Understanding user stories
Like all of us. Stories and narration have a long history in human history. But a user story? let’s take a closer look at them. How, why and how do you use them in your design process?
What is a user story?
A user story is a small, brief description designed to accomplish a particular goal within a product. User stories are generally written from the user’s point of view and follow the format “As [user character], [take this action] and [achieve this]”.
The purpose of the user story is to write how the project returns value to the end user.
What Are Their Benefits?
User Stories put users at the centre of a conversation about what they can add or change to a software product. They focus on the user and solve the real situation that the customer may face. This helps the design & development team think more critically and creatively.
Other benefits of using user stories are:
- Improve visibility and collaboration within your development team.
- Better use of user or customer feedback. Save time by prioritizing requirements and feature development.
- Helps avoid the limitations that occur when spec details are defined too early.
- A clearer view of the business value and delivery of products that end users really need.
What Does a User Story Look Like?
Most designers use a similar user story guide, typically just a sentence or two written according to the following formula:
As a [description of user], I want [functionality] so that [benefit].
In practice, user stories might look like these:
- As a realtor, I want to list assets from my other wallets so that I don’t have to open multiple platforms
- As a shopper, I want to get a reminder for my order delivery, so that I will be available for the pickup
- As a project manager, I want to automatically merge teams from different departments so that I can more easily create reports for ongoing projects.
One of the reasons it is written in plain language without using any development terms or techniques is that it can provide a user story that everyone in the business or technical side of the team should consider. Team members (product managers, UX designers, etc.) only need to understand the specific user and person problems they want to solve. The development team doesn’t really need to know how to write this solution.
How You Can Write a User Story?
When building a story, focus on clarifying product features, maintaining high standards, and using simple, accurate language. Instead of finding and researching real users, think like users.
Step 1: Define what “Who?” is like
People tend to refer to users simply as “users”. They use your product or hopefully, we call it “user” to make it easier, right? However, this can be a problem because it affects everyone and there is a risk of ignoring the specific needs and issues of the target. It’s best to be more specific when discussing user needs so opportunities can be organized more clearly. In these conversations, you need to be aware of your target audience, rather than the average character trying to use the product. So instead of just saying “user,” try to create a buyer persona that captures the key characteristics of your target audience.
Step 2: Identify the “What?”
Now that you know who you’re building for, let’s take a look at the features they expect and how they interact with the product. It is important to remember that user stories focus on a single action. So, if a user is looking for the ability to browse and add items to their cart, these are two separate user stories. You can view the product catalogue and select a product as a customer. By adding your favourite items to the cart and purchasing them as a customer, your team can create features that add real value, rather than just focusing on the features your users need. Instead, you should focus on the intent behind your work.
Step 3: Point out the “Why?”
Now that the who and the what are all figured out, it’s time to look at why we’re building the product.
The story of each user should contribute to the achievement of the product objectives. At the same time, you need to determine the value your users get from taking the actions your user story focuses on.
If you can’t answer this question based on steps 1 and 2, you might want to go back and review your user story or user persona.
Step 4: Discuss & Feedback
All issues need to be addressed and the person writing the user’s story has the opportunity to clarify anything if necessary. Talk to users and customers about their priorities, and learn what more they want from your products. Now that you know how to write a user story, all you have to do is get started.
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