Job stories

Job stories are a methodology you can employ to help you write concise and effective web content.

A job story enables you to think about the content from the user’s perspective. They are a critical way of understanding what the user wants to achieve and then writing your content accordingly.

Before you start writing your content, think about what your users want to achieve in the form of one or several job stories.

How to write a job story

A job story consists of three parts:

When [there’s a particular situation]

I want to [perform an action or find something out]

So I can [achieve my goal of...]

By using this format to think about what the user wants to achieve, you can create content that addresses their problem or need.

You may have just one job story, or you may have many. But it is important that every piece of content results in some sort of action, even if it’s just piece of mind or curiosity being sated.

Job story examples

Example 1

When I’m thinking about applying for a Masters programme

I want to find out what the English language requirements are

So I can see if I need to take any additional language tests.

Example 2

When I am considering applying to an undergraduate course at Glasgow

I want to find out when the open day is

So I can see what the campus and facilities look like.

Example 3

When I’m researching undergraduate accommodation options

I want to find out what the approximate rent will be

So I can see where I can afford to live.

Acceptance criteria

Next, write the acceptance criteria for each job story.

This is a sentence, or short list of points, that indicates when the work of a particular job story has been achieved.

Acceptance criteria examples

Example 1

When I’m thinking about applying for a Masters programme

I want to find out what the English language requirements are

So I can see if I need to take any additional language tests.

Acceptance criteria: this story is done when I can find out exactly what the English language requirements are.

Example 2

When I am considering applying to an undergraduate course at Glasgow

I want to find out when the open day is

So I can see what the campus and facilities look like.

Acceptance criteria: this story is done when I can see when the undergraduate open days are.

Example 3

When I’m researching undergraduate accommodation options

I want to find out what the approximate rent will be

So I can see where I can afford to live.

Acceptance criteria: this story is done when the fees are listed for all accommodation options.

Writing your content

Once you have formulated your job stories plus their acceptance criteria, you can then start writing your content.

After you have written your content, it’s a good idea to review it against the acceptance criteria, to check it is successfully addressing each job story.

By doing this, you should be able to keep your content focused and succinct, leaving out extraneous information that does not meet the user need.

Summary

  1. Think about what users coming to your webpage want to achieve.
  2. Write these tasks out as job stories.
  3. Devise the acceptance criteria for each job story.
  4. Create your content, making sure every piece of content matches a job story.
  5. Review your content against the acceptance criteria to ensure every job story is addressed.