Define your type of user, their mission or goal, and what kind of pain points or obstacle s/he might encounter during their journey.

The 3 UX principles behind a powerful user story

User, mission, paint points

What exactly is a user story?

A user story is a dynamic, fictional narrative that gives the user persona its overarching story. It highlights the type of user, her/his mission, and possible pain points.

User stories complement the user persona. Sometimes, user stories might be referred to as scenarios.

A user story is told as a 3-part sentence. It succinctly unfolds the user’s journey to complement the mission/goal, while encountering pain points/obstacles in so doing.

User stories are accessed by all members of the UX team and stakeholders. They serve to further empathize with the user for whom the product is being designed for. With a user story as a reference, important design decisions can get prioritized throughout the entire development process.

The user story, also known as hero, goal, and conflict in fiction

As in fiction, where the hero achieves reaching her/his goal while overcoming conflict, in a UX user story, our user accomplishes a mission while encountering possible pain points.

In a fiction, we identify with the hero, her/his goal to be achieved for the story’s conclusion, all the while…