What is a scenario in user experience design?

A scenario in user experience design serves as a narrative that illustrates how users will engage with a product within a particular context. This narrative helps designers understand user motivations, needs, and behaviors by providing a detailed depiction of a user's journey as they interact with the product. By framing the design process around real-life situations, scenarios help ensure that the end product aligns with actual user experiences and enhances usability.

This contextual storytelling allows designers to foresee potential challenges or limitations within the user journey, thus informing design decisions that better accommodate user needs. The focus on interaction and context makes scenarios a powerful tool in user-centered design, guiding the creation of more intuitive and engaging user experiences.