Let me paint a picture:
A product team is racing to meet a tight deadline. Engineers are heads-down, designers are finessing screens, and the product manager is cranking out a detailed requirements document filled with tickets, acceptance criteria, and edge cases.
But, somewhere in the shuffle of specs, sprints, mockups and JIRA tickets, the story gets lost. The why gets lost.
I’ve seen it happen plenty of times in my 10+ years in Product and Design.
Teams dive straight into the “what” and “how” of building solutions, but completely neglect the story. Not because they necessarily want to, but because the Agile world we live in is all about speed and pace.
But that story is critical. It’s who the user is, what they’re struggling with, how your product is about to solve their problems, how you connect your product with that user, and the way you want it to make that person feel.
That’s why I’m such an avid believer in storytelling. It’s more than a buzzword, or an article topic. A genuine, well-crafted, and reinforced story, to me, has so many benefits for each and every member of a product development team that it’s not funny.
It reminds us that we’re not just shipping features or tweaking designs—we’re solving real problems, for real people. Not just some persona that someone created and put in Figma. From the code being written to the designs being tested, storytelling joins the dots in a way that spreadsheets and JIRA tickets never will.
Why is storytelling so important, especially now?
Because product teams are under pressure like never before. 🔥
Tight timelines, relentless backlogs, and the sheer volume of detail that comes with modern product delivery can leave us hyper-focused on tasks and forgetting the why behind them. But when we anchor everything in the customer’s story, we stay focused, aligned, and—dare I say it—excited about what we’re building.
The good part is, there’s lots of benefits to a good story, and it doesn’t take a lot of effort to build and embed a story within a team. Let’s get into it 🍿
Why a good story is so beneficial to any squad
It aligns your team around a shared vision 🎯
When everyone on the team—from engineering to design to QA—can rally behind a single story, it creates a shared sense of purpose. You’re not just shipping another feature or meeting a deadline. You’re working together to solve a problem for a real person. That connection to the user’s journey can turn a monotonous sprint into a mission with meaning. 🚀
Think about it: when every team member knows exactly who they’re designing for or building code for, their decisions are more intentional. The engineer writing that new API? They’ll understand how it impacts the user’s ability to complete a task seamlessly. The designer refining that interface? They’ll see how their decisions will directly affect user delight. Everyone is focused on the same goal: making the user’s life easier and better.
It keeps stakeholders focused and manageable 🎯
Storytelling keeps everyone honest. It’s easy for stakeholders to get wrapped up in KPIs, deadlines, and feature requests that aren’t directly tied to solving the user’s problems. A compelling narrative about the user and their journey through your product helps cut through the noise. It ensures that the product you’re building isn’t just an exercise in fulfilling feature lists, but a solution to a real user pain point.
You’ve seen it happen, right? A stakeholder pushes for a feature because it looks good on a slide or because it checks a business goal, not because it improves the user experience. Having a clear story gives you the power to say, “Yes, that’s important. But here’s why this feature actually solves the real problem the user is facing.”
It drives better products, and better experiences 💡
The most successful products aren’t built on cold, data-driven decisions alone. They’re built on empathy. When you understand the challenges your users are facing, you make better decisions. Storytelling brings that empathy front and center. It’s not just about knowing your user’s demographic—it’s about truly feeling their pain points, understanding their needs, and seeing the world from their perspective.
The beauty of empathy is that it fuels smarter, more informed decision-making. When you know the “why” behind what you’re building, it’s easier to prioritize the right features, cut the fluff, and make trade-offs that ultimately lead to a more impactful product.
A well-crafted user story will guide the team through difficult design decisions, making sure that every line of code, every design iteration, and every sprint review is grounded in the customer’s needs. This isn’t just about delivering a product on time—it’s about delivering something that people want to use, not just something that meets a checklist. 💪
How to bring your story to life
Crafting a great story doesn’t require you to become the next Shakespeare—what you need is a framework that helps you connect the dots between your product, your users, and your team. The goal? To make sure your story is simple, impactful, and sticks. Here are some quick, actionable tips that’ll help you tell a story that everyone can get behind:
1. Get clear on the human's problem 🔍
Start by identifying the core problem your human (user) faces. Don’t get lost in long-winded descriptions—keep it focused. Why do they need your product? What are they struggling with? When you frame the problem clearly, the rest of the story falls into place.
Action Tip: Ask yourself, “What is the one thing my user needs to solve right now?” Try to express it in one sentence. If you can’t, you probably don’t have enough clarity on the problem yet.
2. Get clear on the human 🧍 behind your story
Your human (user) is the hero of the story. You don’t need to go overboard with complex personas, just focus on the essentials: who they are, what they want, and what stands in their way. This persona will become your guiding light—every decision you make should align with their needs and desires.
Action Tip: Bring your personas to life. Give them a name, refer to them by their name, identify their goals, pain points, and how they would use your product in their day-to-day. Don’t get stuck on a great depth of detail. Use post-it notes, or keep it rough in a working document in your company’s wiki.
3. Map their journey 🗺️, not yours
Think of your product as your human’s journey, not just a list of features. Break down the path your user will take from start to finish. Focus on emotions, key decisions, and moments of friction. This isn’t just about tasks—it’s about showing how your product fits into the larger story of the user’s life.
Action Tip: Sketch out the user’s journey in 4-5 key stages: Discovery → Engagement → Resolution → Outcome. Keep it simple and focus on the emotional highs and lows. Where will the user feel excited, frustrated, or relieved? This will help create empathy across your team. 🛤️
4. Paint the transformation 🎯
Every great story has a transformation at its core. What’s different in the user’s life after using your product? This isn’t just about functionality—it’s about how your product makes the user feel or improves their day-to-day life.
Action Tip: Use a “Before & After” framework to make it visual. Tie the after to the work that each person in your team does — show each and every person how their input is invaluable to the user's life.
5. Write a story that covers these points from the user's perspective
Now that you’ve outlined the journey, it’s time to put yourself in the user’s shoes and tell the story from their point of view. The key here is to frame the narrative around the user’s experience, not just the features or functionality of your product. This isn’t about you or your product—it’s about how the user feels and what they gain from the experience.
Action Tip: Start by writing the story like you’re telling it to a friend. Imagine the user as the protagonist, and walk through the journey step-by-step. Keep it simple, short, and to the point.
These tips are designed to be practical, easy to execute, and directly applicable to product teams. By following these steps, you can create teams that start and reinforce a compelling story without it feeling like an overwhelming task.
