User Story Map:
A way to organize user stories.
Structure user stories into user or business
workflow left to right, then decomposition and
Quick Reference Guide potentially priority top to bottom.
Wow! I finally
understand the
User Activity whole product!
User Task
User
Role
Sub-Task, A short phrase describing the relationship
a person has with a software system. Job
Task Detail, titles describe the relationship someone
has with their employer. Look deeper for
Business names that describe why people use a
Rule, product.
Add information to profile a type of
Ui Detail.... person. Make information concrete to
create a persona, and archetype or
example of a type of user.
user
Activity
A variety of related user tasks
performed by a person directed at a
higher-level goal. Organize user tasks
Task-Centric User Story by activity.
Example: “send an email message” is a
User A user story that describes a task a user would task that’s part of the larger routine
like to perform, ideally omitting description of activity of “keeping up on my email.”
Story the potential software user interface. Use this
to defer commitment to a software design
A user story serves several solution till the last responsible moment.
* Use the task name as the story name.
purposes: User Task
Use this template as a thinking tool to validate
✓ a description of a desired
the story is indeed valuable to a prospective
characteristic of the software
user of the system: What a user does to meet a short term
ideally from a user’s perspective
As a [type of user] goal. It's takes lots of task to satisfy
✓ a planning and scheduling token
I want to [perform some task] a longer term, less tangible goal.
✓ when supported by conversation,
so that I can [get some benefit] Express user tasks in short phrases
acceptance criteria and other
starting with a verb such as; “send
supporting information, a
message”, or “review product
description of software to be built
information.”
by the team
© Jeff patton, All rights reserved, http://www.agileproductdesign.com/presentations/user_story_mapping
Understand the initial shape of a prospective product by mapping Fill in missing stories, socialize the model with other groups, and build confidence that the model is
user’s experience. complete at a high level. Do this by walking the map with users, subject matter experts, architects and
✓ Identify your users as simple user roles or more rich user developers, testers, and business stakeholders. focusing on:
personas. ✓ validating completeness
✓ Map the consolidated experience across a variety of users ✓ confirming understanding
✓ Focus initially on probable including common problems ✓ identifying potential exceptions or alternative uses
✓ Focus on Breadth over depth - “mile-wide, inch deep” thinking ✓ identifying hot spots of user pains, potential technical complexity, or system dependency
It's over here
where things get
3 basic ways to create a Stuff to do when
interesting
story map walking a story map
1. User interview: discuss a typical day with * add stories
one or more users recording and modeling * split stories
tasks and activities as you go. * combine stories
2. Task brainstorming: with a group of * rewrite stories to improve
users or subject matter experts brainstorm clarity
user tasks onto cards or stickies. Organize * reorganize stories to reflect
Tell me about the
cards into a story map. new understanding
last time you used
3. Extract stories from a narrative: * roughly prioritize top to
the current
Leverage user research and common bottom based user necessity
product... Wow! I'm
understanding to write rich user scenarios. * annotate stories with
Extract user tasks from these and organize finally information as you see fit
them into a story map.
getting this!
To
ma
xim
an
d r ize l
de e e
vel duce arni
3- op ris ng
ph us k
Leverage both iterative and incremental strategies to build up the software while as
ed ing ,
st ch a
validating product ideas are good. Release on a target date with a product we’re ra e
te
confident will get its intended value. gy ss
Leverage a clear understanding of business and user
.
goals to slice a story map into a series of release where
each release delivers benefit.
First identify goals: Split Task-Centric Stories
1. Identify desired business outcomes as product goals, into Tactical Stories
Then prioritize them Discuss, sketch, and design features
2. Identify relevant user constituencies, their goals, and that support user tasks. Split task-
their priority relative to business goals centric stories into tactical stories.
4. Identify most critical activities relative to product and
user goals
Use this handy heuristic to split stories:
1. Bare Necessity: essential
an Opening Mid Game End Game
ate functionality necessary to
Cre ental demonstrate the simplest use of the
Game complete all refine the
em ap!
incr admal
feature. functionality and product in
r o
e rement 2. Capability & Flexibility: what would build a “functional
make existing preparation for
eas make this feature useful in more walking skeleton”
rel r each inse name: antra)
c functionality release.
situations or in alternative ways? – the simplest
richer and more Continuously
Fo ea (m ? possible
rel elease ss get 3. Safety: make errors less likely for complete. assess release
e
e of r busin e t? users or other stakeholders. Prevent functional version
Continue user readiness based
m s g
* na t doe use
rs user’s errors or validate data to of the product.
testing and on your release
ha do
*w hat prevent bad information from entering As you finish
leverage feedback level product
* w
the system. "Opening game" vet
to adjust the goals. Count on
4. Usability, Performance, & Sex the product with
product. Continue unforeseen work
Appeal: make the feature more users and other
testing to emerge during
desirable, easier to use, more efficient stakeholders.
performance and this last stretch
to use, or more esthetically pleasing. begin validating
scalability. of development.
* create release buckets – adding tape lines to the wall performance and
works well. scalability.
* Collaboratively organize stories into buckets where
each bucket addresses product goals.
