What is user story?

What is user story?

A user story is the who, what, and why of a goal or outcome that the user or customer wants to achieve. It’s the smallest piece of work that can give value back to the customer. It’s written from the point of view of the end user, often on an index card.

Here’s an example of how a user story is typically written: “As a [persona type], I want to [action] so that [benefit].”

In software development and product management, a user story is an informal, natural language description of features of a software system. They are written from the perspective of an end user or user of a system, and may be recorded on index cards, Post-it notes, or digitally in project management software.

User story card
User story card

Real-word example: DoseSmart app

- As a patient, I want the application and smartcap setup process to be easy and guided

As a patient, I want to be able to easily manage my medication schedule so I can set the times and days for alerts

- As a patient, I want to be able to easily manage my friends so I can have a good support network

- As a patient, I want to be able to get to key functions in one tap so I don’t waste time

- As a user, I want to have consistent nomenclature in the app so I do not get confused

- As a friend, I want to be notified when action is needed so I can help the patient

- As a friend, I want to be presented with the patient’s preferred contact information when I received a missed dose alert so I can easily support the patient

- As a friend, I want to be able to access the patient’s app to view reports or to edit settings so I can support patient

- As a patient, I want my activity history to be viewable in graphical form so I can understand it easily and show it to my doctor quickly

- As a patient, I want to be able to add or edit medications quickly and easily so I can keep the app current with my regimen

- As a patient, I want the number of screens/taps to be as few as possible to achieve a task so I can minimize the time effort spent and so I don’t get lost in or frustrated with the app

- As a patient I want a User eXperience (UX) that includes nice graphics to help me build an emotional attachment to the app so I am more likely to use it and thus have better health outcomes

Phạm Đình Trường
CEO, Software Architect
TIGO Solutions