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Scenario Mapping Template

Develop a comprehensive guide to what your personas are doing, thinking, and feeling in different scenarios.

About the Scenario Mapping Template

Scenario mapping involves outlining all the steps a user takes to complete a task, along with insights into what they are thinking and feeling at each stage. It also allows for adding comments, questions, assumptions, or suggestions that arise during the exercise.

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FigJam's scenario mapping template is structured into four quadrants to guide you through the process:

  1. Steps – The structured framework detailing the actions being taken.
  2. Doing – The practical execution of the task.
  3. Thinking – The cognitive processes behind the user's actions.
  4. Feeling – The emotional and subjective experiences of the user.

When Should You Do Scenario Mapping?

Scenario mapping can be used to outline both the ideal scenario (what should happen) and the current scenario (what is happening).

  • For ideal scenarios, scenario mapping should occur early in a project. It helps inform user stories and shapes the product backlog.
  • For understanding current scenarios, scenario mapping can be done during user interviews or observational research to get a clearer sense of existing user behaviors and processes.

How to Use the Scenario Mapping Template

FigJam’s scenario mapping template simplifies the process. Here’s how to use it effectively:

1. Set the Purpose
Begin by explaining the purpose of the session. The goal of scenario mapping is to focus on what users will do, not how they will do it. Details can be sketched out later, but set clear expectations from the start.

2. Identify Your User Persona and Task
Choose one of your primary user personas and a key task they need to accomplish. What is their goal? What do you want them to achieve?

3. Contextualize the Scenario
Note who the persona is, what they’re doing, why they’re doing it, and how often. Don’t get bogged down in the specifics, but keep these elements in mind as you proceed.

4. Walk Through the User’s Steps
As a group, visualize the steps the user takes to navigate your site or system. For each step, capture the following:

  • What does the user do?
  • Are there any assumptions or questions to resolve at this step?
  • How can this step be made more user-friendly?

5. Map Out the Steps
Most users prefer to map each step from left to right, adding comments, suggestions, and ideas below each step for clarity and improvement.

6. Complete the Task
Repeat the process until the user has completed the task.

7. Gather Feedback
Share the mapped scenario with stakeholders and potential users. Ask them to walk through each step and provide feedback. Do the steps make sense? Is anything missing? Collect additional thoughts and suggestions to refine the process.

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