britt Writing User Stories
Overview
Core principle: User stories are a formulaic way of expressing user requirements. Every story identifies the persona of the actor, what they want to do, and the benefit they hope to gain.
When to Use
- You are asked to write a user story
- You are writing GitHub issues for product work or feature requirements
- You are asked to plan a feature and express its requirements as stories
Not for: full product specifications — use the writing-product-specs skill instead.
Story Format
As a [persona]
I want [action or feature]
So that [benefit or value]
Example:
As a non-technical stakeholder
I want to understand what changed in a release without reading code diffs
So that I can communicate updates to customers effectively
Acceptance Criteria
Add clear, testable conditions in Given-When-Then format:
Given I am viewing the project dashboard
When I click the "Filter" button
Then I see a dropdown with all available labels
And the issue list updates to show only matching issues
Stories without acceptance criteria lead to scope creep, unclear completion, and misaligned expectations.
Quality Checklist (INVEST)
Before finalizing a story, verify it is:
- Independent - Can be developed separately from other stories
- Negotiable - Details can be discussed and refined
- Valuable - Delivers clear value to users or business
- Estimable - Effort can be estimated reasonably
- Small - Can be completed in one sprint (typically)
- Testable - Success criteria are clear and verifiable
Common Pitfalls
Too technical:
- ❌ "Add a REST endpoint at /api/v2/users with authentication"
- ✅ "As an admin, I want to manage user accounts via API, so that I can automate user provisioning"
Too vague:
- ❌ "Make the dashboard better"
- ✅ "As a manager, I want to see project velocity trends, so that I can forecast delivery dates"
Missing the "why":
- ❌ "As a user, I want dark mode"
- ✅ "As a user, I want dark mode, so that I can reduce eye strain during evening work sessions"
Optional Sections
For stories destined to become GitHub issues, add sections as needed: Dependencies (what must complete first), Open Questions (decisions still needed), Technical Notes (implementation guidance), and Design Assets (mockups, wireframes).