User Story
What is a user story?
A user story is a product requirement format that follows the structure: "As an [actor/user role], I can [take some action], for [some explicit benefit]." This format emerged from extreme programming and has become popular with Agile development as an alternative to traditional Product Requirement Documents (PRDs).
User stories communicate not just what to build, but why. By including the actor, the action, and the benefit in one compact statement, they provide essential customer context within bite-sized pieces of information. Engineers can see who they're building for and why the functionality matters, not just what features to implement.
What makes a good user story?
The extreme programming community uses the INVEST acronym to describe the six attributes of effective user stories. Good stories are Independent (can be worked on separately), Negotiable (open to discussion about implementation), Valuable (provide clear value to users or customers), Estimatable (the team can gauge the effort required), Small (completable within a reasonable timeframe), and Testable (you can verify when they're done).
Most importantly, user stories should act as conversation starters rather than contracts. They facilitate dialogue between product teams and engineers about what needs to be built and why. The written story is just the beginning—the real value comes from the conversations it triggers about how to deliver the benefit to the actor.
How do user stories fit into discovery work?
Teams often use user stories to summarize and communicate conclusions from their discovery work. After running assumption tests, interviewing customers, and validating solutions, user stories provide a format for sharing what the team learned and what they've decided to build.
This makes user stories a communication tool that connects discovery work to delivery. They capture the "why" that emerged from customer research and translate it into a format that engineering teams can work with. The actor and benefit portions of the story carry forward the customer insights that informed the product decision.
Learn more:
- User Stories Are Better Than PRDs
- User Stories Aren't As Simple As They Seem
Related terms:
- Assumption Testing
- Discovery Work
- Product Decisions
Last Updated: October 25, 2025