In the Unified Modeling Language (UML), use cases are visually represented as ellipses. However, in spite of its popularity and size, UML has little of practical use to offer modelers beyond this simple iconic representation. Trying to capture and present requirements using just use case diagrams can often render the otherwise useful technique of use cases almost useless.

Practitioners are often drawn to expressing their intent by overworking the limited use case diagram notation, losing readers in a myriad of bubbles muddled together with obscure relationships and microscopic text. This article takes a step back to examine the pitfalls and recommend a more balanced and restrained approach.