When launching a new product, your vision for its use might differ from how customers actually use it. George Nissen, the gymnast who invented the modern trampoline, probably didn’t expect his exercise equipment would become a popular children’s toy. In other words, he probably didn’t foresee this use case—a product development framework that helps identify target audiences and hone in on your product’s value.
What is a use case?
A use case is a detailed description of how something is used to achieve a specific goal. For example, the use case for your refrigerator is storing food at low temperatures to prevent spoilage.
Formal use cases are commonly used in software development to map out how a hypothetical user will interact with a new feature. Other industries create use cases to identify key audiences and develop products that satisfy their needs.
How use cases work in software development
In the tech industry, a use case is a detailed document outlining the steps a user takes to achieve a goal using a not-yet-developed product, typically a new software feature.
Different combinations of users, goals, and actions yield different scenarios, and the use case for a single product can include multiple scenarios. The goal of a tech use case is to ensure the software meets user goals and to anticipate potential issues.
For example, in a use case for a mobile banking app, one scenario might involve a user entering incorrect login credentials multiple times, locking them out of their account. By identifying this issue during product research and development, the developers could implement a feature that lets users reset their passwords securely before launch.
How use cases work in other industries
Use cases in industries that make physical products differ from those used in the world of software development. A use case for a physical product focuses less on pinpointing errors and more on understanding and connecting with the target audience.
Developers and marketers of physical products create use cases to identify problems their product will solve for different users. A use case for a new fridge might focus on an ergonomic handle that’s more comfortable for people with arthritis. This would involve asking people with arthritis to test the handle to ensure it meets their needs. Marketing materials could then use language and imagery appealing to this audience.
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Benefits of use cases
A good use case can help you do the following:
Hone in on the product’s value
Because a use case outlines exactly how your product helps your target audience achieve their goals, it can assist in illustrating your product’s value. Although you don’t share your use case with customers, it informs your unique value proposition and marketing materials.
Exploring different use cases for your product can reveal new, unexpected values and audiences. For example, a desktop mini fridge initially intended for beverages might also appeal to those needing refrigeration for skin care products. In tech, these alternative scenarios describe situations where users “misuse” software—or use it in unexpected ways. By anticipating alternative scenarios for your product, you can provide product attributes that better serve your users.
Prioritize key features
Understanding how your audience uses your product helps you identify and prioritize essential features or benefits to meet customer needs. This can also help with project planning and budgeting by focusing resources on the most critical features.
The key benefits you identify also form the basis for test cases, which validate the efficacy of your product’s features.
Gain marketing insights
Product marketing relies on use cases to convey a product’s value to various audiences. Tailoring the language in marketing materials to the target audience and their specific use of the product ensures the message resonates.
Aligning your messaging with how your audience views their challenge or problem can make it easier for them to see your product as a solution.
How to write a use case for a product
- Select a user
- Describe the user’s goal
- Show how the product helps achieve this goal
- Identify key takeaways
- Repeat
In retail, a use case typically describes how a hypothetical customer interacts with and benefits from your product. You may need several use cases to cover various customer interactions. Our use case template can help you write your first one quickly and can provide a helpful framework for each additional use case.
Here’s how to write your first use case:
1. Select a user
Write a brief description of a hypothetical user from your target audience by asking, “Who is this product for?” Then create a use case for each user you identify.
For example, if your product is a collapsible bike helmet, the user might be an urban professional who rides their bike to a coworking space.
2. Describe the user’s goal
Once you’ve chosen a user, describe their goal or pain point related to your product. Focus on the user’s perspective, incorporating insights from customer feedback, surveys, or social listening. Capture how the user actually perceives their goal or pain point, not how you hope they see their pain point.
For the commuter cyclist, the pain point might be a typical helmet’s clunkiness. They want to stay safe, but their helmet doesn’t fit in their work bag, and there’s nowhere to store it at the coworking space. It’s also inconvenient when meeting friends for dinner after work.
3. Show how the product helps achieve this goal
Explain how the hypothetical user will use your product to solve their problem or achieve their goal. For a physical product, describe when and where they will use it and highlight the most important features or benefits.
There’s only one way to wear a bike helmet—on your head—but different users may be drawn to different features and use it in different settings. For instance, the commuter cyclist wears the collapsible helmet on their commute to the coworking space, then stashes it in their bag while working. They put it back on to meet friends for dinner, then stow it away once at the restaurant, repeating the process for the ride home.
4. Identify key takeaways
A use case isn’t something you write once and never look at again. Use it to help your marketing clearly demonstrate how your product can solve users’ challenges.
For instance, key takeaways from the commuter cyclist use case might include the need for a helmet small enough to fit in a messenger bag, work tote, or backpack. Since users frequently collapse and open the helmet, going from storage mode to biking mode and back again needs to be quick and easy. You can demonstrate this to potential customers in video ads on social media.
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5. Repeat
Repeat this process for each target audience. You can then compile your product’s use cases into a single document to reference for promotional campaigns.
Product use case example
Most products have a variety of use cases. Consider the Slick Salve lip balm from skin care company Topicals. According to Roxana Ontiveros, product marketing lead at Tropicals, the balm was developed with multiple use cases in mind.
“It’s not only for a person who has existing dryness, but it’s also for people who are on Accutane,” she says. “And then it’s also a good use case for someone who maybe wants a cosmetic benefit. So they want something that’s kind of slick, kind of glossy.”
Even the name Slick Salve captures these different use cases: “Slick” describes the cosmetic appeal of glossy lips, while “salve” conveys its healing properties. For Roxana, use cases are an essential part of her goal of capturing as many audiences as possible while still being specific with the product storytelling and messaging.
What is a use case FAQ
What is the difference between a scenario and a use case?
In software development, a scenario (or use case instance) describes a single instance of a hypothetical user interacting with the product to achieve their goal. A use case diagram or document consists of various scenarios. In physical product development, the term use case is commonly employed instead of scenario.
What is the goal of a use case?
The goal of writing a use case is to outline how future users will use your product to meet their goals or needs, or solve their problems. A use case helps you identify target audiences and their needs for product development and marketing.
What is the difference between a use case and a case study?
A case study is a promotional document that tells the story of a real-life customer to prospective customers. A use case is an internal document that describes a hypothetical user and their goals.
