The Art of Facilitating User Story Mapping Sessions
It seems like a straightforward exercise. But facilitating story mapping is deceptively difficult.
Many facilitators are caught off guard by the complexities of managing diverse opinions, maintaining user focus, and aligning behind a clear action plan.
This guide is for those who want to level-up their story map facilitation skills. Whether you’re preparing for your first session or looking for a refresher, our goal is to give you proven techniques to lead a productive story mapping session.
1. Preparing for Your Session
Effective facilitation starts before the session begins. The key to a successful workshop is thorough preparation, which sets the stage for productive collaboration and meaningful outcomes. Focus on these three critical areas:
Set clear objectives
Defining your goals is the foundation of a successful story mapping session. Start by articulating the specific product or feature you’re mapping. What aspect of the user experience are you trying to understand or improve? Next, determine the key decisions that need to be made by the end of the session. Are you prioritizing features for the next release, or identifying gaps in your current offering?
Finally, establish concrete success metrics for the mapping exercise. How will you know if the session was productive? These might include the number of user stories created, the clarity of the user journey, or the level of team alignment achieved. By setting clear objectives, you provide direction for the session and create a shared understanding of what you’re trying to accomplish.
Create a one-page brief outlining the session’s objectives, key questions to be answered, and any essential background information. Distribute this to participants at least 48 hours before the session. This gives everyone time to prepare and aligns the team before you even start.
Invite the Right Participants
The success of your story mapping session hinges on having the right people in the room. Aim for a diverse yet manageable group of 5-8 participants. This size allows for a range of perspectives while still enabling meaningful discussion.
Key roles to consider include:
Each of these roles brings a unique and valuable perspective to the user journey.
Remember, it’s not just about job titles. Look for participants who are collaborative, open-minded, and close to the user experience. Their ability to contribute constructively to the discussion is as important as their formal role.
If you have more stakeholders than can effectively participate, consider running multiple sessions or inviting some as observers with specific times for input. This keeps the core group manageable while still involving all necessary perspectives.
Create an Environment for Success
The environment you create, both physical and psychological, can significantly impact the productivity of your session. In a physical space, ensure you have ample wall space for mapping, plenty of sticky notes and markers, and comfortable seating that allows for easy movement and collaboration.
For virtual sessions, choose a platform that supports real-time collaboration and visual organization. CardBoard, for instance, offers a purpose-built virtual workspace for story mapping that supports both novice and experienced practitioners.
Equally important is fostering psychological safety. This means creating an atmosphere where participants feel comfortable sharing ideas, asking questions, and challenging assumptions without fear of negative consequences. Encourage open dialogue and make it clear that all perspectives are valued. Set ground rules that promote respect and constructive feedback.
Explicitly state that all ideas are welcome and that the goal is to learn and improve together. Consider creating and displaying “ground rules” for the session, such as “Critique ideas, not people” and “Build on others’ ideas.” This helps establish norms that support psychological safety.
Regardless of the setting, prepare your tools and materials in advance. Have your mapping surface ready, ensure all participants have access to the necessary materials or software, and test any technology you’ll be using. A smooth technical experience allows participants to focus on the content of the session rather than struggling with logistics.
By investing time in creating both a physical and psychologically safe environment, you set the stage for open, creative, and productive discussions. This approach encourages all participants to contribute fully, leading to richer insights and more comprehensive story maps.
2. Kickstarting the Session
The first few minutes of your session set the tone for the entire exercise. A strong start energizes participants and focuses their minds on the task at hand. Here’s how to kick off your story mapping session effectively:
Break the ice
Begin with a quick icebreaker activity. This not only relaxes the group but also starts to orient thinking towards user experiences. Choose an activity that’s relevant to your mapping goals.
Try the “Unlikely User” icebreaker. Ask each participant to introduce themselves and describe an unexpected way they’ve used the product (or a competitor’s product). This gets people talking and thinking creatively about user scenarios right from the start.
Reinforce psychological safety
While you’ve set the stage for psychological safety in your preparation, it’s crucial to reinforce this at the beginning of the session. Remind participants that all ideas are welcome and that the goal is to learn and improve together.
Share a personal story of a time you made a mistake or had an idea that didn’t work out, but led to valuable learning. This vulnerability from the facilitator can help others feel more comfortable sharing their thoughts.
Introduce the process
Provide a clear overview of user story mapping and the session’s structure. Explain:
Introduce “working alone, together,” with a quick demonstration. Say, “We’re going to use a technique called ‘working alone, together.’ Here’s how it works: I’ll pose a question, and everyone will take 2 minutes to write down their ideas silently. Then, we’ll share and discuss as a group. Let’s try it now: Write down three words that describe our product from a user’s perspective.” This mini-exercise gives participants a tangible experience of the process they’ll be using throughout the session.
By providing this hands-on introduction to the process, you help participants understand what to expect and how they’ll be working throughout the session. This can increase comfort levels and participation, leading to more productive mapping.
Set expectations
Clearly communicate what you’ll be doing in the session and how decisions will be made. This includes explaining how you’ll handle disagreements, time management, and the level of detail you’re aiming for in the map.
Use a “Parking Lot” – a designated space (physical or digital) where you can record important ideas or questions that arise but aren’t immediately relevant. This keeps the session focused while ensuring no valuable thoughts are lost.
By kickstarting your session with these elements, you create an atmosphere of engagement, safety, and clarity. This sets the foundation for a productive story mapping exercise where all participants feel prepared to contribute their best ideas.
Certainly. Let’s expand on the “Guiding the Story Mapping Process” section, focusing on practical advice and maintaining our structured approach.
3. Guiding the Story Mapping Process
Your role as a facilitator is to guide the team in creating a comprehensive map that reflects the user journey and key activities. This process involves several key steps:
Start with the “Happy Path”
Begin by focusing on the main steps a user would take in an ideal scenario. This approach reduces the pressure of having to identify abstract activities upfront and allows for a more intuitive development of the story map.
Use the “working alone, together” technique here. Ask participants to individually sketch out what they believe to be the 5-7 main steps in the user’s journey (5 minutes). Then, have each person present their happy path (1 minute each). Finally, as a group, create a consolidated happy path that incorporates insights from individual contributions.
Expand the journey
Once you have a basic happy path, guide the team in adding more detail and exploring alternative scenarios.
- Individual expansion (10 minutes): Ask participants to independently add more detailed steps, alternative paths, and potential pain points to the happy path.
- Group discussion (15 minutes): Bring the team together to share and discuss these additions.
- Map refinement (10 minutes): As a group, decide which additions to incorporate into the main story map.
When facilitating the group discussion, use the “Yes, and…” technique from improvisational theater. Encourage participants to build on each other’s ideas instead of immediately critiquing them. This keeps the energy positive and generates more creative solutions.
Identify activities
With a detailed journey map in place, guide the team in identifying higher-level activities that encompass multiple steps.
- Individual activity identification (5 minutes): Ask each participant to review the detailed journey and suggest potential activity groupings.
- Group discussion (10 minutes): Facilitate a conversation about these suggested activities.
- Consensus building (10 minutes): Work towards agreement on a set of key activities that summarize groups of detailed steps.
If the group struggles to identify activities, try the “Zoom Out” technique. Ask them to imagine explaining the user’s journey to someone in just 30 seconds. What key phases or activities would they highlight? This helps identify the most important, high-level activities.
Throughout this process, keep the team focused on the user’s perspective. Regularly ask questions like, “What is the user trying to achieve here?” and “How does this step benefit the user?” This ensures the map remains user-centric rather than feature-focused.
Remember, the goal is not to create a perfect map on the first try, but to build a shared understanding of the user’s journey. Encourage iteration and refinement throughout the process.
By guiding the team through these steps, you’ll create a comprehensive story map that provides valuable insights into the user experience and sets the stage for effective product development.
The next logical section to focus on would be “Understanding and Creating User Stories.” This section is crucial as it bridges the gap between the high-level user journey and the specific, actionable items that development teams can work on. Let’s expand on this section.
4. Creating User Stories
Once you have a solid story map structure, the next step is to populate it with user stories. This process is about more than just writing requirements; it’s about fostering conversations and building shared understanding.
Introduce the Concept of User Stories
Begin by explaining user stories. Emphasize that stories are primarily conversation starters, not comprehensive requirements.
User stories are short, simple descriptions of a feature told from the perspective of the person who desires the new capability, usually a user or customer of the system. They typically follow a simple template:
As a [type of user], I want [some goal] so that [some reason].
However, it’s crucial to understand that this template is just a starting point. The real value of user stories lies not in their written form, but in the conversations they spark.
Jeff Patton, a leading expert in user story mapping, emphasizes this point. Share his quote:
“Stories aren’t a written form of requirements; telling stories through collaboration with words and pictures is a mechanism that builds shared understanding.”
After sharing this quote, facilitate a brief discussion about what it means for the team’s approach to creating stories. Ask questions like: How does this perspective differ from how we’ve approached requirements in the past? What might change in our process if we view stories as conversation starters rather than detailed specifications?How could this approach lead to better outcomes for our users?
Emphasize that the goal is not to write perfect stories, but to create prompts that will drive meaningful discussions about user needs and product functionality throughout the development process.
By introducing user stories in this way, you set the stage for a more collaborative and user-centered approach to product development, aligning with the core principles of user story mapping.
Explain the 3 C’s of User Stories
To further understand the concept of user stories, introduce Patton’s “3 C’s” approach. This framework helps teams remember that a user story is more than just a written statement—it’s a tool for communication and shared understanding.
Start by sharing the saying: “A story is a ticket to a conversation.” This encapsulates the essence of user stories – they’re not meant to be comprehensive documents, but prompts for important discussions about user needs and product functionality.
Card: A physical or digital representation of the story
The card serves as your “ticket to a conversation.” It’s not meant to contain all the details but should have just enough information to identify the story and spark discussion.
Keep cards simple. Include the basic user story format, a unique identifier, and perhaps an estimate of size or complexity. Resist the urge to cram too much detail onto the card itself.
Conversation: A physical or digital representation of the story
This is where you “cash in” your ticket. The conversation is the verbal exchange between the developers, product owner, and other stakeholders. It’s where questions are asked, assumptions are challenged, and details are fleshed out.
Treat each story card as an invitation to have a rich, detailed conversation about user needs and potential solutions. Encourage team members to ask questions and explore various aspects of the story.
Confirmation: The shared understanding of when the story is complete
Also known as acceptance criteria, this is an agreement on how you’ll know when the story has been implemented successfully. It’s the outcome of your “ticket to a conversation.”
Write acceptance criteria in clear, testable terms. For example, “User can log in with their email address” is better than “User authentication works.”
The power of the 3 C’s lies in their interconnectedness. The card (your ticket) sparks the conversation, which leads to confirmation criteria, which might in turn lead to more conversation and refinement of the story.
Emphasize to your team that all three components are crucial. A well-written card is useless without meaningful conversation, and even the best conversations are wasted if you don’t confirm shared understanding.
Our digital cards are designed with the 3 C’s in mind. You can capture the initial story on the card face (your ticket), use the comments feature to document key points from conversations, and include acceptance criteria directly on the card. This keeps all the essential elements of a user story in one place, facilitating a holistic approach to story creation and refinement.
By viewing stories as “tickets to a conversation” and using the 3 C’s approach, your team can create user stories that are not just placeholders for features, but catalysts for ongoing communication and alignment throughout the development process.
Walk the Map
Walking the map is a crucial step in the story mapping process. It involves moving through your map from left to right, discussing each step of the user journey and the stories associated with it. This process helps team members understand the full user experience and how individual stories contribute to it.
Jeff Patton describes this process: “Walking the map means literally pointing to each item on the map in a left-to-right flow and talking about the user’s experience.”
Here’s how to effectively walk the map with your team:
1. Start at the beginning (5 minutes)
Begin at the leftmost part of your map, which should represent the start of the user journey. Briefly recap the overall goal of the user journey you’re mapping.
2. Step Through the Backbone (20-30 minutes)
For each step in the backbone (the high-level user journey):
- Describe the step: What is the user trying to achieve here?
- Discuss existing stories: Review the stories placed under this step. For each story, briefly describe what the user is doing and why it’s important.
- Identify gaps: Ask the team if any important user needs or actions are missing at this step.
- Add new stories: If gaps are identified, create new story cards on the spot and place them on the map.
Use the “I like, I wish, What if” technique when discussing each step. Encourage team members to share what they like about the current stories, what they wish was different or added, and propose “what if” scenarios to explore potential improvements or alternatives.
3. Consider Alternate Flows (10-15 minutes)
After walking the main path, discuss any alternative paths or edge cases. These might be represented as branches or parallel tracks on your map.
Use CardBoard Journeys to group different cards together to highlight specific user paths through your product. As you walk the map, select each Journey to visually emphasize the relevant cards. This helps your team focus on one flow at a time, making it easier to discuss and refine each specific user path. You can create multiple Journeys to represent different user types, scenarios, or feature sets, allowing for a comprehensive yet organized view of your product’s various use cases.
4. Reflect on the Full Journey (10 minutes)
After walking the entire map:
- Ask the team to summarize the overall user journey in their own words.
- Discuss any overarching patterns, pain points, or opportunities they noticed.
- Identify any major gaps in the overall flow.
5. Prioritize and Refine (15 minutes)
Based on the walk-through:
Remember, walking the map is not a one-time activity. Return to this process regularly as you refine your understanding of the user journey and develop new stories. Each walk-through can reveal new insights and help ensure your team remains aligned on the user experience you’re striving to create.
By thoroughly walking your story map, you create a shared understanding of the user journey, identify crucial areas for development, and set the stage for informed prioritization and development decisions.
5. Leading Prioritization Conversation
After walking the map and creating a comprehensive view of the user journey, it’s time to prioritize. This process helps the team decide what to focus on first and how to allocate resources effectively.
Start with a quick priority alignment exercise:
- Silent Ranking (3 minutes): Ask each team member to individually and silently select their top 3 priorities from the map.
- Rapid Share (5 minutes): Go around the room, having each person briefly share their top 3 and why they chose them.
- Identify Patterns (2 minutes): Quickly note any items that appear in multiple lists or any significant disagreements.
This exercise surfaces different perspectives and sets the stage for a more informed discussion.
Establish concrete criteria
Now, define how you’ll evaluate priorities. Suggest common criteria such as:
Use a simple 1-3 scale for each criterion. For instance: User Value: 1 = Nice to have, 2 = Solves a pain point, 3 = Game-changer for users
Have the team agree on definitions for each level of each criterion. This ensures everyone is using the same yardstick.
You’re absolutely right. Thank you for that important clarification. Let’s revise this section to focus on plotting stories directly into the matrix and considering dependencies.
Apply the criteria visually
1. Plot Stories on the Matrix (15 minutes)
Create a 2×2 matrix with User Value on one axis and Effort on the other. As a group, take each story and plot it on the matrix based on its perceived value and effort.
If you’re in a physical space, use a large sheet of paper or whiteboard for your matrix. For virtual sessions, use CardBoard’s 2×2 priority matrix template that allows you to easily drag and drop stories onto the matrix.
2. Identify Dependencies (10 minutes)
As you plot stories, discuss and note any dependencies between them. Some stories might not stand on their own but may be crucial for delivering the full value of other important stories.
Use arrows or lines to visually connect dependent stories on your matrix. In CardBoard, you can use the linking feature to show these connections.
3. Discuss and Refine (20 minutes)
Review the matrix as a group. Focus on:
Remember, the goal is to create a prioritized list that balances user value, effort, and technical dependencies. Sometimes a lower-value story might need to be prioritized if it’s a dependency for a high-value story.
By visualizing your priorities in this way and considering dependencies, you create a more comprehensive view that can guide decision-making and help align the team on what to focus on next.
Deal with disagreements
Prioritization discussions often reveal differing perspectives among team members. Here’s how to navigate these disagreements productively:
1. Encourage Data-Driven Decisions (5 minutes)
When conflicts arise, ask for evidence. Prompt team members with questions like:
Keep relevant data readily accessible during the session. This could include user research findings, analytics reports, or business goal documents.
2. Use Voting Techniques (10 minutes)
If discussions reach an impasse, use structured voting to gauge team sentiment:
Our platform includes built-in voting features that allow for anonymous voting, which can help surface honest opinions without peer pressure.
3. Explore Underlying Concerns (15 minutes)
Often, disagreements stem from different underlying assumptions or concerns. Use techniques to uncover these:
4. Seek Compromise (10 minutes)
Look for ways to find middle ground:
5. Defer to Authority When Necessary
If consensus can’t be reached after discussion and voting:
Establish this decision-making process at the beginning of the session to set expectations.
6. Park for Further Investigation (5 minutes)
For items where more information is needed:
Remember, the goal isn’t to achieve unanimous agreement on every item, but to reach a shared understanding of priorities and the reasoning behind them. By handling disagreements constructively, you can turn conflicts into opportunities for deeper insights and stronger team alignment.
6. Maintaining Energy and Engagement
Story mapping sessions can be intense and lengthy. Keeping participants energized and focused is crucial for productive outcomes. The key is to create a dynamic environment that balances focused work with opportunities for rejuvenation.
Mix it up
Start by breaking your session into manageable chunks. Use timeboxing techniques, like the Pomodoro method, to maintain concentration. Set a visible timer for 25-minute work sprints followed by short 5-minute breaks. This rhythm helps participants pace themselves and stay alert.
As you move through these focused periods, be mindful of the group’s energy. Watch for signs of fatigue: decreased participation, increased side conversations, or distracted body language. When you notice energy dipping, it’s time to switch gears.
Change the pace every 45-60 minutes by alternating between different types of activities. Move from individual reflection to pair discussions, then to full group conversations. Even in virtual sessions, incorporate physical movement. This variety keeps minds fresh and engagement high.
Take breaks
For longer sessions, plan more substantial breaks. If you’re mapping for more than two hours, schedule a 20-30 minute break for lunch or refreshment. Consider splitting very long sessions across multiple days to ensure peak performance.
Inject energy with quick, fun activities when needed. A 60-second stretch break, a game of two truths and a lie (product edition), or rapid-fire word association related to your product can work wonders. Keep a small repertoire of these energizers ready to deploy when you sense the group needs a boost.
Remember why you’re here
Regularly provide context and purpose to keep everyone aligned. Recap how the current activity ties into overall goals and share how the work will impact users and the business. This reminder of the bigger picture can re-energize participants by reinforcing the importance of their efforts.
Celebrate progress along the way. Acknowledge the team’s hard work, highlight key insights uncovered, and recognize particularly valuable contributions. These moments of appreciation can significantly boost morale and motivation.
By actively managing your session’s energy, you create an environment where creativity and critical thinking flourish. This approach helps ensure that your story mapping produces valuable, user-centered results, even during extended collaborative sessions.
Create an “Energy Toolbox” for your sessions. This could be a physical box for in-person meetings or a digital document for virtual sessions. Fill it with a variety of energizers, icebreakers, and quick activities. Having these readily available allows you to quickly adapt to the group’s energy levels without disrupting the flow of the session.
You’re absolutely right. Let’s revise this section to provide more practical, actionable guidance on how to effectively conclude the session. Here’s a more detailed approach:
7. Concluding Your Session
Now that you’ve reached the end of your story mapping session, it’s time to land the plane smoothly. The “peak-end rule” in psychology tells us that people remember experiences most vividly by a) the most intense point and b) the ending. A strong conclusion will cement the value of the session and set the stage for effective follow-through.
Crystallize key insights
Start by guiding the team to identify the top 3-5 insights from the session. Ask questions like:
Write these insights on a shared board or screen. Discuss each briefly, ensuring everyone understands their significance. These insights will form the foundation of your post-session communication and inform future product decisions.
Solidify major decisions
Next, clearly articulate the major decisions made during the session. These might include:
For each decision, state:
This approach ensures transparency and helps build consensus around the outcomes.
Establish clear next steps
Transform insights and decisions into actionable next steps. For each major outcome, define:
Be as concrete as possible. Instead of “Research user needs,” specify “Conduct 5 user interviews focusing on the onboarding process by next Friday.”
Create a visible chart or digital document with these actions, owners, and deadlines. This becomes your immediate post-session action plan.
In the final minutes:
“We started with [initial goal], and we’ve now [key accomplishment].”
“This map will guide our product development for the next quarter, ensuring we focus on what truly matters to our users.”
“We’ll reconvene in two weeks to review progress on our action items and refine our map based on new insights.”
Thank everyone for their active participation and valuable contributions.
By following this structured approach, you ensure that your story mapping session concludes with clarity, purpose, and a clear path forward. This decisive wrap-up transforms the collaborative energy of the session into focused, user-centered action.
Remember, mastering user story mapping facilitation takes practice. Each session is an opportunity to learn and improve. With these techniques and CardBoard’s tools, you’re equipped to lead sessions that drive results and keep your team aligned on user needs.
Ready to put these facilitation skills into practice? Start your free CardBoard trial today.
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