This is a small but meaningful change to how we write scenarios. It’s one of those things that seems trivial until you realize how much it shapes the way we think.
The Shift That Happens
When we write user stories, we adopt the person’s perspective:
In order to stay within my budget
As a buyer
I want to filter products by price
First person. We’re stepping into someone else’s shoes, trying to understand what they need and why.
But then something shifts when we move to scenarios. We switch to third person:
Given the user is on the product page
When the user applies a price filter
Then the user sees filtered results
It’s subtle, but we’ve created distance. The person becomes “the user” — someone over there, separate from us.
What I Prefer Doing Instead
I write scenarios in first person:
Given I am on the product page
When I apply a price filter
Then I see filtered results
Two things happen when I do this.
First, there’s consistency. The story was in first person, so the scenario stays in first person. It feels like a natural continuation of the same thought.
But second — and most importantly — there’s empathy. Writing “I” instead of “the user” removes a layer of abstraction. I’m not describing what happens to someone else. I’m describing what happens to me.
Why This Matters
When I write “the user does this,” I’m narrating. When I write “I do this,” I’m experiencing.
That shift in perspective makes me more committed to the outcome. It makes me ask different questions:
- Does this flow make sense to me?
- Would I be frustrated by this extra step?
- Is this what I would expect to see?
It’s a small change, but it keeps me connected to the person who will actually use what we’re building.
A Pattern I’m Leaning Into
I’m finding that this applies beyond story scenarios. Anytime I’m describing a person’s experience — whether in documentation or acceptance criteria — first person pulls me closer to the reality of that experience.
It’s not about being grammatically correct. It’s about staying close to the human side of what we’re building. Staying grounded with the needs we’re helping fulfill.
When I write in third person, I’m describing behavior. When I write in first person, I’m inhabiting it.
That difference matters.
