The context of use is described in user group profiles and personas (who are the users), as-is scenarios (how do users currently do tasks), task models (details about what the tasks are) and user journey maps (how users interact with the interactive system and the organisation providing it).

A user group profile is a generalised description of a collection of users with the same or similar personal characteristics and context of use related to the interactive system.

A persona is a description of a fictitious but realistic user and what he or she intends to do when using the interactive system.

An as-is scenario is a narrative text description of the procedure a specific user currently follows to complete one or more tasks,

A task model is a list of subtasks for each task which the user has to complete to reach their goals. Task models help the design team to design the right solution for each task. User journey maps provide an overview of the touchpoints where users interact with the interactive system and the organisation providing the interactive system. They help stakeholders and user experience professionals understand and optimise the user experience.

The main purpose of personas and as-is scenarios is to identify user needs and make it easier for designers, developers and other stakeholders to understand who the users are, what they do, what their obstacles are, and to facilitate discussions within the design team.