Scenario-based design
Chris Fowler
The use of the term Scenarios has a long history. It originated from the Theatre and is frequently spoken of in a military context. It also has been used to support corporate planning and decision making. More recently it has become common parlance in a whole range of e-learning system design activities. Designers speak of scenarios in Learning Design, system modelling, interaction design and evaluation, and user needs analysis. However, once the term is more tightly defined, many of these usages are misleading, and the presentation mainly focussed on the use of scenarios for need analysis and interaction design.
Chris described a particular technique, Scenario-based User Needs Analysis or SUNA, developed at BT and the University of Essex. The technique is not prescriptive, and through a series of workshops, it provides support and guidance in creating, scoping and analysing scenarios. It is also designed to interface directly with Universal Modelling Language by showing how needs can be used to create Use Cases. Some detail was also provided on how the technique can be used for evaluation purposes, and on the use of scenarios as a paper prototyping technique.
A quick overview of Mary-Beth Rossen’s & Jack Carroll’s approach to the use of scenarios for interactive design was also provided. The presentation continually referenced the e-framework, it then finished with a few thoughts about the role of scenarios for the e-framework approach particularly through its impact on the User Innovation Development Model.
About the presenter
Chris Fowler, since the early 90’s, worked on the design of a whole range of e-learning systems. They developed SUNA in 1998 whilst at BT Research Laboratories. Chris is a psychologist with considerable experience in designing conceptual frameworks and methodologies to help bridge pedagogy and design. Chris’s colleague Joy Van Helvert trained as a system analysis with extensive experience on the capture, presentation and analysis of system requirements. SUNA has been used successfully on a range of European and BT projects concerned with designing and building learning systems. More recently they have refined the technique to include a Value Attribution Processes (VAP) and looked at innovative ways that the scenarios can be evaluated. They have two publications that provide a more detailed description of the SUNA method.
Bibliography
Fowler, C.J.H, van Helvert, J; Gardner, M.G, and Scott, J.R. (in press). The use of scenarios in designing and delivering learning systems. In H. Beetham & R. Sharpe, Rethinking Pedagogy in a Digital Age: Designing and delivering e-learning.London: Routledge.
Rossen, M.B. and Carroll, J.M. (2002) Usability Engineering: Scenario-based Development of Human-Computer Interaction.London: Academic Press.
Van Helvert, J. and Fowler, C. (2004) ‘Scenarios for Innovation (SUNA)’, in Alexander and N. Maiden (eds.) Scenarios and Use Cases Stories through the System Life-Cycle.London: Wiley.