Whiteboard template

User story map template

Lay out the user's journey from left to right and the work that supports it from top to bottom. Then draw a line: everything above it is your first release.

Use this template for free All templates
  • User activities across the top
  • Stories under each activity
  • A release line for the first slice
  • Notes become backlog issues
A user story map in Starlex with activities across the top, stories below and a dashed release line

What is user story mapping?

User story mapping is a planning technique described by Jeff Patton. Instead of a flat backlog, the team arranges user stories along the journey a user takes through the product. The backbone across the top shows the big activities, and the stories under each activity are ordered by importance. Horizontal lines then cut the map into releases.

Why it helps

  • It shows the whole product at once, which a long backlog never does.
  • It makes gaps visible: a journey with no story for paying cannot ship.
  • It helps the team choose a first release that works from start to finish, a true MVP.

How to build a story map

  1. Write the backbone. List the activities a user goes through, in order, along the top row.
  2. Add stories. Under each activity, add the things a user needs to do, the most important at the top.
  3. Walk the map. Tell the user's story from left to right and fill the gaps you find.
  4. Draw the release line. Move the smallest set of stories that makes the journey work above the line. That is release one.
  5. Plan the next slices. Draw lines for later releases, then turn the first slice into backlog issues.

Example

The example maps a software product's journey: discover, sign up, use, pay and get help. Release one lets a user read a feature page, sign up with email, create a project, pay by card and search the help pages. Comparing plans, inviting a team, sprint planning, invoices and chat support come later.

Tips

  • Build the map with development, design and product together. The conversation is the point.
  • Keep stories at the same level of detail across the map.
  • When you move stories into the backlog, group each activity's stories under an epic.

Use this template in Starlex

Open a project, go to Notes, then Whiteboards, choose New whiteboard and pick User story map. To add it to a board you already have, use the board's ⋯ menu.

  • Everyone in the project can work on the board at once, with live cursors and cursor chat.
  • Run a timer for silent writing, and use dot voting to choose.
  • Turn any sticky note into an issue, or bring real issues onto the board as live cards.
  • Export the board as a PNG or SVG image, or embed it in an issue description.

Frequently asked questions

Who created user story mapping?

Jeff Patton, who describes the technique in his book User Story Mapping.

What is the difference between a story map and a backlog?

A backlog is a single ordered list. A story map adds a second dimension, the user's journey, so you can see how stories fit together and plan releases that work end to end.

Can I turn the story map into issues?

Yes. Turn any sticky note into an issue in one step, and it lands in the project's backlog.