In consulting, one of the most important concepts to grasp, is understand your client's needs and wants fully. It's very easy to miss the mark and misinterpret a client's desires, which is why we construct something called a user role.
What is a user role?
A user role is made up of tasks or instructions that they need to carry out, the information and data they interact with, and the decisions and conclusions they need to make based on their analysis.
When you comprehend exactly what a user's decision is comprised of, it allows you to shape the data in a way that will further aid their analysis. A good user story not only helps the consultant flesh out their planning, but also delivers a defined end result for the client.
We can break this down into a few easy steps:
Who is our user?
What are they trying to achieve?
How can I help them derive insights they were unable to see previously?
What's the best way to show this?
Example
At the time of writing, the New York Knicks are slated to move onto the finals! Let's pretend that our client is a Knicks fan trying to bet on his favorite team winning it all.
Who is this for?: A Knicks fan
What are they trying to achieve?: Increase the odds of placing a winning bet. (on a player, individual stat, or as a whole team)
How can I help him achieve the insights needed to place a good bet?: Highlight the KPIs of specific players, and where they consistently perform. (shooting %, rebounds per game, steals per game, points scored, total field goals compared to previous games, etc)
What's the best way to show this?: Create a dashboard comparing the stats of the players on both teams, identifying consistent trends that lead to a high chance of winning a bet.
User stories are crucial in structuring a path towards an end goal. By truly understanding a client's needs, we become the best consultants a client can have.