User Stories
Put end users at the centre of the conversation using non-technical language to describe what needs to be built and why.
What it is
When to use it
User stories help tell the story to those making decisions about implementation. They can help to:
Keep the focus on the user
Enable collaboration
Drive creative solutions
Create momentum
How to run it
As a team, gather everything you have learned during your user research.
Write down everything your solution needs to do for your users.
Express these in this format:
“As a [persona], I [want to], [so that].”
"As a [persona]": Who are we doing this for? Who is the persona. The team should have a shared understanding of who that is. We’ve hopefully interviewed plenty of people like Freddie. They understand how that person works, how they think and what they feel. They have empathy for them.
“Wants to”: Here we’re describing their intent. What is it they’re actually trying to achieve? This statement should be solution free.
“So that”: how does their immediate desire to do something this fit into their bigger picture? What’s the overall benefit they’re trying to achieve? What is the big problem that needs solving?
More from Define
Related tools
Pairs well with these other methods from the define phase.
Personas
Create profiles that summarise groups of users with similar characteristics to build team empathy.
Concept Cards
Define how your idea works, how it benefits the user, and how it solves the problem.
Effort vs Impact
Prioritise concepts by mapping them against implementation effort and impact on the user.