The Tango3 team are busy working on the next version of the Defib Ready product. Building on the success of the national pilot, the guardian app became the focus ahead of its next release, and the development team has already started working on the next iteration. This app is aimed at aiding guardians in checking the status of defibrillators and ensuring they are rescue ready. To ensure this development phase starts off on the right foot, the development team utilised a user story mapping workshop to prioritise the feature possibilities.
User story mapping is a collaborative technique that helps teams identify and prioritise app features based on user needs. The process involves breaking down the app into small, easily manageable parts and discussing how users will interact with each of these parts. Features are then prioritised into releases, with key user actions placed into the next release.
User story mapping is a widely used technique in Agile software development projects to help teams prioritise features and focus on user needs. It was invented by Jeff Patton, a software consultant and Agile expert, in the early 2000s. Patton recognised that traditional software development methods, such as creating long lists of requirements, were often ineffective and failed to accurately capture the user's needs.
He developed the concept of user story mapping, which involves breaking a product into small, manageable parts and organising the resulting user stories into a visual map. This approach encourages collaboration and communication between team members and ensures the final product is designed with the user's needs in mind. Since its invention, user story mapping has become a popular tool among Agile practitioners and those involved in product development.
Firstly, it enables the team to focus on the most important features that the app needs and to prioritise work accordingly. The team identified the features crucial to a guardians defibrillator checking process by breaking down the app into small, manageable parts. This approach ensures that the app is built with the most important user journeys in mind and that the team does not spend time developing features that are not essential. This saves time and resources and ensures that the final product effectively meets the user's needs in a timely manner.
Secondly, user story mapping encourages collaboration and communication, two crucial aspects of successful software development projects. By involving all team members in the process, user story mapping encourages everyone to share their ideas and insights and to understand the different perspectives of team members. This helps to build shared knowledge around a project's user stories. Including the end user encourages better problem-solving and innovative thinking as the workshop participants draw on each other's strengths, perspectives and experiences.
Lastly, user story mapping has allowed the Tango3 team to place the guardian at the heart of Defib Ready. Placing the end user at the centre of the development process allows for greater collaboration and understanding between the development team and the user. With shorter feedback cycles and better information sooner, the software can solve core problems more quickly and provide a better user experience.
If you are working on a tech project and want to ensure that your app meets the user's needs, user story mapping is an excellent tool to utilise. The book written by Jeff Patton is the perfect starting point on your story-mapping journey. Not only will it better shape your feature list, but it will also encourage teamwork and bring first-hand problem-domain knowledge into the development process.
As the Defib Ready guardian app has shown, utilising user story mapping can ensure that your app is developed with the user's needs at its core, leading to better outcomes for all involved. We’re confident it is helping to guide the team towards the right feature set.
Don't hesitate to get in touch to find out if a user story mapping workshop is right for you. Used at the right time, it can help unlock and accelerate the next phase of your software journey. We’re happy to guide you through product development, supporting you from idea to release and beyond.
