USE CASES: THE IDEAL BRIDGE BETWEEN REQUIREMENTS AND DESIGN?

Summary from the TLDR Design newsletter

Ivar Jacobson introduced use cases in the 1980s as a method for describing system requirements from an external perspective, focusing on interactions between actors and the system rather than its internal workings. Use cases consist of two parts: diagrams that provide an overview of actors and their associated use cases, and narratives that detail the interaction sequence, including the basic flow, alternative flows, and pre- and post-conditions. The appropriate level of detail in use cases should match the project stage, avoiding premature design decisions early on while maintaining enough structure to guide development effectively.