Stories and Scenarios

Scenarios

Scenarios

  • A scenario is a specific story that demonstrates how a specific user in a specific situation accomplishes some goal thanks to app
  • Key elements:
    • characters
    • conflict
    • plot
    • resolution

Scenario Uses

TypeDefinitionPurpose
4-Panel An illustrated example to articulate vision of app for developers and potential users Shows customers the idea. Guide initial development.
Demo A live example of the app being used Demonstrate feasiblity and value of app to customers
User journey A visualization of the steps a user takes to accomplish a goal Design new app functionality
Acceptance test Specific steps to do with the app, often automated Test for done. Verify app functionality

User stories

User stories

User Story Examples

  • A shopper can add items to a list in order to know what to buy when at the grocery story
  • A parts vendor can upload a price list spreadsheet to update a catalog page in order to avoid entering data twice
  • Some nice examples emphasizing roles and goals

Goals drive implementation

  • Story: a shopper can sort products by price to find the cheapest one
  • Story: a shopper can sort products by rating to find the best one
  • Should the sort be ascending or descending?
  • It depends on which story you are doing!

Measuring development

MethodExampleFocus
Code add sort state and button to App.js developer work
Feature add sort by price app functionality
User story add sort by price to find cheapest item user value

User Story Pitfalls

  • Stories about user interface design (dropdown, checkbox, swiping)
  • Stories without goals
  • Stories about a "user" rather than a role
  • Stories about coding tasks
  • Big stories (epics)
  • Stories about friction (login, data entry, profile creation, ...)
Common user story mistakes and how to avoid them
ScenariosUser Stories
User A persona A user role
Story Specific example, from problem to payoff:
A teacher at start of term uses app to form teams balanced by gender and coding skills
 A single user action, no specific context
professor can upload skill survey results to avoid extra data entry
Structure Present or past tense sentence, specific details:
John marks milk as purchased when checking out
 "can" action, generic:
professor can sort to see most skilled people first
Usage Focus development on common important scenarios Trackable unit of development progress
Test with User tests Acceptance tests