The power of user stories
User Story
Definition: A user story is a fictional one-sentence story told from the persona’s point of view to inspire and inform design decisions. This is an excellent opportunity to use your imagination as you create stories that capture the needs of your users.
What is a User Story?
A user story is short, specific, and goal-oriented. It is a one-sentence statement that tends to have the following structure: “As a , I want so that ”.
User stories are collaborative design tools. All project stakeholders are expected to participate in defining and sorting user stories.
The format of a user story forces you to think about others and keep them and their needs in focus, to work a little bit on your empathy, and place yourself in the users’ shoes.
As a user experience designer, you are the “voice” of the user during project development. Try to surround yourself with as much of their reality as possible and translate this “user voice” into the user stories so everyone in the project has them in mind.
What Does a User Story Look Like?
Most product teams use a similar user story template, typically just a sentence or two according to the following formula:
As a type of user (who), I want to action (what) so that benefit (why).
User stories focus the project on the perspective of those who will use it.
Using this format is a clear way to ensure your user story is communicating everything you need to know about the persona. The user stories you create will be very valuable as you start designing your product. User stories can also serve as a “checklist” to make sure you’re addressing and solving the key problems your users might face when engaging with your product.
User story examples
The best practice for user stories is to keep them short, impactful, and to the point, with clear action and benefits.
- As a frequent traveler, I want to hire a consistent dog walker so that I can feel comfortable about the safety of my pets while I’m on vacation.
- As a dog owner, I want to trust my dog walker so I can hire them for regular dog walks.
- As a former police officer, I want to track my dog walker so I am comfortable with the safety of my pets.
Keeping these user stories in mind can inform the designs you’ll create. For example, in the dog walker app, users should have the ability to request a date and time for a dog walker, select a specific dog walker, and maybe even read the background checks of dog walkers, since those were all mentioned in our user stories.
Why Create User Stories
- Understanding user needs: User stories are a way of capturing and documenting the needs and requirements of users. They help developers to understand what users want, why they want it, and how they will use the software.
- Communication: User stories provide a simple and effective way for the development team to communicate with stakeholders, including users, project managers, and product owners. They are concise and easy to understand, and they help to ensure that everyone is on the same page.
- Prioritization: User stories help to prioritize features and functionality. By focusing on the most important user needs first, the team can ensure that they are delivering the most value to users.
- Agile development: User stories are a key component of the agile development process. They help to break down the development process into smaller, manageable chunks, which can be developed and tested quickly.
Representing your users
Personas and user stories represent the needs of the users you’re designing for. The more detailed and accurate your personas and user stories are, the better you will be at designing products that meet their needs. Take your time when creating user stories. Remember, as a UX designer, the user always comes first in all of your work, so it’s important to understand their points of view.
Where to Learn More:
- The Google UX Design Course Article. I am currently taking the Google UX course and I am sharing as I am learning. https://www.coursera.org/learn/start-ux-design-process/supplement/97qJ5/learn-more-about-user-stories
- https://www.interaction-design.org/literature/article/user-stories-as-a-ux-designer-i-want-to-embrace-agile-so-that-i-can-make-my-projects-user-centered
- https://www.productplan.com/glossary/user-story/
