If you are familiar with agile methodology in the software development life cycle (SDLC), then you will know that user stories are used to create a shared understanding between the project team and stakeholders about what to build for whom and the reasons why. The idea is to define the problems to be solved without suggesting a particular implementation, which is left for the team to identify. But what about the rest of the SDLC process? In Agile UX storytelling: crafting stories for better software development, Rebecca Baker effectively demonstrates with a story how stories are used and can be used to create shared understanding across all stages of the software development process. This use of story makes the topic accessible to anyone who is familiar with SDLC.

Before the story begins, the author describes the power stories have in sharing our perspectives with each other. We can use stories to provide a human connection to facts and numbers and should be mindful of validating the data before making a story around it, so as not to mislead or produce the wrong outcome. In addition to persuasion, stories can be used to educate, communicate with, and relate to each other about exactly what we are thinking. When used intentionally, stories can drive the design process to ensure the outcome fits the end users’ needs.

The story begins with chapter 1 and proceeds through the remaining chapters, ending with an epilogue in chapter 17. We are introduced to a designer, Max, who lives in a world where zombie avoidance and eradication have become a way of life. He works for a software company that develops software that tracks zombie uprisings and movements, and has just found out the company has merged with another software company. The immediate goal of the merger is to create a proof of concept in less than a month that integrates both products and interfaces to a third-party targeting system. Max is assured by the new company’s storyteller that this will be possible by using stories to drive the process. The looming deadline, along with the occasional appearance of a zombie in the office, creates a sense of urgency that keeps the story moving along at a good clip.

This “story of stories” is an entertaining way to make a point about how stories can be effective at communicating desired outcomes. Not only does the story showcase storytelling--it also describes how to validate that the story is expressing the desired outcome before product implementation begins. The author makes it clear in several places throughout the book that a story without data to back it up can lead the team to incorrect conclusions about what the problem is that they will need to solve.

As with any good story, some of the chapters end with a cliffhanger. Most contain a section at the end called “Key Takeaways” that highlights two or three points that the chapter is making about stories. These points include references for additional information and can be used to generate discussion in a classroom setting or among team members. Alternatively, the reader can skip over them to get on with the story and come back to them later.

After the conclusion of the story, chapter 17 summarizes how to create and identify stories needed at each stage of the development process and how these stories can be integrated into the agile methodology. It consolidates the points made throughout the book in a concise way that brings a better understanding of how the use of stories can be formally introduced to the software development life cycle.

In summary, Agile UX storytelling illustrates how storytelling can be used to create a common understanding of a problem statement to drive software design and development. As a story, it can be enjoyed and read by anyone who is part of an agile team: product owners, customers, scrum masters, software developers, and UX designers. It provides enough detail to make its point in an entertaining way while also giving readers a way to get more information if they want to go deeper.

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