How to Build a User Story Map? A Story With a Quick Guide
his article is part of a series of three articles where we share our experience in preparing for the start of the project. Already talked about the first two stages — Impact Mapping and Customer Journey Mapping.
Thanks to these tools, we were able to determine the exact purpose of the project and the roles that affect the processes. We also described the role-based improvements needed to optimize the entire system. Next, we visualized all these processes with the Customer Journey Map.
However, it is not enough to know what to improve in the current system. You need to understand how to embody this and thanks to what features. For this purpose, we use the User Story Mapping tool.
User Story Mapping in a Nutshell
As in previous cases, the name does not give an instant understanding of how the tool works.
User Story Mapping is also a visualization tool for role-based processes. It helps to present the functionality of a future product, as well as how to use it.
Although the User Story Mapping and the Customer Journey Mapping tools are quite similar, since both help visualize the processes, they have differences.
The most crucial difference is that with User Story Mapping we describe how the system developed in the future should function, unlike Customer Journey Mapping, where we illustrate how it works (with all its drawbacks). They also differ in appearance. And another feature of User Story Mapping is that we track every possible user action in the system.
Meeting Preparation
For the last meeting, we prepared a sketch of the future scheme on the board, which later became a Customer Journey Map. Now we move on to more non-standard solutions — we use the office window as a place for future visualization.
In addition to the window, we will need the following: self-stick notes (at least two colors), a felt-tip pen or pen, a board with a diagram from the last meeting.
It is worth mentioning right away that we are using a simplified version of user stories. Earlier, we tried to use the tool as it should be, but either we got confused at the beginning or in the middle of the process, and the work stopped. Sometimes we even had to start all over again.
Therefore, unlike in the original idea, where one user or a group of users with similar functions is taken as the basis, we vertically paste stickers with written roles. Similarly, with the Customer Journey Map, we conditionally divide the entire space vertically into segments with similar processes.
It is Time to Put Our Heads Together
So… Our client comes to us. And he is already heading to the sofa opposite the board when we suddenly invite him to sit near the window. A moment of confusion, but he still sits on the proposed place. Then he sees that stickers are already on the window. Here we explain that tonight will not be held by the fireplace, of course, but the evening promises to be engaging.
Now we ask again to tell the movements of each user step by step. However, this time, we will not just mark the action but sign each sticker with possible options.
For example, <role or persona> can enter its account or <role or persona> can see its profile and so on.
Thus, we describe the functionality of future product.
As in Customer Journey Mapping, the same principle works — you should start with the most significant role. If, during the description of one role, suddenly ideas arise about the functions of another one (or interrelated actions are affecting several roles), it is necessary to note with stickers the other role too. So, gradually, our board-window will be filled up. And on its basis, it will be possible to build further stages.
User Story Mapping Meeting Results
In general, this meeting can take a lot of time, because, despite the use of already gathered information about processes, it is necessary to dive deeper into them and fish out the appropriate action(s). Usually, it lasts about four hours, with a break of 15–20 minutes. It’s rather long, and it’s a lot of mental work. But in the end, we have a picture of the future software product.
“I have a five percent charge left, and I enter the power-saving mode. So we have another five minutes, and then I will disconnect”
— that’s what we usually hear at the end of the meeting from the customer. And we all support him because our “batteries” also run out.
But so much time and effort are worth being spent on this stage.
Our next step is to digitize the stickers from the office window to the browser window. Most often, their number in the electronic analog increases by about forty percent. Firstly, since during the meeting in order to save time and space in one sticker, we write several similar functions. Secondly, after scheme review very often, we find unexpressed / missed opportunities that will definitely be needed in the system. Therefore, the review is the head of everything.
Overall Result
So what results do we have after using Impact Mapping, Customer Journey Mapping and User Story Mapping? The most important can be formulated as follows. If we started working immediately with the material provided by the customer, then at best we would have developed a working product, but without any business benefit. And soon the product would either not cope with its tasks, or simply be forgotten.
However, thanks to three meetings, we were able to:
- understand the business and how it works;
- derive an accurate and measurable the project goal, which will help customers evaluate our work and the work of the new system, and in our turn, we will conclude on the project developed and make the necessary changes to the workflow (if needed);
- get high-quality and real-life material that lays a good foundation for a future product;
- synchronize with the customer in the way of thinking about the project, which in the future will facilitate his communication with us and vice versa.
The list of tools that we use is not exhaustive. Like many progressive companies, we are in the eternal search for the “Holy Grail” in the field of software development and learn from our own mistakes.
Hence, for sure soon, more perfect tools will appear in our arsenal, and the old ones will go to their well-deserved rest. As soon as this happens, we will immediately tell you about it in our future articles. Stay tuned!
