From words to action: user stories as a basis for communication

Image of Andree

Geschreven door Andrée Lange

When we work on a website, efficient communication within the team is crucial. By communicating efficiently with each other, we ensure that we align goals properly, anticipate problems in a timely manner and make sure that there is better decision-making within the project. Every project we carry out at Level Level consistently involves a project manager. A project manager contributes to effective communication within the project by facilitating clear objectives, structuring and organising communication and promoting open communication  between team members and stakeholders. This is facilitated, among other things, by the use of user stories.

What are user stories?

A user story is a short, user-centred description of a desired functionality or feature within a product. It follows a simple structure that identifies the user’s role, the desired feature and the value it delivers.
The purpose of a user story is not only to document functional requirements, but also to foster understanding and engagement between the team and stakeholders. By focusing on user needs, a user story provides a clear and understandable framework that acts as a guide for an agile development process.
When you hear about the terms ‘user story’ or ‘user stories’ you might encounter the term ‘epics’ as well. An epic is a user story that is actually too big to pick up and deliver in one go. Because it’s too big it can be split into smaller user stories to make the overarching goal more manageable. 

The structure of a user story

A crucial aspect of an effective user story is the structure itself, consisting of three core components:

  1. the role of the user;
  2. the desired functionality;
  3. the resulting value.
Construction of a user story: [ As an e-commerce customer ] [ I want to be able to track the status of my order ] [ so that I am informed about the delivery date. ]
Example of the construction of a user story.

The role of the user

First, we identify ‘the role of the user’ within a user story. This component highlight who the user or stakeholder involved in the specific interaction with the product is. Identifying the role of the user helps to develop the functionality with  the right perspective.

The desired functionality

‘The desired functionality’ within a user story focuses on the specific action, behaviour or capability the user wants to achieve in relation to the product. It describes what the product should do to meet the user’s needs and expectations. When formulating the desired functionality, it is important to be really concrete and specific so that there is no room for interpretation or misunderstanding. This will not only help the team get a clear picture of what is expected of them, but will also provide a measurable goal that the team can work towards. Which will result in a clear understanding of when the feature has been successfully implemented.

The resulting value

‘The resulting value’ within a user story refers to the specific benefit or added value that the user or stakeholder will experience as a result of the successful implementation of the desired feature. This component highlights why the functionality is important and what positive impact it will have on the user or business. Defining ‘the resulting value’ is essential because it not only clarifies the motivation behind the user story, but also provides the criteria by which the success of the implementation can be assessed.

Examples of a user story

Some examples of a user story are:

  • As an e-commerce customer I want to be able to track the status of my order so that I am informed about the delivery date.
  • As a blog reader I want to be able to post comments on articles so that I can share my opinions with the community.
  • As a student I want to be able to download course materials online so that I can access learning materials without an internet connection.

When creating a user story, it is important to phrase it concise, clear and meaningful.

Examples of 3 user stories: 
- As an e-commerce customer, I want to be able to track the status of my order so that I am informed about the delivery date. 
- As a blog reader, I want to be able to post comments on articles so that I can share my opinion with the community. 
-As a student, I want to be able to download online course materials so that I can access learning materials without an internet connection.

Why are user stories important?

If you want to practise agile thinking in development, it’s essential to use user stories. Agile is a development approach and project management method designed to be flexible and adaptive in a rapidly changing environment. Scrum or Kanban are well-known agile project methodologies in which user stories play a role. Using user stories is a good addition to the agile way of working, as it also emphasises flexibility, the user and continuous delivery of value in a product. A user story is valuable in the transfer between different teams, as it describes the requirement better and doesn’t focus a lot on the specific implementation details. By using a user story structure it’s also easier to compare user stories with each other, for instance on impact and time required to build the component.
Finally; because a user story does not show a specific implementation directly, it opens up room for considering different solutions. You can deal with the problem in different ways, depending on the desired priority and time commitment.

Pitfalls when creating user stories

Although user stories are a powerful tool in the agile development process, there are some pitfalls to consider when creating a user story. A common mistake is formulating user stories that are too complex, which can lead to confusion and difficulties in implementation. Another pitfall is not describing the desired function correctly or not properly naming what resulting value this brings to the user. This makes it harder for the team to understand priorities. Therefore, it’s important that a user story is always correctly formulated.

User stories are invaluable

Now you know why we like to work with user stories at Level Level. To us, user stories are essential for clear communication within a project. They also help improve the quality of the website we create because we can focus on the functionalities and the value they will add for the user. Furthermore. It ensures that everyone is on the same page, be it the development team or other stakeholders. With user stories, we ensure that a website works and achieves its goals!

Your next project on deadline and on budget?

Let’s discover how user stories can streamline the development of your website together.

Tell us more about your plans and ambitions!

We are ready to take on your online challenge.