Domain-driven design (DDD) has become a foundational approach to the way we develop software. We use it to model events, to guide software designs, to establish context boundaries around microservices and to elaborate nuanced business requirements. DDD establishes a ubiquitous language that both nontechnical stakeholders and software developers can use to communicate effectively about the business. Once established, domain models evolve, but many teams find it hard to get started with DDD. There’s no one-size-fits-all approach to building an initial domain model. One promising technique we've encountered recently is domain storytelling. Domain storytelling is a facilitation technique where business experts are prompted to describe activities in the business. As the experts are guided through their narration, a facilitator uses a pictographic language to capture the relationships and actions between entities and actors. The process of making these stories visible helps to clarify and develop a shared understanding among participants. Since there is no single best approach to developing a domain model, domain storytelling offers a noteworthy alternative or, for a more comprehensive approach to DDD, companion to Event Storming, another technique we often use to get started with DDD.
