Towards Next Generation Design Thinking: Scenario-Based Prototyping for Designing Complex Software Systems with Multiple Users

Abstract

Design thinking is at its best if tangible prototypes can be used to capture and validate end user needs and envision new products and services. However, today such tangible prototypes are not feasible in a cost-effective manner for complex software systems with multiple users and their complex behavior. To overcome this problem, we developed a scenario-based prototyping approach for complex multi-user software systems that uses executable software engineering models including structural as well as behavioral aspects. Simulation turns these models into tangible virtual prototypes for end users that visualize the complex behavior and capture feedback interactively. In this chapter, we elaborate our concept for cost-effective scenario-based prototyping, report on a first prototypical implementation of the approach for the validation of multi-user processes with end users, and discuss our initial findings and learnings that we gained from first experiments with the implementation.