Simple Use Case Text Example

from Figure 3-1 (p.40) of Martin Fowler's "UML Distilled (2nd Edition)"

• Use Case: Buy a Product

• • 1. Customer browses through catalog and selects items to buy
  • 2. Customer goes to check out
  • 3. Customer fills in shipping information (address; next-day or 3-day delivery)
  • 4. System presents full pricing information, including shipping
  • 5. Customer fills in credit card information
  • 6. System authorizes purchase
  • 7. System confirms sale immediately
  • 8. System sends confirming email to customer

• Alternative: Authorization Failure
  • At step 6, system fails to authorize credit purchase
  • Allow customer to re-enter credit card information and re-try

• Alternative: Regular Customer
  • 3a. System displays current shipping information, pricing information, and last four digits of credit card information
  • 3b. Customer may accept or override these defaults
  • Return to primary scenario at step 6