Do you ever think about how to keep all of your ideas for a website or digital product straight? How does a designer or a developer determine how your website or app should look and act? We use what are called "user stories". These are statements of what the user of the website should be able to do. Here are a few examples:

• As a user, I want to have a login with a password so that my account is protected.
• As a user, I want to update product quantities so I can control the amount of product to be ordered.
• As an administrator, I want to be able to see recent orders so that I can monitor changes.

Usually, this is one of the first steps we take when we begin designing a website or digital solution. We want to collect every interaction that different types of users will have. Note that the stories don't specify UI / UX - design is the next step in the process.

Great user stories allow us to keep track of all features needed to create your digital solution. Budgets are not unlimited; user stories are a great tool for prioritization for initial builds of products.