What is User Story Mapping? Steps, Examples + Best Tools Available

图片：您是产品主，您的团队有积压的功能可以实现。

The problem is: Your team is overwhelmed and no one is sure where to start and how to prioritize the tasks. Well, this is where user story mapping can come in handy.

Keep reading to learn how user story mapping is helping product teams get a better understanding of consumer needs and prioritize tasks with a user-first approach.

在进入用户故事映射之前，让我们介绍基础知识。用户故事是从用户角度讲述的功能的简短描述。例如，“作为用户，我可以添加我尚未准备好购买的项目。”

It forces product teams to build with a user-first approach. A user story map takes this a step further by visualizing the steps a user takes to complete an action.

Whenproduct managers，，，，designers, and developers work on a product, sometimes they focus too much on feature specifications. User story mapping gets them out of this framework and redirects them to focus on consumer needs and desired outcomes.

In addition, a user story map will help break down the customer journey into bite-size pieces that teams can tackle and ensure nothing gets lost in the process.

But to be clear, the mapping process isn't solely for product teams. It can be a valuable cross-functional exercise that helps align marketing, engineering, UX/Design teams along with other departments.

In addition to getting everyone on the same page, creating a user story map also helps:

• Determine how to prioritize work if there's a large backlog of feature implementations, separating must-haves from nice-to-haves.
• Break down requirements and visualize how each piece interacts with the other.
• 揭露可能影响产品交付的障碍和依赖关系。

Is agile story mapping different?

简短的回答是没有,因为用户故事映射is used within an agile framework.

User stories are used in an agile framework as a way to provide context using simple and natural language. They also represent the smallest unit of work, just as sprints and epics are other measurements.

因此，这是敏捷的故事映射是描述映射用户故事的过程的另一种方法。

User story mapping typically happens at the beginning of a project, as it helps offer structure and get everyone on the same page. However, it can be used at any phase of the project to help identify roadblocks and reprioritize.

1. 设置框架。

Before you start mapping the story, you'll want to narrow the scope. Otherwise, you may quickly start feeling overwhelmed and unable to start.

您应该问以下一些问题：

• 我们要解决什么问题？
• How does this feature add value?
• Who is the audience subset we are building for? (If any)

Once you answer these questions, put it in user story format: "As a [user], I want to be able to [filter my search] results so that I can [quickly find what I'm looking for."

遵循这种方法将帮助您在战术上解决问题。

2. Map out the activities and the steps in the story.

In this step, you want to create a general roadmap for how the user would access and use this feature. Those are your main activities.

这里的目标是概述从头到尾的必要步骤。从那里，您列出了步骤。

按照上一节的相同示例，以下是它的外观：

Activities:

• Search for products.
• Review product details.
• 查看。

脚步：

1. 输入搜索栏，然后转到结果页面。
2. 滚动浏览搜索结果以搜索特定信息。
3. 选择过滤选项以按成本缩小选项。
4. 再次使用更新的选项查看搜索结果页面。
5. 选择项目并放入购物车中。
6. 完全购买。

您会注意到，故事映射需要从宏到微观。

你可能会从参与者使用输入map out these details. You want your map to paint an accurate and full picture of what does (and can) happen in this story.

因此，您需要在此步骤中依靠您的团队进行输入。

3. Group and define the tasks.

Once you've mapped out the big details, this is where the collaboration takes off.

Under each step, you should highlight the key actions involved in each activity.

For instance, when a user is in step 5, which is selecting an item and placing it in their cart, there are several substeps they will follow, including viewing the image, reading reviews, scanning related items.

All of these should be mentioned under the big activity groups, also known as the steps. The goal is to identify any gaps in the features of your product currently.

通过在地图中添加必不可少的，可以及的选项，可以优先排名。这是您要考虑的内容：

• 在其中一项活动中，您的用户还能做什么？
• What could disrupt their process at this point? Where could they get stuck?
• How else could the user navigate through this page?

This will require a collective effort from your various teams to figure out what's realistic and what's doable. For instance, an engineer might point out that a particular task is too big to count as one iteration. Your user researcher could highlight an important step in the process that you guys hadn't considered.

4. Slice your tasks and get your minimum viable product.

Once everything is laid out, you and your team can start to move through the map to prioritize a list of tasks and cut them into slices.

每个“切片”将包括每个活动的任务，以创建可行的端到端体验。它应该有一个明确的结果以及衡量成功的方法。在测试和跟踪用户行为时，这将很重要。

You will continue to separate your slices until you include all the tasks and have a clear plan to move forward.

用户故事映射示例

在此示例中，用户的故事如下：“作为用户，我想在此网站上轻松购买产品。”

拥有所有这些详细信息后，您就可以创建地图。

Once you've added the activities, steps, and tasks, now you can figure out your slices.

例如，在此示例中，第一个切片将跳过“搜索”活动中的两个任务，在“获取产品详细信息”中跳过三个任务，而“签出”部分中的三个任务。

第二片将包含“类别搜索”和“请参见AR中的产品”之类的功能。一旦您获得了所有切片，您的团队就可以上班了。

用户故事映射工具

在用户故事映射方面，您可以通过多种方法来做到这一点。

The most straightforward way is with a conference room, a whiteboard, and a whole lot of sticky notes. That way, you can easily move pieces around as you work and make it a collaborative effort.

Now, if your team is remote, you'll have to rely on online tools to assist you in this process. Many agile project management software have story mapping features, such as Atlassian's Jira.

Additional online tools for user story mapping include壮举模拟，，，，米罗，，，，and航空。

如果您的产品团队无法就即将到来的项目或正在进行的项目开始从哪里开始，请考虑创建用户故事图。这可能需要花费一些时间才能建造，但肯定会取得成就。