5 ways stories can create better services for customers

Depending on where you are in your tech career, you’ve probably received a very detailed spec telling you exactly what to code or test. Or, on the other hand, you may have been asked to create a system from scratch using just a drawing on a piece of paper.

Regardless of how you’ve been briefed, there can often be some misinterpretation of requirements, which can lead to the wrong outcome for the customer. This can be avoided through the use of storytelling, which will help you develop an understanding of the customer and their needs.

Let’s bring this to life using this photo as an example:

What do you see? A tree? Sunlight in the corner? Balloons in a blue sky? Anything else?

If you were given this as a requirement, would you know what is expected of you and what you’ve been asked to develop?

Asking questions will naturally develop your understanding of what you’re trying to solve. In this instance, we could ask:

• Who took this photo?
• Where and when was it taken?
• What kind of device was it taken on?
• What’s the value of the photo to the customer?
• What is the story behind the request?

The customer’s story

As the customer, I can tell you:

• This photo was taken by a six-year-old boy, who got the camera as a gift for his birthday earlier in the year
• It was taken just after Christmas. We’d gone for a walk across a huge park, filled with hills, streams and deer. Midway through, he lost his camera
• In a bid to find it, we backtracked through rocky sections and fields. Trying to find a camera in a rugged terrain with a child who may not completely remember where he walked is difficult
• We’d given up hope of finding it again. To our surprise, when we got back to the car, we found it hooked over the wing mirror
• Some very kind people had found the camera and looked through the photos. They found one of our car (which the child had taken earlier in the day) and searched the nearby multi-story car park to find it
• The value of this photo is that it showcases the kindness of strangers and the luck you can sometimes have in life. Although a picture is worth a thousand words, you sometimes need to hear them for it to resonate

So, what does this have to do with how we work?

By listening to the story of the customer, we can understand why they want a change. A story:

• Provides a deeper level of insight, which allows us to question whether our approach is the right one
• Allows us to identify any areas of consideration that the customer may have missed
• Helps us to understand the value of the required change, and how this will really make a difference
• Provide a level of personalisation that brings the product owners and delivery teams closer to the customer. If you understand their story, you can often relate
• Can help determine what level of testing and type of testing is to be used

In a nutshell, stories can help us create and develop more effective services and solutions for our customers. What customer stories have you encountered?