What is a User Story Map?

User Story Map (USM), or User Story Mapping, is a technique that organizes the Product Backlog into two dimensions to comprehensively visualize product functionalities and plan their releases.

Jeff Patton is credited with introducing the User Story Map technique in 2005, through the publication of his book bearing the same name.

Its goal is to provide a common understanding of the product to the development team and stakeholders, facilitating product discovery and the prioritization of construction.

The technique generally starts with identifying the product's backbone, followed by the development of the narrative flow detailing how different parts of the product connect and contribute to the final user experience. After establishing these elements, user stories are grouped under the activities or tasks identified in the backbone, and prioritized according to their importance and the value they deliver to the user to decide potential releases or the MVP.

The backbone, or the spine of the User Story Map, refers to the main structure that organizes and categorizes user stories in a logical and hierarchical sequence that describes the user flow or the product's key activities. This structure acts as a guide to understanding how different parts of the product work together to provide value to the end-user.

The narrative flow, within the context of User Story Mapping, describes the progression and relationship between user stories along the backbone. It focuses on how individual stories connect to form a cohesive and complete narrative about the user's experience with the product.