The Elements of User Experience, Second Edition: User-Centered Design for the Web and Beyond

Chapter 4. The Scope Plane: Functional Specifications and Content Requirements

Defining the Scope

We do some things because there’s value in the process, like jogging or practicing scales on the piano. We do other things because there’s value in the product, like making a cheesecake or fixing a car. Defining the scope of your project is both: a valuable process that results in a valuable product.

The process is valuable because it forces you to address potential conflicts and rough spots in the product while the whole thing is still hypothetical. We can identify what we can tackle now and what will have to wait until later.

The product is ...