In agile software development, "user stories" acknowledge the importance of the user but how can we know that the needs the stories represents are genuine and valuable? I'll be looking at how user stories can be improved by using a mental models to align them with real behaviour. On the flipside, I'll also consider how generative user research can benefit from a lean approach and show that many of the techniques are similar to those used in a typical agile project. This talk is for anyone who is looking for practical ways to bridge the gaps between traditional research and agile practices by focussing on activities that hold common value for both.

1. Stories to Stories
@stuartcurran #storiestostories

2. Agency to Agile
http://www.flickr.com/photos/9778048@N06/5854181266/

3. What Do
Customers
Want?
Image by sleepy chan

4. Avoid
Poor
Decision
Making

5. What Do We Have
in Common?
http://www.flickr.com/photos/bellatrix6/3773105694/

6. Customer & User
Two Kinds of Stories

7. Customer Stories
Customer Stories

8. Customer Stories
Cinema
Holiday
"The film was incredible but the use of 3D was utterly
pointless. Having said that, the massive glasses were I researched the journey online and via my phone.
useful for disguising my tears during the bit in the Thankfully, it was very straightforward and I could
furnace. I think 3D technology is a horrible thing. This memorise it - whenever I give my wife a Google map
was confirmed for me during the trailers where on my iPhone to navigate with, she presses the wrong
literally every movie was an animated movie about an button and gets annoyed that she doesn't understand
animal overcoming some sort of ridiculously contrived how it works!
plight, but wait IT 'S IN FABULOUS 3D!!!
Going Out
Football
"It was the day of the royal wedding and having been stuck
"And, also, when I went abroad in April, there was a in all day watching the ceremony on TV, I was determined
Man City game against Arsenal and I wore my shirt to to get outside and join in the party. I called up one of my
bed because I just thought, “We have to win this game,’ mates and he was keen to join. As I live in Brixton and he
and we won. Arteta scored at 90 seconds, a minute, so lives in Roehampton we decided to meet on middle turf,
that was good for us, but then we lost the next week Putney - a place we also both know more than anywhere else
to a team at the bottom of the division, so I wasn’t in London. We found an exclusive pub down by the Thames
impressed either. So, it’s swings and roundabouts. and drank our next pint of lager with pride.... this one was
for the royal couple!"

9. User Stories

10. User Stories
As a... USER
I want... GOAL
So that... BENEFIT

11. Combing & Grooming
Analysing & Optimising Stories
http://www.flickr.com/photos/lwr/1788112624/

12. Combing for tasks

13. Groomingaabacklog
Grooming Backlog

14. http://www.flickr.com/photos/vpickering/8050256513/

15. Modelling & Mapping
Organising Stories with Diagrams
http://www.flickr.com/photos/leehaywood/5047795864/

16. Mental Models
Mental Model example by Indi Young

17. Mental Models - the Comic
http://uxdesign.smashingmagazine.com/2012/04/23/mental-model-diagrams-cartoon/

18. Building a mental model

19. Story Maps
© Jeff Patton, all rights reserved, www.AgileProductDesign.com

20. "Arranging user stories in
the order you’ll build them
doesn’t help me explain to
others what the system
does."
Jeff Patton

21. Seven Samurai
management and planning tools

22. The Affinity Diagram
Group Group
Idea
Idea Idea Idea
Idea Idea
Idea Idea
Group
Idea Idea Idea Idea Idea
Idea Idea Idea Idea Idea

23. Mental Space
Task Group Task Group
Task Task Group Task Task Group Task Group
Task Task Task Task Task
Feature Feature Feature Feature Feature
Content Content Content Content Content

24. Goal Goal
Activity Activity Activity Activity Activity
Feature Feature Feature Feature Feature
Story Story Story Story Story
Story Story Story Story
Story Story Story Story

25. The Story Wall

26. MoSCoW to M.V.P.
Stories in Prioritisation & Planning
http://www.flickr.com/photos/distan/5144708015/

27. Mental Space
Task Group Task Group
Task Task Group Task Task Group Task Group
Task Task Task Task Task
Feature Feature Feature Feature Feature
SHOULD HAVE WOULD BE
NICE TO
HAVE
Content Content Content Content Content
COULD HAVE MUST HAVE

28. Goal Goal
Activity Activity Activity Activity
Time
Priority
Feature Feature Feature Feature
Release 1 Story Story Story Story
M.V.P.
Story Story Story Story
Release 2 Story Story Story Story

29. "critical... to have the UX
person heavily involved in
the prioritization of the
back log. "
Jeff Gothelf

30. Testing & Learning
Smarter Stories, Leaner Research
http://www.flickr.com/photos/zusician/5431935468/

31. "because customers don’t
know what they want, it’s
easy for entrepreneurs to
delude themselves they
are on the right path"
Eric Ries

32. Aligning Research & Delivery
Spaces Goals
Groups Activities
Tasks Features
Features Stories
Mental Model Story Map Story Wall

33. Writing Better Stories
As a first time attendee
I want to find my way around
So that I can relax and enjoy
the conference

34. Just Enough Research
Just Enough Research

35. Socialising Stories
Social stories
Thanks to Daniel Eizans

36. Further Reading - Articles
• Mental Models: Aligning Design Strategy with
Human Behavior
http://rosenfeldmedia.com/books/mental-models/
• UX BA Collaborative Workflow
http://blog.nanchu.me/post/44833999380/ux-ba-collaborative-
workflow
• The new user story backlog is a map
http://www.agileproductdesign.com/blog/the_new_backlog.html
• Mental Modeling For Content Work
http://danieleizans.com/2011/11/mental-modeling-for-content-work-
an-introduction/

37. Further Reading - Books

38. Cheers
@stuartcurran
scurran@thoughtworks.com