1. Synthetic users should represent real goals
A scenario should reflect what a real user is trying to achieve, what they know, and what they are likely to try next. That makes failures more informative than generic scripted checks.
2. Cover recovery behavior, not just the happy path
Real users retry, backtrack, hesitate, and ask clarifying questions. Synthetic tests become more realistic when those behaviors are part of the scenario library.
3. Keep scenario assumptions explicit
Each synthetic user should declare device type, prior context, permission level, and expected success condition. That prevents ambiguous results.
4. Turn failures into reusable cases
When live users hit a serious issue, the team should convert that event into a synthetic scenario so the failure stays visible in future test cycles.
5. Review scenario drift regularly
Synthetic libraries can become stale as the product changes. Regular review keeps scenarios aligned with real user behavior and current risk.
Practical Checklist
- Base synthetic tests on real user goals and context.
- Include retry, hesitation, and recovery behavior.
- Convert major live failures into reusable synthetic scenarios.
References
- Nielsen Norman Group, Journey mapping
Useful for scenario design grounded in real user goals.
- Playwright, Best practices
Helpful when synthetic users are executed through browser automation.
- OpenAI Evals Guide
Relevant when turning user scenarios into repeatable evaluation cases.