Vague Roles: When ‘User’ Isn’t Specific Enough

One of the most persistent sources of confusion in Agile teams is a poorly defined actor. When a story begins with “As a user,” without specifying who that user actually is, the entire foundation of clarity crumbles.

I’ve seen dozens of stories rejected during refinement simply because the role was generic. “User” is not a role—it’s a placeholder. It doesn’t tell the developer whether this is a customer, a support agent, a finance manager, or a system administrator.

The real problem isn’t just ambiguity—it’s the downstream effect. Without a clear actor, acceptance criteria become guesswork. Design decisions drift. Testing becomes inconsistent. The team builds something that may not actually serve anyone.

After 20 years of refining backlogs, I’ve learned this: a story is not a task. It’s a conversation. And that conversation can’t begin until someone knows who is asking for it.

This chapter explores how to replace vague roles with precise actors, using real examples from product work. You’ll learn how to apply user role clarity and actor definition in agile stories to improve precision, reduce rework, and align the team around real user value.

Why Generic Roles Break Stories

Let’s be clear: “user” is a verb. It describes an action. But in a user story, “user” is meant to be a noun—the person or system acting.

When that noun is undefined, the story becomes a void. No context. No boundary. No ownership.

Consider this example:

As a user, I want to reset my password so I can log in again.

Who is the user? A customer? An admin? A new user who forgot their password? The story doesn’t say. So the team must ask questions. And every question delays delivery.

More troubling: the lack of a specific actor often hides deeper issues. Is this story for a B2C customer? A B2B partner? A third-party API client? Without clarity, you can’t design correctly—or test.

Even worse, vague roles encourage surface-level thinking. Teams focus on “what” needs to be built, not “who” it’s for. This erodes empathy and turns user stories into feature checklists.

Here are four telltale signs your story has a vague role:

• The acceptance criteria depend on assumptions about the user’s role.
• Multiple team members interpret the story differently.
• Designers or testers ask for clarification on the actor.
• The story is accepted but fails in production because it didn’t meet actual user needs.

If any of these ring true, your story is suffering from poor actor definition in agile stories.

How to Define the Right Actor

Clear actor definition isn’t about complexity—it’s about specificity. You’re not trying to name every possible role. You’re trying to name the one that counts.

Start by stepping back and asking: Who actually experiences this feature?

Instead of “user,” ask: Is this for a customer? A team lead? A data analyst? A new onboarding user? A system that processes data?

Once you identify the correct actor, test it with three questions:

1. Could someone else interpret this role differently?
2. Is the role tied to a real job or person in the system?
3. If I removed this role, would the story still make sense?

If the answer to #3 is “yes,” then the role is still too generic.

Let’s revisit the password reset story with a sharper role:

As a new customer, I want to reset my password so I can access my account after forgetting it.

Now the story has context. The team knows this is for someone who just signed up. They can design a flow with email verification, a temporary token, and clear error messaging for password recovery.

Notice how the revised story now implies the user journey. It’s not just “reset password.” It’s “reset password after onboarding failure.” That’s a critical difference.

Here’s a quick reference for common actors in real products:

Generic Role	Specific Actor	Why It Matters
User	New customer	Implies onboarding stage, needs email confirmation
User	Support agent	Implies ticket system, case management flow
User	Finance manager	Implies budget approval, reporting, audit trails
User	API client	Implies rate limiting, authentication, response schema

Use these not as rigid templates, but as starting points. The goal is to **replace abstraction with identity**.

Strategies for Actor Clarity

Here are three practical techniques I’ve used in dozens of product teams:

1. Role Mapping at Story Refinement: During backlog refinement, always ask: “Who is this story for?” Write the answer in bold. If it’s “user,” push back until it’s specific.
2. Use Persona Anchors: Attach stories to real personas. If a story isn’t tied to a named persona, it’s too abstract.
3. Ask “Who Would Be Disappointed?”: If the story fails, who would care? That person is the actor.

These are simple, but they force conversations that expose hidden assumptions.

One of my favorite techniques: write the story first, then ask, “Who is this story for?” If the answer isn’t immediate, the role is vague.

The Ripple Effect of Poor Actor Definition

When the actor is unclear, the entire development lifecycle suffers.

Designers may create a UI that fits a customer but not a support agent. Developers may build a complex form when a simple email link would suffice. Testers may miss edge cases because they don’t know the user’s context.

Even worse: if the actor is ambiguous, so is the acceptance criteria.

Take this poorly defined story:

As a user, I want to see my order history so I can track past purchases.

What does “see” mean? A table? A list? A calendar view? What data? All orders? Only completed ones? What if the user is an admin—should they see all orders?

Now, with a clearer role:

As a returning customer, I want to view my past 12 months of purchase history so I can review my spending and reorder frequently bought items.

Suddenly, the acceptance criteria become clear: show only completed orders, include date, product name, and total cost. No refunds. No canceled orders.

This is how user role clarity transforms stories from vague ideas into precise, testable deliverables.

Remember: a story isn’t a task. It’s a commitment to a conversation. And that conversation can only happen when everyone agrees on who is speaking.

Common Pitfalls and How to Avoid Them

Even with good intentions, teams fall into traps:

• Over-abstracting**: “As a user” becomes the default. Break the habit by banning it in story writing unless absolutely necessary.
• Using job titles as roles**: “As a manager” is still too broad. Instead, ask: What kind of manager? A sales manager? A project manager? A regional manager?
• Assuming roles are obvious**: Just because a role seems obvious to the product owner doesn’t mean it is to developers or testers.
• Confusing system actors with human actors**: A system can be an actor, but only if it’s a defined entity (e.g., “As a billing system, I need to send a reminder to the customer 48 hours before renewal”).

When in doubt, ask: “Would a developer reading this story know exactly who to build for?” If not, revise the role.

Final Checklist: Is Your Actor Clear?

Before you accept a story, run this quick audit:

• Is the actor named or described in detail (e.g., “new customer,” “support agent”)?
• Can you describe the person’s job, goals, and context?
• Is the role tied to a real user journey or system process?
• Would the same story work for a different role? (If yes, it’s still too generic.)
• Has the team discussed and agreed on this role during refinement?

If you can answer yes to all five, your story has solid user role clarity.

Frequently Asked Questions

What if the user is both a customer and an admin?

Split the story. If the same person has two roles, write two stories: one for the customer perspective, one for the admin. That way, each story captures a distinct value path.

How do I define the actor when it’s a system or API?

Use clear naming: “As a payment processor, I need to validate the credit card before charging.” This makes the role explicit and avoids confusion with human actors.

Can I use “a customer” instead of a specific role?

“A customer” is acceptable only if the context is clear. Avoid “a user.” Use “the customer” or “a returning customer” for better precision.

What if the role changes during development?

That’s fine. But the story must reflect the intended actor at the time of release. If the role shifts, revisit the story and update it. Don’t leave it ambiguous.

How often should I review actor definition in agile stories?

Review it during every story refinement session. Make it part of your Definition of Ready. If the actor isn’t clear, the story doesn’t move forward.

Do I need to define the actor in every story?

Yes. Even if the role is repeated across multiple stories, name it each time. Consistency matters more than brevity.

Clarity begins with the actor. When the role is vague, the story loses its purpose. When the role is clear, the story becomes a roadmap for value.

Don’t write stories. Write conversations with real people. Replace “user” with identity. Replace guesswork with design. That’s how you build products people actually want.