Scenarios building workshopSchool of design I Hong Kong Polytechnic University

Sustainable product design project 08.09 I 20 October 2008 I

Eleonora Lupo

designers are not just makingthings, they are making sense(Carroll, 2000)

where does the word scenario come from?

where does the word scenario come from?

from scenery (theatre)

SCENARIO was an outline of entrances, exits, and action describing the plot of a play that was literally “pinned to the back of the scenery”. It is also known as CANOVACCIO or “that which is pinned to the canvas” of which the scenery was constructed.

where does the word scenario come from?

so nowadays a scenario can be genericallydefined as…

• “an account or synopsis of a projected course of action, events or situations”• “a story about what happened in the future”

Munari B., Da cosa nasce cosa, 2008

what does the word scenario mean?

scenario is “a systemic view and representationof a complex situation, fact, action, in itscurrent implications and conditions and in itspossible forthcoming transformations”

what does the word scenario mean?

scenario is “a systemic view and representationof a complex situation, fact, action, in itscurrent implications and conditions and in itspossible forthcoming transformations”

what does the word scenario mean?

scenario is “a systemic view and representationof a complex situation, fact, action, in itscurrent implications and conditions and in itspossible forthcoming transformations”

what does the word scenario mean?

scenario is “a systemic view and representationof a complex situation, fact, action, in itscurrent implications and conditions and in itspossible forthcoming transformations”

what does the word scenario mean?

scenario is “a systemic view and representationof a complex situation, fact, action, in itscurrent implications and conditions and in itspossible forthcoming transformations”

what does the word scenario mean?

scenario is “a systemic view and representationof a complex situation, fact, action, in itscurrent implications and conditions and in itspossible forthcoming transformations”

what does the word scenario mean?

scenario is “a systemic view and representationof a complex situation, fact, action, in itscurrent implications and conditions and in itspossible forthcoming transformations”

functions• descriptive: visually communicable and understandable• performative: envisioning changes

a definition

in future studies and strategic planning:

scenario is “a description of a future situationincluding all the events that transform the actual situation into the future one” (Godet, 1987).

scenario is “a description of possible alternative futures , with the aim of (try to) orienting and controlling the real one” (Kahn, 1967)

scenario features/1

• multi-scale: alternatives include systems and sub-systems

in future studies and strategic planning:

• hypothethical but reliable and viable: from the dimension of possibility to feasibility

• narrative form: stories describing things and persons, sequence of actions, consequences

moving towards design…

what is a design scenario?

scenario is “a tool for strategic conversation ”(Manzini, 2004)

Uses: • to present possible alternatives;• to support decision processes;• to discuss opportunities in participatory processes• to explain and argument choices…

scenario in design is…

“a set of visions aiming at converging in a design process all the stakeholders in the samedirection”

design scenarios makestrategies and opportunities visible.

how?

why?

scenario setting elements

scenario is composed by:1. agents or actors2. goals or objectives3. actions and events(Carroll, 2000)

scenario setting elements

Karl is an Erasmus student in Italy from a few days. He has been invited by some friends to spend the weekend at Maratea. He does not have much money to spend and does not know exactly where is Maratea. But he decides to leave anyway. He goes to the station and looks for which of the many ways to reach Maratea in time is the less expensive.

scenario setting elements

setting is composed by:1. agents or actors2. goals or objectives3. actions and events(Carroll, 2000)

4. context vision5. motivation6. proposals(Manzini, 2004)

scenario general purposes

1. Describing and understanding currentexisting activities and events (vs task analysis)

scenario general purposes

1. Describing and understanding currentexisting activities and events (vs task analysis)

2. representing problems, needs expectationsas design requisites

scenario general purposes

1. Describing and understanding currentexisting activities and events (vs task analysis)

2. representing problems, needs expectationsas design requisite

3. visualising and envisioning new activities, solutions (vs stories)

scenario design tools

visual displays like:• moodboard• persona• storyboard• organisational maps

moodboard

• to provide a creative and suggestive visualdescription of the overall mood of the case

• highlighting the qualities of environment andinteraction

• a mosaic of pictures, describing the solution by depicting the atmosphere, the interaction, the environment, and the specific “taste” of it

• pictures have to describe the places, the persons and the artifacts of the solution

personas

Personas are sample stories about users, that provide important details about them (including goals, skill levels etc).

personas

User profiles include:- Gender- Age- Occupation- Family members?- Where does he/ she live?- Hobbies/ interests?- Other relevant?

the user is part of the problem, but is part of the solution too

storyboard

detailed, linear, step by step behavioral description of an event including…

storyboard

storyboard

1. a specific user/s2. driven by a specific GOAL/s3. who takes specific ACTIONS4. to interact with specific elements/objects 5. to complete a specific TASK 6. on a specific occasion 7. under specific circumstances 8. within a specific period of time /context

storyboard

storyboard

• story-board shows the solution along an horizontal time line

• It is the translation of an event, which takes place in space and time, into a sequence of static images and explanatory captions, that represent the significant actions of user(s) and the product(s)-service(s)

• in a limited sequence of pictures it visualises: the salient situations, the advantages that result

www.instructables.com

system organisational map

identifies the system elements of the scenario

system organisational map

shows the solution from the point of view of the system-product organisation (actors, actions, artifacts..)

it consists of a visual diagram of the general system organisation (the main stakeholders and the flows and relationships between them)

designing scenarios

scenarios features/2

• appropriate scale to the need: manageablesystem-product dimension

in designing scenarios:

• variety: all potentially reliable alternatives

• simulation: operative models of functioning

scale

socio-economic and technological context

design solution

decisions, actions

scenario scale relies on the level of the design actions, where actors can really take decisionsand operate

SCENARIO

variety

scenario should present alternatives1. “acceptable”(by the differente stakeholders,

according with their possible changes in behaviors and expectations)

2. “possible” (they don’t imply or need radicalcontext changes and support actual trends)

simulations

powerful, visual and communicablerepresentation of a not already existingsolution but observable and evaluable in its qualities and implications .

service solution: “Sunwash Laundry”

scenarios design example

1

visualize the solution by means of initial story-board…

a) At every rooftop of Jenny’s residential area, there lies laundry service

centers…

b) ..high-speed elevators in the building provide means of transport for residents to

and fro the rooftop ..

d) …Jenny likes to socialize with neighbours while taking a break at the cozy teahouse

….

c)… the laundry center is managed and operated by

well-trained staff….

e) ….and sometimes she may prefer the door-to-door laundry delivery service….

Jenny Ho 34-year-old Jenny Ho used to be a full-time working mother who worked for a big trading corporation in Hong Kong as its business manager. Since the birth of her second daughter last year, Jenny has given up her full-time job and now works part-time as the firm’s hourly-paid consultant.

In order to provide more space for her children, Jenny and her husband have decided to move away from the city centre to the suburbs where they live on a high-rise satellite city. While working on her part-time consultancy job, Jenny is also busy looking after her two children, who are 4 years and 2 years old respectively.

Living in a city with such a brand new concept, Jenny and her family members are entering a new realm of living……

initial story board

persona

The initial ‘story board’ of the solution

2

identify possible ‘service packs’ when story boarding…..

the solution

“Sunwash Laundry”

Service pack 1 home delivery

Service pack 2 do-it-yourself

Service pack 3 on-site service

3

build specific scenarios for these uncovered service packs…..

Service pack 1 home delivery

a) Jenny is staying home and piling up all dirty clothes for ‘sunwash’service to collect…..

b) The clothes were then collected and transported back to the rooftop of the building

c) Every step of the clothes cleaning is taken care of by the most experience staff of the ‘Sunwash’ centre….

d) Jenny just stay at home and enjoy the door-to-door laundry delivery service….

Service pack 2 do-it-yourself

a) Jenny plans to do clothes washing by herself this afternoon…

b) She take the basket of clothes with her and head towards the ‘Sunwash’centre at the rooftop of her building…… She take out her smart card and loads her clothes into the machine……

c) She is taking a rest in the rest room while she is waiting for the washing process to be completed…..She unload her clothes and hang them……

d) finally, she go back home with full basket of clean clothes…..

Service pack 3on-site service

a) Jenny plans to do clothes washing by herself this afternoon…

b) But she meets her neighbour at the laundry centre and she would like to chat to her in the tea house beside the washing room……

c) For that she needs to ask for an ‘on-site’ service from the ‘Sunwash’ centre……She had a good time with her neighbour…..

d) And finally, she got her clean clothes delivered by the staff of the laundry centre……

4

identify the basic elements of these scenarios…

1) Key Players 2) Persona’s experience3) environment 4) products / tools 5) flows of information

example:

home deliverya) Jenny is staying home and piling up all dirty clothes for ‘sunwash’ service to collect…..

b) The clothes were then collected and transported back to the rooftop of the building

c) Every step of the clothes cleaning is taken care of by the most experience staff of the ‘Sunwash’ centre….

d) Jenny just stay at home and enjoy the door-to-door laundry delivery service….

example:

home delivery

1) Key players

c) technicians

a) end user e.g. Jenny

b) service staff

d) others……

example:

home delivery

2) persona’s experience

Goal: getting clothes to be cleanedPlots:- Jenny stayed at home and piled up all dirty clothes for cleaning…..

- she separated various kinds of cloth for washing & dry cleaning….- she loaded the separated clothes into some protective bags which were provided by the ‘Sunwash’ centre…..- etc…….

b) script of experience

a) Persona Jenny

example:

home delivery

3) environment

key location: Jenny’s home

other locations: laundry centre, lift, corridor…

layout of environment: ….

example:

home delivery

4) flows of information

service provider: end user:

services required

1) categories of service requireda) home delivery

2) types of clothing care service required - machine wash- solar sterilizing

3) time to collect4) time required for delivery5) amount of item

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6) quantity (per types of c.c. service)- machine wash: 20- solar sterilizing: 3

services offered

1) categories of service:a) home deliveryb) do-it-yourselfc) on-site service

2) cost of services:3) types of clothing care service:

- machine wash- dry-clean- post-wash care- hand wash - solar- sterilizing

4) service subscription process

example:

home delivery

5) products /tools

a) key product:-washing machine

b) essentials: Physical Interaction Related:- drying-rack system, ironing devices, carts, containers, baskets, bags,

clothes, etc.

ICTs Related:- mobile phone, ITV, PC, internet-phone, tablet PC, walkie-talkie, etc.

c) supporting:-dryers, ironing boards, irons, scale, hangers, etc.

conclusion

scenario specific purposes

in developing the design solution:

1. to describe and anticipate user needs and expectations

2. to empower the solution through collaborative design

4. to communicate and make understandablethe solution advantages to the user in orderto adopt it

3. to envision the solution with creative visual thinking

scenario specific purposes

in supporting the design process:

4. to evaluate the solution

1. to structure the gathered data

2. to help discussion and sharing of information among the stakeholders

3. to build consensus in order toconverge towards cohesive visionsand coherent design decisions

scenario articulation

1) Key Players2) Persona’s experience3) environment4) products / tools5) flows of information

finally…

SCENARIOS

problems, solutions, needs, uses

products, services,strategies

TO EXPLORE TO ENVISION

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ate to design

DESIGN

“a set of visions aiming at converging in a design process all the stakeholders in the samedirection”

cultural changesrequire time.

design enablesconditions and motivations.

Scenarios building workshopThank you !

Eleonora Lupo