3.3 Generating User Stories

User stories are detailed requirements written from your users' perspective. They describe what users want to accomplish and why, helping ensure your product truly serves your customers' needs. In VibeMap, user stories are automatically generated based on your features and personas.

What Are User Stories?

User stories follow the standard format: "As a [persona], I want [goal] so that [benefit]." Each story includes:

• Clear persona identification - Which user type this serves

• Specific goal - What the user wants to accomplish

• Business value - Why this matters to the user

• Acceptance criteria - How you'll know when it's done

• Priority level - Importance for development planning

Prerequisites

Before generating user stories, you need:

• Project features - Stories are derived from your feature list

• User personas - Stories are written from specific user perspectives

• Clear project scope - Helps prioritize story importance

Note: User stories are automatically generated when you create a project, but you can regenerate or add more from the User Stories section.

How to Generate User Stories

Automatic Generation (Recommended)

User stories are created automatically during project creation. VibeMap analyzes your features and personas to generate 3-8 stories per feature, covering different user scenarios.

Manual Generation Options

VibeMap offers two different approaches for generating user stories:

Option 1: Generate Stories for All Features (Storyboard Tab - Features Page)

This approach creates user stories for your entire project at once:

1. Navigate to Storyboard: Click the "Storyboard" tab in your features page

2. Click "Generate User Stories": Creates comprehensive user stories for all features simultaneously

3. Wait for Processing: Takes 2-3 minutes for complex projects with many features

4. Review Results: Stories appear organized by feature with clear persona connections

Best for: Getting a complete overview of your project's user stories, initial project planning, or when you want to see the full scope of user requirements.

Option 2: Generate Stories for a Specific Feature (Criteria List Tab - Features Page)

This approach lets you focus on generating stories for one feature at a time:

1. Navigate to Features: Click the "Features" tab in your features page

2. Select a Feature: Click on the specific feature you want to create stories for

3. Go to Criteria List: Click on the "Criteria List" tab within that feature's page

4. Click "Generate User Stories": Creates stories specifically for that selected feature

5. Wait for Processing: Takes 30-60 seconds for a single feature

6. Review Results: Stories appear focused on that feature's functionality

Best for: Iterative development, focusing on specific features, or when you want to refine stories for particular functionality areas.

Generating Additional User Stories

If you need more stories or want to explore different scenarios:

1. Click "Generate Additional User Stories": Creates new stories without duplicates

2. AI analyzes existing stories: Avoids repetition and identifies gaps

3. Focuses on edge cases: Creates scenarios you might have missed

4. Adds alternative flows: Different ways users might accomplish the same goal

Note: This works from both the Storyboard tab (for all features) and the Criteria List tab (for specific features).

When to Use Each Approach

Use Storyboard Tab When:

• Initial project setup - You want to generate stories for your entire project at once

• Project overview - You need to see all user stories across all features

• Cross-feature planning - You want to understand how stories relate across different features

• Sprint planning - You're planning development cycles that span multiple features

• Project scope review - You want to assess the overall scope of user requirements

Use Features Page (Criteria List Tab) When:

• Feature-focused development - You're working on a specific feature and want to focus on its stories

• Iterative refinement - You want to refine or add stories for a particular feature

• Feature-specific planning - You're planning development for one specific feature

• Contextual story creation - You want to create stories within the context of a specific feature

• Feature validation - You want to ensure a feature has comprehensive story coverage

What You'll Get

Story Organization

User stories are organized by feature and include:

• 📋 Story Title: Clear, descriptive heading

• 👤 Persona: Which user type this serves

• 🎯 Goal: What the user wants to accomplish

• 💡 Benefit: Why this matters to the user

• ⭐ Priority: High, Medium, or Low importance

• 🔗 Feature: Which feature this story belongs to

• ✅ Acceptance Criteria: Testable conditions (generated separately)

Story Structure

Each user story follows this format:

As a [persona],
I want [specific goal],
So that [business benefit].

Priority: High
Feature: User Authentication
Estimated Effort: 3 story points

Example User Stories

As a Marketing Manager,
I want to create and assign tasks to team members,
So that I can distribute work efficiently and track progress.

As a Content Creator,
I want to receive notifications when tasks are assigned to me,
So that I know what work I need to prioritize.

As a Team Lead,
I want to view a dashboard of all active projects,
So that I can monitor team workload and identify bottlenecks.

Managing Your User Stories

Accessing Your Stories

You can view and manage user stories from two different locations:

From the Storyboard Tab

• Complete project view - See all user stories across all features

• Cross-feature organization - Stories grouped by feature

• Project-wide filtering - Filter by persona, priority, or feature

• Overall story management - Add, edit, or delete stories from any feature

From the Features Page (Criteria List Tab)

• Feature-specific view - See only stories for the selected feature

• Focused story management - Add, edit, or delete stories for that specific feature

• Feature context - Stories are viewed within the context of their parent feature

• Targeted filtering - Filter stories within that feature only

Viewing Story Details

Click on any user story to see:

• Complete story description and context

• Associated acceptance criteria (if generated)

• Related features and dependencies

• Priority and effort estimates

Editing User Stories

• Click "Edit" on any user story

• Modify title, description, or priority

• Update persona assignment if needed

• Save changes to update the story

Note: Edits can be made from both the Storyboard tab and the Features page Criteria List tab.

Adding New Stories

From Storyboard Tab:

1. Click "Add User Story" button

2. Choose persona from your project personas

3. Write story following the standard format

4. Assign to feature and set priority

5. Save to add to your project

From Features Page (Criteria List Tab):

1. Click "Add User Story" button

2. Choose persona from your project personas

3. Write story following the standard format

4. Story is automatically assigned to the current feature

5. Set priority and save

Deleting Stories

• Click "Delete" on any user story

• Confirm deletion to remove permanently

• Related acceptance criteria will also be removed

Note: Stories can be deleted from both locations, but the action affects the same story regardless of where you delete it from.

Reordering Stories

From Storyboard Tab:

• Drag and drop to reorder by priority across all features

• Filter by persona to see stories from specific users

• Group by feature for better organization

From Features Page (Criteria List Tab):

• Drag and drop to reorder stories within that specific feature

• Filter by persona to see stories for specific users within that feature

• Priority-based organization within the feature context

Expected Outcomes

Typical Generation Results

• 3-8 user stories per feature (varies by complexity)

• Coverage across all personas (each persona represented)

• Priority distribution: High (30%), Medium (50%), Low (20%)

• Clear business value for each story

Quality Indicators

Good user stories will have:

• ✅ Clear persona identification

• ✅ Specific, actionable goals

• ✅ Clear business benefits

• ✅ Appropriate priority levels

• ✅ Realistic scope and complexity

Best Practices

Writing Effective User Stories

To get better user stories, ensure your features include:

• Specific functionality rather than vague capabilities

• User-focused descriptions that explain the "why"

• Clear scope boundaries to avoid overly complex stories

• Business context that explains user motivations

Example Good Feature for User Stories:

User Authentication
Description: Secure login system that allows users to access their accounts using email/password or social login. Includes password reset functionality, account verification, and session management for security.

This generates stories like:

• "As a user, I want to log in with my email and password so that I can access my account securely"

• "As a user, I want to reset my password so that I can regain access if I forget it"

• "As a user, I want to log in with Google so that I don't have to remember another password"

Troubleshooting

Common Issues

Too Few User Stories Generated:

• Add more detail to your features

• Include specific user workflows in feature descriptions

• Try the "Generate Additional User Stories" button

Stories Too Generic:

• Ensure your personas are detailed and specific

• Include more context in your feature descriptions

• Edit generated stories to add domain expertise

Stories Don't Match Your Users:

• Review and edit your personas

• Modify stories to better reflect actual user needs

• Add custom stories for unique requirements

Priority Levels Seem Wrong:

• Edit story priorities based on business impact

• Consider user frequency and importance

• Align priorities with your development roadmap

Next Steps

After generating user stories:

1. Review each story to ensure it matches your vision

2. Edit priorities based on business value

3. Generate acceptance criteria - stories provide context for detailed requirements

4. Estimate effort for development planning

5. Create your backlog using story priorities

User stories are the bridge between high-level features and detailed requirements. Well-written user stories lead to clearer acceptance criteria, better development estimates, and more successful product outcomes.