Scenarios and Guidance

Evaluate the experience based on your very first look, before you have spent time exploring.

• What do you believe the product or experience is for?
• Does the first page make the next step obvious?
• Does any language feel confusing or overly technical?
• Do you feel confident beginning without additional instructions?
• What do you expect will happen after clicking the main action?

Behave as though you are completely unfamiliar with this experience. Do not read every instruction before acting.

• Follow the path that feels most natural.
• Note any point where you are unsure what to do.
• Identify anything that seems to assume prior knowledge.
• Note whether the system explains why it is asking questions.
• Identify any point where you would normally leave or give up.

Complete these tasks using fictional or non-sensitive information. Move through them as you would in real use.

• 1Start a new activity or process.
• 2Respond to the initial questions naturally.
• 3Give a short or incomplete answer and observe how the experience responds.
• 4Give a detailed answer and observe whether the experience uses the information appropriately.
• 5Change your mind or correct something you previously entered.
• 6Leave a task and attempt to return to it.
• 7Look for something you previously created.
• 8Try to understand what the next recommended step is.
• 9Complete a process from beginning to end.
• 10Attempt an action in a different order than expected.

Intentionally explore uncertainty. These scenarios test how the experience handles ambiguity and helps you recover.

• Enter an answer that is vague.
• Say that you do not know where to begin.
• Provide information that does not fully answer the question.
• Attempt to go backward.
• Refresh the browser during a task.
• Close and reopen the site.
• Click something twice.
• Use the browser back button.
• Look for a way to edit or correct an earlier response.
• Note whether the experience helps you recover without losing progress.

Test behavior at the boundaries of normal use. Note: do not attempt security attacks, access restricted systems, inspect other users' information, or upload harmful content.

• Leave a required field blank.
• Enter a very short answer.
• Enter a very long answer.
• Use punctuation, apostrophes, quotation marks, or emojis.
• Paste formatted text.
• Rapidly click a button more than once.
• Use the application in a narrow browser window.
• Use a phone or tablet when available.
• Refresh during loading.
• Temporarily disconnect from the internet, when practical.
• Return after several minutes of inactivity.

Pay attention to how the experience communicates with you.

• Note any awkward phrasing.
• Look for spelling or grammar errors.
• Identify repetitive questions.
• Flag instructions that feel too long or too short.
• Note terms that need definitions.
• Identify labels that do not match what happens next.
• Note messages that feel cold, abrupt, judgmental, or overly robotic.
• Identify places where the system seems to misunderstand you.
• Note places where you want an example but none is provided.

Review the experience for clarity, readability, and ease of use across different contexts.

• Text readability and font size.
• Color contrast.
• Button size and tap targets.
• Mobile usability.
• Keyboard navigation.
• Visible focus states.
• Form labels and placeholder text.
• Error message clarity.
• Whether important information relies only on color.
• Whether expandable sections are easy to recognize and operate.

Step back and reflect on the experience as a whole. There are no right or wrong answers.

• What felt easiest?
• What felt hardest?
• What felt most useful?
• What felt unnecessary?
• Did you understand what the experience was helping you accomplish?
• Did you trust the experience?
• Would you use it again?
• What would you change first?
• What did you expect but could not find?