The Kickass Entrepreneur
  • About
  • Blog
    • All Blogs
    • Create Wealth (Investing)
    • Entrepreneur Interviews
    • Featured Top Posts
    • Growing Profits
    • Growing Revenues
    • Marketing
    • Positive State of Mind
    • Real Estate Investing
    • Retirement
    • Sales
    • Selling your Business
  • Book
  • Courses
  • Podcast
  • Resources
  • Contact
The Kickass Entrepreneur
Subscribe
The Kickass Entrepreneur
  • About
  • Blog
    • All Blogs
    • Create Wealth (Investing)
    • Entrepreneur Interviews
    • Featured Top Posts
    • Growing Profits
    • Growing Revenues
    • Marketing
    • Positive State of Mind
    • Real Estate Investing
    • Retirement
    • Sales
    • Selling your Business
  • Book
  • Courses
  • Podcast
  • Resources
  • Contact
  • All Blogs

User Story Mapping: A Comprehensive Guide

  • March 31, 2022
  • 1.4K views
  • 4 minute read
  • Rene
three persons discussing some strategies for the business
Share
Tweet
Share

Story mapping is a simple ideology that places buyers’ journeys at the forefront with exciting backlogs. This simple idea is all about making work easier for an agile development team.

A user story map template illustrates ways to improve end-user experience, enhance team understanding of target customers, and prioritize work. It’s a sophisticated model built around users’ stories, explaining how they engage with the product.

User mapping, in simpler words, is a visual exercise designed to support agile development teams and product managers redefine processes delivering the ultimate user experience.

Seeing all possible bug fixes, enhancements, features – all in one place – offers unlimited possibilities, right? Backlogs of consumer data are indeed full of potential but can also be confusing.

After all, delivering a delightful user experience is what we all want to achieve. To that end, understanding your customers’ needs and preferences is essential to ensure the long-term use of the product.

If you are clueless about story mapping and how to create one to enhance your team’s perspective on user experience, keep reading!

A Brief Guide on Story Mapping

First introduced by the famous software specialist Jeff Patton, story mapping can be explained as a visual and planning tactic, allowing your agile development team to place the development backlog into action.

It systematizes sprint tasks with steps representing a buyer persona’s journey towards achieving their goals.

It’s a brief but straightforward description of a product feature from the user’s standpoint. Bear in mind that it doesn’t look anything like a map but still resembles the Kanban board.

It’s a great way to organize complex tasks into a sequence of development deadlines and user stories into sprints.

It shows the natural progression of steps and functions within a user story involving columns of digital cards and a whiteboard.

Building a dynamic graph of customers’ interactions with the product also evaluates each step and prioritizes them according to their relevance.

Certainly, it’s an alternative to a flat list of backlog items or spending long hours on lengthy requirement documents.

Indeed, the development team develops user stories in a predetermined format that captures the company’s value without exceeding the sprint.

Product managers’ go-to tool for visualizing user stories and ways of accomplishing them within a sprint is story mapping.

Leveraging story mapping enhances developers’ understanding of what the customer wants from the product and then working hard to meet said expectations.

Steps in Creating a User Story Mapping

Undoubtedly, story mapping takes time. Fortunately, we are up for the challenge. Below are the logical steps of a story mapping process.

Frame the Buyer Journey

Before anything else, it’s essential to frame the sprint around a shared vision. So the first and foremost step is to identify your primary audience.

To gain deeper insights about your customer, conduct focus group and A/B testing, keeping the team moving forward in the right direction.

Identify the Problem

The next step is all about focusing on the problem your product aims to solve. Start by identifying the big picture and broad user applications associated with your product.

For instance, what will the customer overcome in the end? Keep a user-centric mindset, and visualize all the steps.

If all this feels overwhelming, the simplest way to begin is to answer a simple question: what does your product aim at solving? When answering, remember the 5Ws:

  • Who
  • What
  • Why
  • Where
  • When

Build Your Story Backbone

It’s time to define your backbone, where the entire user journey is listed according to their priority. This step describes tasks from start to finish without going into the details of each step.

In the end, you will have a list of actions your customer must make in order to achieve the final outcome.

Keep in mind the narrative flow highlighting a story. It defines the ideal user flow of actions.

Break Down the Bigger Picture

Each of the steps listed above is about complex, extensive user activities that need to be divided into smaller user tasks.

Here is where you go in-depth and define every action your target buyer will take. This is the backbone of the user story map.

Prioritize Tasks

The backbone defines the user story but lacks tasks to support them. Hence, under each backlog, prioritize the job depending on its importance. Here, the first step is necessary to move to the next one.

Therefore, always keep high-priority errands on top and push less important ones down the list. 

The Final Note

Undoubtedly, story mapping is an effective visualizing technique designed to structure the product backlog.

It builds shared understanding among the development team, prioritizes tasks, identifies gaps, and helps deliver a delightful customer experience.

____________________________________________________

Some other articles you might find of interest:

Understand how you can maximize your time to grow your business:

Time Is Money And Your Most Valuable Resource. Use it Wisely to Build Your Business

Looking for effective ways to drive and increase traffic to your startup website?

SEO Traffic Guide To Boost Your Blog Rankings

Looking for effective ways to drive and increase traffic to your startup website?

3 Top Reasons Why Startups Fail and How Not to Become a Victim

Thank you for your interest in THE KICKASS ENTREPRENEUR'S GUIDE TO INVESTING. Three Simple Steps to Build Massive Wealth with your Business's Profits. Please check your email to confirm the book download. Form: 400529

There was an error submitting your subscription. Please try again.

Related Posts:

  • A Comprehensive Guide to Workers Compensation in Minnesota
  • Your Comprehensive Guide To Filing A Worker’s Compensation Claim
  • A Comprehensive Guide To Creating Promotional Items For Your Business
  • How to Build a Minimum Viable Product: A Comprehensive Guide
  • Debt Free Story
  • Why Do We Need To Know About How To Moderate User-Generated Content
Share
Tweet
Share
Rene

Previous Article
associates busy working in the office
  • All Blogs

4 Ways to Get Ahead in Business

  • March 31, 2022
  • Rene
View Post
Next Article
a man carrying a laptop
  • All Blogs

Everything New Entrepreneurs Need to Know

  • April 1, 2022
  • Rene
View Post
You May Also Like
Lawyer and accountant small business
View Post
  • All Blogs

The 8 Reasons Your SME Might Need a Lawyer

  • February 24, 2023
  • Meg Rivera
online casino
View Post
  • All Blogs

What are online games doing to standout from competitors?

  • February 21, 2023
  • Meg Rivera
Enjoying Retirement
View Post
  • All Blogs

Top 10 Best Places to Spend Your Summer Workstation

  • February 9, 2023
  • Meg Rivera
Investing in Multifamily Properties
View Post
  • All Blogs

How to Choose the Right Neighborhood for Your Family: A Guide to Making the Perfect Choice

  • February 7, 2023
  • Meg Rivera
home
View Post
  • All Blogs

6 Ways To Speed Up Your Home Remodel

  • January 31, 2023
  • Frances
medical form
View Post
  • All Blogs

How Can You Win Your Medical Malpractice Case With The Right Lawyer?

  • January 24, 2023
  • Meg Rivera
volkswagen
View Post
  • All Blogs

Volkswagen VIN Decoder and How Useful It can be

  • January 20, 2023
  • Meg Rivera
mom and baby
View Post
  • All Blogs

Introducing Your New Baby To An Older Sibling: Understanding The Psychology Of Sibling Rivalry

  • January 10, 2023
  • Frances

Join 6,472 Entrepreneurs That Get My Business Building and Wealth Creation Posts by Email

I can teach you how to build a successful, profitable business, and turn that into millions in personal wealth.

Thank you for your interest in THE KICKASS ENTREPRENEUR'S GUIDE TO INVESTING. Three Simple Steps to Build Massive Wealth with your Business's Profits. Please check your email to confirm the book download. Form: 400529

There was an error submitting your subscription. Please try again.

We won’t send you spam. Unsubscribe at any time.

Recent Posts
  • Logistics Software 1
    Accelerating Your Business Growth: The Role of Logistics Software Development
    • March 20, 2023
  • crude oil 2
    Energy Futures: What to expect in 2023
    • March 17, 2023
  • man writing on board 3
    What is the Difference: Lead Scoring vs. Nurturing
    • March 17, 2023
  • group session 4
    Managing Wealth: 4 Reasons You Need to Opt for a Money Management Company
    • March 17, 2023
  • BUSINESS 5
    Planning to Start a New Business Abroad? These 11 Tips Might Help!
    • March 16, 2023
Featured Posts
  • Become a Decamillionaire
    How to Become a Decamillionaire, Grow your Net Worth to $10 Million, and Join the 1% Club
  • how to become wealthy
    The Entrepreneur’s Secret to How to Become Wealthy and Build a Personal Fortune
  • Most Profitable Small Businesses
    27 of the Most Profitable Small Businesses to Open in 2023
Categories
  • All Blogs (1,034)
  • Business (220)
  • Canadian Financial Products (4)
  • Create Wealth (Investing) (131)
  • Entrepreneur Interviews (25)
  • Featured Post for Main Menu (4)
  • Featured Top Posts (23)
  • Finance (55)
  • Financial and Investment Calculators and Economic Data (114)
  • Fitness (5)
  • Growing Profits (72)
  • Growing Revenues (70)
  • Growing Revenues (115)
  • Marketing (139)
  • Millionaire and Business owner interviews (3)
  • Positive State of Mind (68)
  • Real Estate Investing (17)
  • Retirement (13)
  • Reviews (12)
  • Sales (15)
  • Sell Me This Pen (8)
  • Selling your Business (13)
  • Starting a Business (1)
  • Startup Ideas (14)
  • Technology (112)
  • Top Products (4)
  • Uncategorized (54)
Follow us
Author
Jeff Wiener
Jeff sold his company to private equity in 2017 and is now semi-retired. Jeff spends time…

    CHECK OUT MY BLOG, AND SUBSCRIBE

    about
    The Kickass Entrepreneur

    Expand Your Business, Improve Profits, Create Wealth

    Expand your business, improve your profits, and create wealth. Each one of the three can be elusive goals. Follow the right steps, and you, too, can create financial independence. It is possible … you just have to take the right steps.
    NAVIGATION
    • About
    • Blog
      • All Blogs
      • Create Wealth (Investing)
      • Entrepreneur Interviews
      • Featured Top Posts
      • Growing Profits
      • Growing Revenues
      • Marketing
      • Positive State of Mind
      • Real Estate Investing
      • Retirement
      • Sales
      • Selling your Business
    • Book
    • Courses
    • Podcast
    • Resources
    • Contact
    TAGS
    apartment BATNA Business business failure business growth business sale Capitalization Rate CAP Rate cash cash flow Creating Wealth Discipline entrepreneur entrepreneurship excel extra cash Featured goal setting Growing Business investing investment real estate M&A marketing Marketing KPIs Mergers and Acquisitions | M&A | Entrepreneur Blog Millionaire millionaire next door mistakes MUR Peter Principle Profit profitability real estate retirement revenue Revenues sales sales management Semi-Retirement Blog | Entrepreneur Blog | Small Business Blog small business Stagnant stocks success Thomas Stanley wealth
    RECENT ARTICLES
    • crude oil
      Energy Futures: What to expect in 2023
      • March 17, 2023
    • deck of folders with insurance word on it
      Tips for choosing the right auto insurance coverage
      • February 17, 2023
    • holding laptop
      Tackling pros and cons of virtual reality tours when buying and selling houses
      • February 9, 2023
    • Rising gold prices concept. Investment in precious metals in the stock market
      The Pros And Cons Of Investing In Precious Metals
      • February 9, 2023
    • man looking at his tablet
      These Are The 7 Mistakes Six-Figure Earners Make
      • January 7, 2023
    • starting your own business
      6 Must-Know Tips For Starting Your Own Business
      • January 1, 2023
    The Kickass Entrepreneur
    • Coaching
    • Book
    • Blog
    • Contact
    • Privacy Policy
    • Terms
    • Disclaimer
    • Facebook
    • LinkedIn

    Input your search keywords and press Enter.