User Story

What is a user story?

A user story is part of an agile project management framework. It describes which features end users desire to optimize their satisfaction with a product and gain as much value from it as possible. 

The user story statement typically refers to a specific goal and reasoning behind why a feature appeals to the user. For instance, “As a site visitor, I want to see a menu or list of courses available to help me find the best one to take” would be a user story for someone looking at a website for online education.

User stories are always from the perspective of the user, although it’s the internal team who actually writes them. They are typically stored in project management software for the project team to review as new products and services are developed.

Types of user stories

The user stories created for each project will live with the product backlog for easy reference while the product is developed. Agile teams can use three types of user stories.

• Target user stories are the most common type. They’re formulated from the viewpoint of the product’s target customer to create an easy-to-understand statement that the team can use to build features around customer wants and needs.
• Non-user stories are effective when a product’s features don’t have a direct user correlation, but can still be helpful for the development team. In these situations, a non-user statement assists in building a better overall product.
• Spikes are brief statements that indicate to the team that further research is needed on one or two issues, which can later be tested to prevent further issues in the future. Issues may come up based on user and non-user stories that need to be addressed. 

Basic elements of user stories

User stories differ depending on the project and the type of user. But their basic composition should all be similar, using the four elements:

• The card. Every user story should follow the format of “as a [who], I want to [what] so that [why].”Named the card to help limit space, this element should be as high-level as possible to keep the statement simple.
• The conversation. As the internal team members are the ones writing the user stories, the conversation part of developing these is all about replicating topics a target user may discuss when using the product. This should be a collaborative process between both stakeholders and developers.
• The confirmation. Before user stories can inform product development, the internal team should agree on acceptance criteria. Not every user will have suggestions that turn into product features.
• The context. Individual stories are useful for developing features, but they have to relate to the product’s wider concept. 

Benefits of user stories

Many user stories tell the development team about similar needs or desires they’re looking for from a product. Developers can then take this information into account as they work. Some of the other benefits of engaging with user stories include:

• Improving the final product. While feedback isn’t necessarily from the end user, user stories compel the internal team to think as such. This encourages conversation around what a user wants from the product.
• Working with key stakeholders. Users will be the primary thought behind user stories, but other key stakeholders may need internal input into product changes. User stories help merge that feedback with the needs of the end user in a way that works for everyone.
• Preventing issues before they come up. When thinking like a user, the development team might locate problems that were initially overlooked. This gives them the opportunity to fix them before the product is too far developed.

Best practices for user stories

Although the format of writing a user story is fairly uncomplicated, it’s important to consider several best practices when working on them.

• Focusing on the why, not the what. The feature itself is important in product development, but the reason in the user story should remain the key driver behind any decisions. Clarify features about different user needs, rather than the specific feature on the product.
• Developing a better understanding of users. To write effective user stories, teams should look at building user personas from research and customer insights. This makes user stories more accurate to lived experience
• Prioritizing and revisiting other stories. Even if certain user stories aren’t initially helpful, it’s a good idea to keep the rest for the future, especially with new products that may go through redesigns. It’s extra useful when product teams can compare real customer data to the user stories.

Gather product data and feedback directly from your customers, then organize it for your internal team using dedicated enterprise feedback management software.