User Stories Library
A collection of well-written user stories organized by domain for reference and learning.
How to Use This Library
- Find a similar story to what you're building
- Copy the structure (persona, goal, benefit)
- Adapt the acceptance criteria to your specific needs
- Add your business rules and edge cases
E-Commerce Stories
US-EC-001: Guest Checkout
As a first-time visitor,
I want to complete a purchase without creating an account,
So that I can buy quickly without commitment.
Acceptance Criteria:
GIVEN I have items in my cart
WHEN I click "Checkout"
THEN I see options for "Guest Checkout" or "Sign In"GIVEN I choose "Guest Checkout"
WHEN I enter email, shipping, and payment
THEN my order is placed and confirmation sent to my emailGIVEN I complete guest checkout
WHEN order is placed
THEN I'm offered option to create account with pre-filled info
Story Points: 5
Priority: P0
US-EC-002: Wishlist
As a registered user,
I want to save items to a wishlist,
So that I can purchase them later.
Acceptance Criteria:
GIVEN I'm viewing a product
WHEN I click the heart icon
THEN the item is added to my wishlistGIVEN I'm not logged in
WHEN I click the heart icon
THEN I'm prompted to log in firstGIVEN I have items in my wishlist
WHEN I view my wishlist
THEN I see all saved items with current prices
Story Points: 3
Priority: P2
Marketplace / Two-Sided Platform Stories
US-MP-001: Seller Onboarding
As a potential seller,
I want to register my business on the platform,
So that I can start selling to customers.
Acceptance Criteria:
GIVEN I click "Become a Seller"
WHEN I complete the registration form (business name, tax ID, bank account)
THEN my application is submitted for reviewGIVEN my application is approved
WHEN I log in
THEN I see my seller dashboard with onboarding checklistGIVEN my application is rejected
WHEN I log in
THEN I see rejection reason and option to reapply
Story Points: 8
Priority: P0
US-MP-002: Buyer-Seller Messaging
As a buyer,
I want to message a seller with questions,
So that I can get clarification before purchasing.
Acceptance Criteria:
GIVEN I'm on a product page
WHEN I click "Contact Seller"
THEN a chat window opensGIVEN I send a message
WHEN the seller is online
THEN they see a notificationGIVEN seller replies
WHEN I'm offline
THEN I receive email notification
Story Points: 5
Priority: P1
SaaS / B2B Stories
US-SAAS-001: Team Member Invitation
As an admin,
I want to invite team members to my organization,
So that my colleagues can access the platform.
Acceptance Criteria:
GIVEN I'm on the team settings page
WHEN I enter an email and click "Invite"
THEN an invitation email is sentGIVEN invitation is sent
WHEN invitee clicks the link
THEN they can create their account and join my orgGIVEN invitee doesn't accept within 7 days
WHEN the link expires
THEN I can resend the invitation
Story Points: 5
Priority: P1
US-SAAS-002: Role-Based Permissions
As an admin,
I want to assign roles to team members,
So that I can control who has access to sensitive features.
Acceptance Criteria:
GIVEN I'm viewing a team member's profile
WHEN I click "Change Role"
THEN I see dropdown with available roles (Admin, Editor, Viewer)GIVEN I change role from Editor to Viewer
WHEN the user next logs in
THEN they no longer see edit buttonsGIVEN I'm the only admin
WHEN I try to demote myself
THEN I see error "At least one admin required"
Story Points: 5
Priority: P1
Booking / Reservation Stories
US-BK-001: Real-Time Availability Check
As a customer,
I want to see available time slots in real-time,
So that I don't waste time selecting unavailable times.
Acceptance Criteria:
GIVEN I select a date
WHEN page loads
THEN available slots are shown in green, unavailable in grayGIVEN another user books a slot while I'm viewing
WHEN the slot becomes unavailable
THEN it updates to gray within 5 seconds (websocket)GIVEN no slots are available
WHEN I view the date
THEN I see message "Fully booked" with link to join waitlist
Story Points: 8
Priority: P0
US-BK-002: Booking Reminder
As a customer with an upcoming booking,
I want to receive a reminder,
So that I don't forget my appointment.
Acceptance Criteria:
GIVEN I have a booking tomorrow
WHEN it's 24 hours before my booking time
THEN I receive SMS: "Reminder: Your booking at [venue] is tomorrow at [time]"GIVEN I have a booking today
WHEN it's 2 hours before my booking time
THEN I receive SMS: "Reminder: Your booking at [venue] is in 2 hours"GIVEN I've cancelled my booking
WHEN reminder time arrives
THEN no reminder is sent
Story Points: 3
Priority: P1
Notifications & Alerts Stories
US-NT-001: Notification Preferences
As a user,
I want to control which notifications I receive,
So that I'm not overwhelmed with unwanted messages.
Acceptance Criteria:
GIVEN I'm on notification settings page
WHEN I view preferences
THEN I see toggles for: Email, SMS, Push, In-App (per category)GIVEN I disable email for "Marketing"
WHEN a promotional email is triggered
THEN I don't receive itGIVEN I disable all notification types
WHEN I try to save
THEN I see warning "You may miss important updates"
Story Points: 5
Priority: P2
Search & Discovery Stories
US-SD-001: Faceted Search
As a user browsing products,
I want to filter by multiple criteria,
So that I can find exactly what I need quickly.
Acceptance Criteria:
GIVEN I'm on search results page
WHEN I select filters (price range, category, rating)
THEN results update without full page reloadGIVEN I have filters applied
WHEN I see result count
THEN it shows "Showing X of Y results"GIVEN I have filters applied
WHEN I click "Clear All"
THEN all filters are removed and full results shown
Story Points: 8
Priority: P1
Payment Stories
US-PAY-001: Save Payment Method
As a returning customer,
I want to save my credit card for future purchases,
So that checkout is faster next time.
Acceptance Criteria:
GIVEN I'm at checkout
WHEN I enter card details
THEN I see checkbox "Save card for future purchases"GIVEN I saved a card previously
WHEN I return to checkout
THEN I see saved card (masked: **** 4242) with option to use itGIVEN I want to remove a saved card
WHEN I go to payment settings and click "Remove"
THEN the card is deleted (confirm dialog first)
Story Points: 5
Priority: P1
Analytics & Reporting Stories
US-AN-001: Export Report
As a manager,
I want to export dashboard data to CSV,
So that I can analyze in Excel or share with stakeholders.
Acceptance Criteria:
GIVEN I'm viewing a dashboard
WHEN I click "Export"
THEN I see options: CSV, PDF, ExcelGIVEN I choose CSV
WHEN export completes
THEN file downloads with all visible data + column headersGIVEN data is large (>10,000 rows)
WHEN I click export
THEN I see "Processing..." and receive email when ready
Story Points: 5
Priority: P2
Anti-Pattern Stories (What NOT to Do)
❌ Bad Story: Too Vague
As a user,
I want the system to be faster,
So that it's better.
Problems:
- Not specific (how fast? which part?)
- Not measurable
- "Be faster" is not a user goal
❌ Bad Story: Implementation Details
As a developer,
I want to implement a Redis cache layer,
So that page load improves.
Problems:
- Written from developer perspective
- Specifies solution, not problem
- Should be: "As a user, I want pages to load in <2 seconds"
❌ Bad Story: Too Large (Epic)
As a admin,
I want full user management capabilities,
So that I can manage my team.
Problems:
- Too large to estimate
- Should be split into: invite users, assign roles, remove users, etc.
Story Sizing Reference
| Points | Complexity | Example |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Trivial | Change button text, update error message |
| 2 | Simple | Add new form field with validation |
| 3 | Standard | New page with form submission |
| 5 | Moderate | Feature with API integration |
| 8 | Complex | Multi-step workflow with edge cases |
| 13 | Very Complex | Consider splitting into smaller stories |