Examples of user needs

In this step, we will learn about how to write down user needs in a format that makes them easier to understand and communicate with the team.

As we learned in step 1.12, good user needs:

• look and sound like something someone would actually say
• describe a problem, not your solution
• help the team prioritise and make design decisions
• are based on real, traceable evidence
• are relatively stable over time (regardless of changes to technology, policy and existing services)

User needs should be actionable, helping a team do something different and not just highlighting a basic observation, and should be refined as the team progresses through the development phases.

How to write user needs

A user need might look like this:

As a … [which type of user has this need?]

I need to … [what does the user need to do?]

So that I … [why does the user need to do this?]

User needs are sometimes written with so that I before I need to – both are acceptable formats.

For example, the user need for a learner taking this course to learn about user research might be:

As a … person who is interested in a career in user research

I need to … learn more about the field of user research

So that I … can decide whether this is the right career for me

And this could also be written as:

As a person interested in user research, so that I can decide whether this is the right career for me, I need to learn more about the field of user research.

As a potential visitor to the UK, I need to know if I can get a visa, so that I do not waste time applying for one if I am not eligible.

As a visitor to the UK, I need to complete an application and send documentary evidence of my eligibility, so that I can get a visa

As a visitor to the UK who is eligible for a visa, I need to apply for a visa, so that I can enter the country legally.

Task

Think of the things you wrote down in step 1.13 as needs. Try to write them as proper user needs statements, following one of the formats above.

Share and discuss your user needs statements in the comments below with other learners.