What is a user story and what are acceptance criteria?
Options
- A user-view feature description, plus done criteria (Correct option)
- A bug report with steps to reproduce the problem
- A database table with the records of the users
- A commit message with a short summary of a feature
Answer
A short description of a feature from the user's view ("As a [user], I want [goal], so that [benefit]") with acceptance criteria defining when it is done
Why
A user story captures a need, not a technical solution: "As a customer, I want to reset my password so that I can regain access."
Acceptance criteria are testable conditions: the link expires after 1 hour; an unknown email shows a generic message. A common format is Given/When/Then.
Stories are small enough to finish within a sprint and are estimated by the team (often with story points).
Remember
Story = who, what, why. Acceptance criteria = how we know it's done.