Scenario map

A scenario map is a grid used in workshops. One axis lists the personas or user segments; the other lists an activity, or a handful of activities, the product supports. Each cell holds a short scenario: how this kind of person would approach that task, in what situation and with what expectation.

What it is for

It exposes the variety hiding inside a single feature. “Search” sounds like one thing until you ask what a first-time visitor, a returning power user and a person on a bad mobile connection each expect from it. Filling in the cells side by side shows where the personas want different things, and where one design will have to stretch or split.

It is also an efficient way to generate user scenarios in bulk. A team can produce two dozen in an hour, then cut the list to the few that stress the design hardest.

Scenario map versus journey map

A user journey map follows one persona through one end-to-end experience in detail. A scenario map goes wide and shallow: many personas, one activity at a time, each cell a sketch rather than a story. Use the scenario map early to choose what deserves a full journey.

Common mistake

Letting empty cells pass as insight. If nobody can describe how a persona would approach an activity, either the persona is thin or the activity does not matter to them. Both are findings. Do not fill the gap with a plausible guess.