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Pablo Rodriguez

User Stories

  • User Story Definition

    • “fictional one-sentence story from persona’s point of view”
      • Also called scenarios or user cases
      • Inspires and informs design decisions
      • Expands on personas to deepen understanding
  • Benefits of User Stories

    • Prioritize critical design goals
    • Unite team around clear objectives
    • Enable “user-centered/user-centric” design decisions
    • Help personalize pitches to stakeholders
      • Shows how updates help specific people
  • Story Structure

    • Formula: “As a [type of user], I want to [action], so that [benefit]”
      • Type of user = who we design for
      • Action = what user hopes will happen
      • Benefit = why user wants the action
    • Contains:
      • Hero (user)
      • Ultimate goal
      • Conflict preventing goal
    • Example:
      • “As an online shopper, I want to receive a text when item arrives so I can pick it up right away”

User stories are essential tools for UX designers to understand and address user needs while keeping design decisions focused and user-centric. They transform abstract user needs into actionable, clear objectives that teams can rally behind.