User story mapping
A map in which the person's activities are arranged from left to right, like a story, and under each one go the user stories that make it possible.
What it’s for
Helps you keep the whole experience in view when deciding what to build first, something a flat list of tasks hides.
Key elements
A backbone
At the top go the person's big steps, in the order they experience them.
Details below
Under each step go the tasks, variations and exceptions, from most to least important.
Horizontal slices
A line runs across the map and marks the minimum that lets the person reach their goal in each release.
How it’s done
Tell the journey with the big steps from left to right.
Hang below the stories needed for each step.
Draw the slices that decide what goes into each release.
Applications in design
When to use it
When planning what to build and in what order, once you know the person's journey.
Avoid
Making the first release a loose piece that doesn't let people complete the journey.
Don’t fall for it
Revise the map every time you learn something new about people.
Connections
Authors and works
- 2014
Jeff Patton
He popularized the method in User Story Mapping, as an alternative to task lists that lose the thread of the experience.
Sources
Original sources
- Patton, J. (2014). User story mapping: Discover the whole story, build the right product. O'Reilly Media.
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