The document discusses how to define the right product through user story mapping. It recommends focusing on the overall product narrative before details, constructing activities in the order of the story, adding steps and details to each activity, prioritizing elements, and slicing releases. This process brings different perspectives together to organize requirements and prioritize releases, build shared understanding, and define the minimum viable product.

1. DEFINING THE RIGHT PRODUCT
Ryan Glasgow
Senior Product Manager
Weebly

2. Background
CAREER PATH
Front-end engineer, designer, now product
WEEBLY
Most recently the iPad launch

4. THE FOREST
THE TREES
THE TREE

5. THE FOREST
Product

7. “It’s common for entrepreneurs to pitch their products
as a list of features, tech specs, or explain an abstract,
convoluted idea. What they should do instead is a story
— something everyone can understand and relate to,
from investors and employees to friends and family.
Something that is memorable, easily passed around,
and well-received by even the least tech-savvy.”

8. Stories

9. Instagram
WHAT
It’s a fast, beautiful, and fun way to share your photos
with friends and family.
HOW
Snap a picture, choose a filter to transform its look and
feel, then post to Instagram. Share to Facebook,
Twitter, and Tumblr too – it’s as easy as pie. It’s photo
sharing, reinvented.

10. Features need stories too

13. SnapTune
WHAT
Enjoy a fast and fun way to share your songs with your
friends.
HOW
Enter a song, choose a clip, add a caption, then send it
to your friends. It’s the easiest way to share music.

14. THE TREE
User stories

15. User Stories
- Things real people are going to need the software
to do for them
- The building blocks of the product backlog
- Include who, what, and why
- Combination of conversations and acceptance
criteria
- Token for a conversation

16. Format
As a [type of user],
I want to [do something],
So that I can [get something].

17. Sign Up
As a potential SnapTune user,
I want to signup with Facebook,
so I don’t have to enter my profile information.

18. Requirements

19. Delegate Goals, Not Tasks

20. Design
TASKS
Design a responsive Facebook
Connect button that includes:
- Active state
- Down state
- Deactive state
- Hover state
- An icon
- A text label
As a potential
SnapTune user,
I want to signup
with Facebook,
so I don’t have
to enter my
profile
information.

21. Engineering
TASKS
- When user clicks button, link
them to Facebook auth window
- Integrate Facebook Connect SDK
- Import profile information and
friends list
- Create new account in Database
As a potential
SnapTune user,
I want to signup
with Facebook,
so I don’t have
to enter my
profile
information.

22. QA
TASKS
- Test new Facebook account
- Test existing Facebook account
- Test new Facebook account with
email already in Database
- Try Continuously clicking on
Facebook button
- Test new Facebook account with
missing information
As a potential
SnapTune user,
I want to signup
with Facebook,
so I don’t have
to enter my
profile
information.

23. User stories are the baton in the
relay race that is building a product

24. Agile
Defer commitments to the last responsible moment

25. Overflowing Backlog
How do I prioritize the stories?
When should I user test?
How do I define my MVP?
What use cases am I addressing?
Is the project on schedule?
When can I launch?
What stories are nice-to-haves?

26. THE TREES
User Story Mapping

29. Traditional Process
Spec process has little to no collaboration
IDEA INPUTS SPEC REVIEW

31. Product Spec
Identity a product that’s valuable, usable, and feasible
Valuable Usable
FFeeaassiibbllee

32. “It’s rare if not impossible for a single person to
possess the business, user interface design, and
engineering skills to find that valuable-usable-feasible
sweet spot”

33. Fundamental Shift
Product managers ideate and define ideas
Product managers curate and refine the best ideas
with team members who hold different perspectives

36. Purpose
- Curate different perspectives
- Organize and prioritize releases
- Build shared understanding

38. XXXX
Downloads MAU DAU /
MAU
Enter
App
Send a
song
View
songs
shared
Learn
about app Sign Up
Songs
shared by
month
KPIs
Activities
Use Cases
Steps
Details
Share a
song when I
hear it
Looking for
new music
to listen to
Log In
View
screensho
ts
Watch
video
Frame It

39. 1) Frame it

40. Set the Boundaries
- Product manager creates framework for
brainstorming
- Starts everyone involved with the same context
- An anchor for discussions and a reference point for
debates

41. Goals
What are we trying to accomplish?
Complement
music streaming
services and
stores
Connect
friends
through music
XXXX
Downloads
Become
synonymous
with music
sharing

42. Use Cases
What outcomes are we building for?
Hear song on
radio, club, bar
and want to
share it
Looking for
new music
friends are
listening to
Browse
trending
songs
Hear a song
through earbuds
or headphones
and want to
Connect with
individuals with
similar tastes in
music
share it

43. Music
junkie XXXX
Taste
maker
Downloa
ds
Passive
listener
Personas
Who is our target user?

44. KPIs
How do we measure success?
App
downloads
per month
XXXX
MAU
Downloa
ds
Songs
listened
per month
Songs
shared per
month
DAU / MAU

45. 2) Construct a narrative

46. Activities
- Focus on breadth before depth of story
- In the order you wish to tell the story
- ...and then...

47. SnapTune
WHAT
It’s a fast and fun way to share your songs with your
friends right from your phone.
HOW
Enter a song, choose a clip, add a caption, then send it
to your friends. It’s the easiest way to share music.

48. Enter the
app
... and then ... ... and then ... ... and then ...
Send a song
to friends
Listen to
what’s been
shared with
Listen to
what’s been
shared with
me
me
Activity

49. 3) Add the Steps

50. Break down the story
- The steps users have to take
- Epics to later be broken into user stories

51. Enter artist,
album, or
song
Select a
song from
search
results
View
selected
song
Send a
song
Activity
Steps

52. 4) Add the Details

53. Full functionality
- User stories
- Specific things users can do
- Alternative things they can do
- When things go wrong

54. Enter
artist,
album, or
song
Select a
song from
search
results
View
selected
song
Send a
song
Capture
ambient
audio
Enter
search
string
with
keyboard
Option to
clear
string
input
Activities
Steps
Details

55. 5) Prioritize

56. What’s most important?
- Narrow outcomes and use cases
- Prioritize details based on refined framing and
goals

57. Enter
artist,
album, or
song
Select a
song from
search
results
View
selected
song
Send a
song
Capture
ambient
audio
Enter
search
string
with
keyboard
Option to
clear
string
input
Activities
Steps
Details

58. 6) Slice Releases

59. Slicing
- Slice out tasks that help you reach a specific
outcome
- Involve entire development team to create
ownership of milestones
- Let team identify risks and opportunities
- 1 launch, 3 releases

61. Opening game
- See it work
- Minimum viable solution
- Just enough to validate the feature
- Are we on the right track?

62. Mid game
- Make it better
- Integrate feedback from user testing
- Round out features

63. End game
- Make it releasable
- Edge cases
- What did we miss?
- Add the sizzle

64. Future Ideas
- What we shouldn’t launch with
- Version 2

65. XXXX
Downloads MAU DAU /
MAU
Enter
App MAU DAU /
MAU
Learn
about app Sign Up
Songs
shared by
month
KPIs
Activities
Use Cases
Steps
Details
Share a
song when I
hear it
Looking for
new music
to listen to
Log In
View
screensho
ts
Watch
video
Frame It

66. Backlog is now Organized
Prioritized stories
Know when you should user test
MVP is defined
Use cases are outlined
Know if the project is on schedule
Can set a launch date
Differentiated nice-to-haves from deal breakers

67. Share It

68. Release Map
- Often in presentation format
- The “trees”
- The KPIs, “activities”, and milestones with dates
- To be shared with management and the team
- Updated and reviewed regularly
- Useful for project management

69. Product Spec
- Often a word doc or spreadsheet
- Day to day details
- A functional specification that includes the goals,
use cases, and user stories
- To be used by design, engineering, and QA

70. CRAFT YOUR PRODUCT’S STORY
USER STORY MAPPING
USER STORIES

71. Try It!
- User stories
- User story mapping
- Creating shared understanding
- Slicing
- Release mapping
- Curating ideas
- Delegating goals not tasks

72. Further Reading

73. Thanks!
@ryanglasgow
http://rglasgow.com
http://medium.com/@ryanglasgow