Use Case

What

The definition of a use case may depend on the context. In the context of product management, a use case is:

A description of how a user interacts with a system or product*

There can be a single broad use case, but most often a product is described through a set of use case. Use cases need to be agreed upon during early planning stages, and it is important to involved all relevant parties when defining use cases.

Use cases serve as a common thread throughout the development process and across the parts of the organization involved in product development. They are an excellent tool to ensure alignment and a common understanding.

During those early stages, use cases need to be evaluated: do the interactions provide benefit to the user and to the business, and are these "the right" use cases? Specifically for conversational AI, the question must be asked: is conversational AI the right choice? Is a chatbot or a voice assistant the most effective channel to reach our customers in their journey and to help them complete their tasks and interactions with our brand?

As an input to the design of the conversation, the use case informs us of what the conversational experience will do, what it's all about. This often aligns with the Scenario level in the OpenDialog model.

How

A number of tools can be used to represent use cases. Tools such as Miro are great to visually represent a use case and do so in a quick and easy manner.

More information about defining the details of a use case can be found on the Internet. While we don't endorse any specific sources, an example source is listed in the reference below*.

Consider LLMs

Consider an LLM as a brainstorming partner when constructing general use case definitions.

As always, the LLM output needs to be verified for alignment with particular business goals and user needs.

Don't use LLMs

Don't expect that LLM output is the final output; LLM output tends to be generic and may or may not be accurate. Every organization will want to consider how to customize the use case to their brand, users and specific strengths in the market.

References

*https://blog.logrocket.com/product-management/what-is-a-use-case-template-how-to-write/