Chapter 8: The brief

One older form is worth knowing, mostly for its last clause.

User story

One short sentence about who wants something and why, usually written "As a [someone], I want [something], so that [reason]." It starts a conversation and isn't meant to be the whole spec.

For an agent, the useful part is "so that". The reason lets it make sensible choices where your brief runs out. Generated in bulk they are padding: a story that says what the code does, with no real person in it, tells nobody anything.

Say it to your agent

“As someone returning a faulty item, I want my refund to show within a minute, so that I don't contact support. Use that reason to make any choices I haven't specified, and list the choices you made.”

The workshop

Name a word, or describe what you mean in everyday language.