[Sigia-l] comparing personas, scenarios, uses cases, task analysis

[Peter VanDijck]

Personas: I like them especially when designing something that's fairly
uncharted, a site or application that hasn't been done before.

Scenarios: I use them with personas, sometimes without (but no personas
without scenarios). Very good for testing stuff quickly without getting
users ("run them through a scenario").

Use cases: I only use them if I need to write a document that
communicates directly with techies. (My previous job, not so much in my
current one)

Hierarchical task analysis: I use it for example when trying to figure
out how something that is done offline can be improved upon when doing
it online. 

Personas and scenarios are great in the early stages of design, to
identify what is needed and to focus the project on what the user needs
instead of what would be technologically funky or businesswise
interesting. Use cases are good for communicating with techies, task
analysis is good for working out functionality of something in detail.
PeterV

Karl Fast wrote:
> 
> What are people's opinions about personas, scenarios, use cases, and
> hierarchical task analysis during the early stages of design? When
> you're figuring out the requirements and doing early prototyping?
> 
> Which ones do you prefer? Why? What do and don't you like about
> them? Are there other techniques you prefer?
> 
> I ask because I am teaching a class in interaction design to
> computer science students this term. Last week we covered the
> chapter on identifying needs and establishing requirements. The
> textbook talks mainly about scenarios, use cases, and task analysis
> (I added personas cause I think they're darn useful).
> 
> We got into a discussion about the merits of each. As CS students
> they've learned use cases and task analysis when they studied OOP
> design and UML modelling. Personas and scenarios were new to them.
> 
> So I'm wondering how people here would compare them?
> 
> --karl
> 
> ------------
> When replying, please *trim your post* as much as possible.
> *Plain text, please; NO Attachments
> 
> ASIST IA 03 Summit: Making Connections
> http://www.asist-events.org/IASummit2003/
> 
> Searchable list archive:   http://www.info-arch.org/lists/sigia-l/
> ________________________________________
> Sigia-l mailing list -- post to: Sigia-l at asis.org
> Changes to subscription: http://mail.asis.org/mailman/listinfo/sigia-l