Article · 8 min read

How we accidentally invented Job Stories

Paul Adams · Intercom Blog Free Intermediate

A simple, powerful sentence template for describing what a user is trying to do: when [situation], I want to [motivation], so I can [outcome]. It keeps you focused on the user's intent and the moment they hit it, which is precisely the plain language your developer needs. Intercom fits its whole feature brief on one printable page built around these, a format you can steal directly.

  • Frame each need as when I want to so I can
  • Anchor features to the situation that triggers them
  • One page of job stories can brief an entire feature

The question it answers

  1. How do I write a spec for a developer when I'm not technical?

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