harmonic motion.
He moves on to a case study involving flutes and piccolos.
(Carroll, 2000)

9. Objects
Harry is interested in bridge failures; as a child, he saw a small
bridge collapse when its footings were undermined after a heavy
rainfall.
He opens the case study of the Tacoma Narrows Bridge and requests
to see the film of its collapse. He is stunned to see the bridge
first sway, then ripple, and ultimately lurch apart.
He quickly replays the film, and then opens the associated course
module on harmonic motion.
He browses the material (without doing the exercises), saves the
film clip in his workbook with a speech annotation, and then
enters a natural language query to find pointers to other physical
manifestations of harmonic motion.
He moves on to a case study involving flutes and piccolos.
(Carroll, 2000)

10. Scenario types
• Problem scenarios — describe current situation features (what
users can do)
• Activity scenarios — propose transformation from current practice
into new design features
• Information scenarios — how users perceive, interpret and make
sense of information
• Interaction scenarios — physical actions and system responses that
enact and respond to the users’ task goals and needs
(Rosson & Carroll, 2002; Palotta, 2007)

11. Examples

12. Scenario 1: First experience with EduFeedr
John is teaching an open online course where he has more than 30 participants.
All the participants have their individual blogs where they publish the weekly
assignment. John is using a feed reader to follow all the student blogs. He is
also trying to comment all the posts that have an inspiring ideas.
In the middle of the course John notices that it becomes increasingly
complicated to manage the course. Several participants are not able to keep up
with the tempo of the course. In the feed reader it is not easy to see how far
different participants have proceeded with the course.
One day John reads about new feed reader EduFeedr that has special features to
support online courses. It an online feed reader similar to Google Reader. John
creates an account and starts exploring the possibilities. He can easily import
all the feeds from his current feed reader.
After importing the feeds he notices that the students’ posts are somehow
grouped by the assignments. This way it is easy to see how far the participants
have proceeded with their work.
It is possible to browse students posts by a tag cloud. Among other tags there
is a tag "urgent". John clicks on the tag and finds out that a few students who
needed fast feedback to proceed with their home task have used that tag.
There is also an image that displays the social network between the student
blogs. John can see which blogs are more actively linked and commented.
John is impressed by these possibilities. He decides to get a cup of coffee and
explore the other features of EduFeedr.

13. http://lemill.org/trac/wiki/Scenarios

14. https://wiki.mozilla.org/EduFeedr_Blueprint

15. http://itec.eun.org/web/guest/scenario-library

16. Homework and schoolwork “flip”
NARRATIVE OVERVIEW:
I’ve been teaching for nearly ten years and have decided to try the popular idea of “flipping” in my
class. The basic idea behind flipping is that lectures become homework, while class time is used for
collaborative student work, experiential exercises, debate and lab work. Videos and other e-learning
materials are used extensively during “home time” to deliver learning content, while class-time
becomes open to experimentation and collaboration. I’ve read about flipping and realize it’s not a
fully-fledged pedagogical approach, but a philosophy meant to be used flexibly and fluidly alongside
all the tools I have gathered during my career. I’ve read how “flipping” can positively impact student
learning regardless of the subject or the type of classroom.
It is important to me that the additional classroom time gained through flipping is used as effectively
as possible, and that the resources students use in their own time are of the highest possible quality
and appropriate to their current levels of knowledge. A content library that is integrated with online
videos checked for quality and accessibility seems the best way to ensure success. My colleagues
and I have developed teaching resources, videos and online activities over the years, and I’ve also
kept the best revision materials developed by students at the school. Now it’s time to put this rich
repository of content to good use in a structured approach, filling any gaps with high-quality
resources available for free over the internet.
I look within the curriculum to identify topics that lend themselves well to ‘flipping’, like those that
don’t require significant initial student-teacher interaction and that have high-quality resources for
the at-home instructional element. I also ensure that students understand the purpose and format of
‘flipping’. I support students who lack access to resources at home to find other times and locations
to view the materials. I also take advantage of a new school scheme that provides students with
notebooks, to help ensure access for students and encourage them to complete their home tasks.
After the first weeks of flipping, some initial challenges arise. I realize that class time requires a
different, but just as rigorous, form of planning, and that collaborative activities and project work
come with their own issues to be addressed separately. However, after some initial adjustments, the
benefits become evident, as the classroom becomes a place for more effective learning activities and
increased student-teacher and peer interactions. Many students begin to choose how they learn
content and demonstrate understanding, all while being allowed to master it at their own pace.
POSSIBLE APPROACH TO TEACHING AND
ASSESSMENT
- instructional design
- project-based learning
- enquiry-based learning
- formative assessment
PEOPLE & ROLES
This approach requires teachers and students to collaborate and find the most suitable solutions to the issues that may emerge.
This can generate a degree of uncertainty as established conventions and roles are subverted. It is important that teachers are
aware of these issues and of the potential conflict that may arise as a result (for example, it is likely that some students and their
families might oppose ‘flipping’). It is therefore also important for teachers to be explicit with students and families about the
intention and purpose of ‘flipping’.
ACTIVITIES
Activities vary depending on the nature of the subjects, the
goals of the teachers and the levels of cognitive development
of students. Flipping is more like a general philosophy than a
collection of activities. A rigorous approach to planning and a
clear idea of the goals to be achieved are paramount and also
need to be shared explicitly with students at the beginning.
ENVIRONMENT
The classroom and the home – flipped
RESOURCES (INCL. TECHNOLOGIES)
- High quality video resources are essential in the original
“flipping” model (e.g. Khan Academy). However flipping
can involve a wide range of resources and revision
materials. Some people believe that in-house are
particularly effective as they already account for local
differences.
- Possibly include individual laptops for students to ensure
equal access to resources.
CORE PURPOSE: To allow a radical transformation of activities,
relationships and expectations, by “flipping” two core elements of
the educational experience: school-time and home-work time.
TREND/S
Young people are always connected and make heavy use of digital media, this is posing challenges to teachers and education
systems who are yet to identify consistent and effective responses
Increasing frustration of young people with typical classroom activities

17. Evaluating scenarios

18. Participatory design sessions
• 2...3 participants and 1 designer
• Structured discussion about 3...4 scenarios
• Prepared questions about the scenarios
• Should not last more than 2 hours

20. Example questions
• Did the scenario wake-up any thoughts?
• Could you image yourself to the role of the teacher?
• Is there something you would like to change in the scenario?

21. Who to invite to design session?
• People similar to personas
• Customers / stakeholders

22. Summarizing the design sessions
• Written summary based on audio recording or notes
• Concept map

23. http://itec.aalto.fi

24. References
• Carroll, J. M. (2000). Five reasons for scenario-based design. Interacting with
Computers, 13(1), 43–60. doi:10.1016/S0953-5438(00)00023-0
• Rosson, M. B., & Carroll, J. M. (2002). Scenario-Based Design. In J. A. Jacko
& A. Sears (Eds.), The Human-Computer Interaction Handbook: Fundamentals,
Evolving Technologies and Emerging Applications (pp. 1032–1050). Mahwah,
NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
• Palotta, V. (2007). Scenario-Based Design. http://diuf.unifr.ch/pai/uc/
miscellaneous/Scenario-based_Design.pdf

25. Photos
• Hans Põldoja
• Teemu Leinonen, http://lemill.org/trac/attachment/wiki/DesignSessionResults/
finland-02.jpg

26. This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0
International License. To view a copy of this license, visit
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/
Hans Põldoja
hans.poldoja@tlu.ee
IFI7313.DT Interaction Design Methods
https://ifi7313.wordpress.com
Tallinn University
School of Digital Technologies