User Story
User story is a very generic definition of a requirement, containing just enough information for developers to reasonably understand the effort required to fulfill the requirement.
User stories generally include a short sentence that explains what the user does or needs to do, using simple and common language. They can be complemented with additional information about the requirement and acceptance criteria.
One of the key characteristics of this is that it focuses on what the user needs to do rather than on the functionality that the product or service should have. This creates an opportunity to discuss the solution and how it can provide value to both the customer and the organization.
User stories typically follow this format:
“As a user X, I want to be able to do Y, because Z.”
Here, X refers to the user, Y to what they want to do, and Z is the reason they want to do Y.
There are several advantages to using them:
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- User Focus: When developing a product, it’s common to receive input from many individuals. These contributors may offer requirements that might not always hold significant value. By concentrating on the user rather than the preferences of the team and stakeholders, we can establish requirements that truly address the needs of those who will actually use the product.
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- Needs-Oriented: The team develops products to meet needs. The user story clearly describes the need. This way, we can achieve better results and greater customer satisfaction.
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- Flexibility: User stories require minimal documentation of requirements. This lightweight approach works well in complex and uncertain environments where changes are constant.