Experience design
Example: connecting intent and verification
A guided route from a user request to error recovery.
- Status
- Proposed
- Last reviewed
- 2026-09-30
Scenario
A user needs to reopen a saved item. The item may be available or no longer accessible. This teaching example shows how to use the UX contract without depending on a specific application’s domain.
Artifact chain
| Artifact | Example | Link |
|---|---|---|
| E-001 — decision | The user must be able to reopen an item from their list | Requirement source |
| US-001 — story | As a user, I want to reopen an item to continue my work | E-001 |
| JY-001.S01 — journey step | Identify the work to resume | US-001 |
| FL-001.N01 — flow node | Select an item from the list | JY-001.S01 |
| VAL-001 — validation | If available, the item opens with its content | US-001, FL-001.N02 |
| VAL-002 — validation | If inaccessible, the message explains the problem and lets the user return to the list | US-001, FL-001.N03 |
Flow
Loading diagram…
Mermaid source
flowchart TD
A[FL-001.N01 Select item] --> B{Item accessible?}
B -->|Yes| C[FL-001.N02 Open content]
B -->|No| D[FL-001.N03 Explain the problem]
D --> E[FL-001.N04 Return to list]How to apply it in the project
- Record the actual decision and its source in
sources.md. - Define stories and journeys using the product’s language.
- Specify flows, access conditions and outcomes. Add a retry only if the problem can be temporary.
- Link each promised outcome to a validation scenario.
- Make the chain navigable in
traceability.md.
Completion criterion
The error path is part of the experience to prototype and observe. Testing only the happy path does not cover US-001 if the user can also encounter an inaccessible item.
References: UX workflow and templates.