Ever written a user story that sparked more confusion than clarity? You’re not alone. Writing effective user stories is harder than it seems. If your team constantly asks, “What does this mean?” or “What exactly do they want?”, it might be time to level up your user story writing skills.

Let’s walk through a bad user story as example of what NOT to do and then turn it into something that your team will thank you for.

The bad user story

As a user, I want to see the dashboard so that I can use it.

Sounds familiar? At first glance, it might look okay. It has the classic format:

• As a [user type]
• I want [something]
• So that [value]

But why this story fails? Let’s break it down and learn how to fix it:

Vague Roles

Problem: Who is “a user”? Are we talking about an admin, a manager, or a customer?

Fix: Be specific. Different roles have different needs.

Replace “user” with the actual persona: “As a project manager…”

Unclear Goal

Problem: “See the dashboard” doesn’t explain what they want to achieve. Just looking at something isn’t a goal.

Fix: Focus on the why. What decision or action should this dashboard support?

What’s the user trying to understand or do? Monitor team progress? Track KPIs? What is the MAIN goal?

No Acceptance Criteria

Problem: There’s no way to tell when this story is “done.” What exactly should be on the dashboard? What are the success conditions?

Fix: Add clear acceptance criteria to define “done.”

Use Gherkin syntax (Given–When–Then) or simple bullet points.

Missing Context

Problem: The story doesn’t say why the dashboard matters to the business or how it fits into the bigger picture.

Fix: Include additional notes, links, mockups, or business goals in the story description.

This helps the team make better decisions during implementation.

No Conversation Starter

Problem: Good user stories aren’t specs – they’re conversation starters. But this one doesn’t leave room for discussion.

Fix: Use the story to prompt discovery. What are the pain points the dashboard should solve?

Helpful Tools and Tricks

Use INVEST (by Bill Wake)  to evaluate your stories:

• Independent
• Negotiable
• Valuable
• Estimable
• Small
• Testable

Use a Story Map or User Journey to visualize where this story fits in the broader experience. Try tools like:

• Miro or Mural for mapping
• Figma or Sketch for UI mockups
• Jira with templates for story structure

Collaborate in refinement sessions to discuss intent and slice stories vertically (not by layers like UI only or backend only).

A Rewritten, Clear User Story

So, let’s take our messy story from the beginning and fix it.

"As a project manager, I want to view a dashboard with current sprint progress (team velocity, story status, and blockers), so that I can track the team’s performance and spot issues early."

Acceptance Criteria:
● The dashboard shows total story points committed vs. completed.
● A burndown chart is visible for the current sprint.
● Blockers are listed with assigned team members.
● Data auto-refreshes every 15 minutes.
Notes:
● This supports the goal of improving sprint predictability.
● Link to the UI mockup: [Figma link]
● Based on feedback from last retro: PMs need a faster way to see blockers without opening each story.

Final thoughts

User stories aren’t just tickets to fill a backlog – they’re conversations about value. A vague story leads to wasted time, endless clarifications, and frustrated teams. But with a few simple tricks – be specific, define value, include criteria, and always give context – you’ll write stories that actually tell a story.

And most importantly: don’t write stories alone. The best stories are shaped together with your team.

Struggling to write clear and effective user stories? You’re not alone — and you don’t have to figure it out on your own.
Feel free to contact us if you’d like support through in-house education or hands-on mentoring. We’re here to help your team get it right, from the start.