Use case catalogue :: 1 of 2

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What is it?

A use case catalogue (UCC) is a prioritised, filterable spreadsheet that marries use cases and scenarios with customer segmentation (including personas).

Characteristics

A use case catalogue (UCC) codifies information about a website's audience.

That is, because it's a repository of information about the user and what they consider to be the most important aspects of their online experience, it serves to replace the isolated opinion, misinformed prejudice, or simply inaccurate views that many organisations hold about their audience.

It also provides a way for designers to resist requests for inappropriate content additions or features from senior (but perhaps less well informed) stakeholders, by providing a canonical reference in terms of user preferences, needs and aspirations. A UCC is usually presented as a spreadsheet, with all fields filterable.

What's it for?

A use case catalogue (UCC) can be used in two important ways:

1. Prediction - as a way to predict what users will think about proposed new additions or features of a site
2. Validation - as a way to confirm that a site is meeting the identified needs of its audience.

How to create a UCC
A use case catalogue - to be as useful as it can and should be - must be created on the basis of quantitative user research data. This means that you must spend time acquiring empirical user data via one or more appropriate data capture techniques.

Remember, a UCC is only ever as good as the data that goes into it. This means that, if the UCC is populated from prejudiced information, misinformation or inaccurate sources, then its utility is hugely diminished.

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