Story & Emergent DesignHugh Graham

Image Space Object8 August 2008

Story & Emergent Designor, the use and abuse of narrative

in designing the future

What is a story?

Faith is precisely this paradox, that the individual as the particular is higher than the universal, is justified over against it, is not subordinate but superior–yet in such a way, be it observed, that it is the particular individual who, after he has been subordinated as the particular to the universal, now through the universal becomes the individual who as the particular is superior to the universal, for the fact that the individual as the particular stands in an absolute relation to the absolute. This position cannot be mediated, for all mediation comes about precisely by virtue of the universal; it is and remains to all eternity a paradox, inaccessible to thought. And yet faith is this paradox–or else (these are the logical deductions which I would beg the reader to have in mente at every point, though it would be too prolix for me to reiterate them on every occasion)–or else there never has been faith … precisely because it always has been. In other words, Abraham is lost.Soren Kierkegaard, Fear and Trembling (1836)

A Philosophical Explanation of the Importance of Individual Experience...

...the individual as the particular

is higher than the universal...

Or...

“Improvement makes straight roads; but the crooked roads

without improvement are roads of genius”

William Blake, Proverbs of Hell

Traditional stories include:– A (more or less) linear plot– Recurrent, underlying themes– Defined, identifiable characters– An author (or a few authors)

The Pilgrim’s Progress is an archetypal story...

...with a more or less traditional (and circular) plot.

Stories and Models often share circular structures

Bauhaus Curriculum: 1922

Bauhaus Curriculum: 1937

Stories and Models often share circular structures (even in different languages)

Emergent stories offer:– A framework for interaction– Evolving themes– Some level of character agency– Many (or no) authors

The structure of emergent stories is similar to games...

...with a varied cast of characters, many plot lines, and no set ending.

Understanding geography is a key reason for and component of narrative

“Spatial Stories”Michel de Certeau

Ludology vs. Narratology

There is a spectrum of interaction in games, ranging from action to narrative.

Ludology vs. Narratology

You cannot have interactivity and narration at the same time.- Jesper Juul

Emergent narratives are not pre-structured or pre-programmed, taking shape through the game play, yet they are not as unstructured, chaotic, and frustrating as life itself- Henry Jenkins

henry jenkins argues for the value of ‘emergent narrative’ in game design

The Wii is a uniquely experiential form of game play...

...usually focusing more on agency and action than character or plot.

Will Wright’s Spore offers new opportunities for player authorship.

Games are exploring new opportunities for narrative and interaction...

New Forms of Storytelling

“We’re still making (and re-making) The Great Train Robbery or Birth of a Nation.

As Al Jolson said in The Jazz Singer,“You ain’t heard nothing yet”.

- Warren Spector, Game Designer

...much as film changed the forms of narrative in the 20th Century.

“The distinction between author and public is about to lose its basic character”

Walter Benjamin “The Work of Art in an Age of Mechanical Reproduction” (1936)

Eisenstein used a rapid montage of images to strengthen the narrative.

“The Film Sense”Battleship Potempkin by Sergei Eisenstein

Wim Wenders explores the relationship between image and text in “Wings of Desire”

The Paradox of Stories

The movie’s structure encourages the viewer to create their own interpretation...

The Paradox of Stories

I totally reject stories, because for me they only bring out lies, nothing but lies, and the biggest lie is that they show coherence where there is none. Then again, our need for these lies is so consuming that it’s completely pointless to fight them...– Wim Wenders

...while still providing a narrative structure to allow the viewer to find continuity.

The Paradox of Stories

Barthes speaks of texts (Wenders’ Film is one) residing along a continuum between the “writerly” (scriptible) and the “readerly” (lisible).– Nathan Wolfson, “PoMo Desire”

In Wings of Desire, images allow the viewer to become an active participant.

Visual Arts offer a similar opportunity for viewer engagement and interaction.

Picasso created a series of eleven etchings over the course of a month...

We are encouraged to explore the artist’s process, move from realism to abstraction.

(reprinted from an Art in America article by Irving Lavin, March1993)

What emerges is a sense of the artist in context, and the importance of simplicity.

Picasso created a series of eleven etchings over the course of a month...

engaging the viewer in a consideration of the artist in the context of modernity.

A non-objective painting by Jackson Pollack has an implicit narrative

which is both intentionally abstract and evocative of contemporary experience.

Neo Rauch provides a framework for conversation and interpretation

though in Frank Gehry’s Guggenheim Bilbao, it risks overwhelming the narrative.

Conteporary architecture offers a dialog with the urban environment

including how engage spaces through the creation of mental images.

In 1960, Kevin Lynch wrote of the human experience of urban design

“a landscape whose every rock tells a story may make difficult the

creation of fresh stories.”

Kevin Lynch, The Image of the City

encouraging viewers to craft their own experiences and narrative models.

Interaction Design offers opportunities for engagement,

stories are tied to the images and text created around the world...

In “We Feel Fine”, by Jonathan Harris and Sep Kamvar

creating a compelling and always changing experience of story.

...pulled in real time from postings on the web,

How do we use stories in the design process?

James Webb Young wrote “A Technique for Producing Ideas” in 1939, and used it to explore the creative process.

What is the creative process?

Webb explored the process of creativity; this cycle is an adaptation of his approach.

Though of course the creative process can often move in different directions.

Michael Schrage writes of the importance of “Externalized Thought” in his book Serious Play.

Stories are tools for modeling and prototyping

Methods that support design thinking include:

Design Research Tools - Observation - Interviews - Applied Ethnography

Generative Tools - Models - Scenarios - Rapid Prototyping

These are overlapping and complementary approaches.

So, how do we do it?

Stories are part of “Design Thinking”

1. Understand the Context

2. Consider the Subtext

3. Do Some ResearchObservation, Interviews, Journaling

revealing what is beneath the surface...

Traveler Profile

Nancy & Mike, Arizona

Demographics

Hometown: Near Phoenix, AZ. Originally from Ohio and Upstate New York

Occupation: Real Estate Agent, Builder

Age: Late 40’s, early 50’s

Lifestyle: Recent Couple, both previously married

Travel Level: Active/Cultured

Traveling: Together

Destinations: Small towns, trains, horses, fishing, rock and roll, locals bars

Traveler Profile

Jan from Tamarac, Idaho

Demographics

Hometown: Currently in Idaho (originally from Reston, Virginia)

Occupation: Bartender, Jewelry Maker

Age: Late 40’s

Lifestyle: Single (son is 30 years old)

Travel Level: Active

Traveling: On her own (wedding)

Destinations: hiking, biking, outdoors, art galleries, funky restaurants, cafés

4. Create Personas

5. Explore Maps and Modelsfor instance, activities and interests...

... experience models...

...and task models.

Inbound!!

Request

•!Order•!Return

Waiting•!Pending•!Tracking•!Anticipating

Receive•!Order verification•!Payment•!Distribution•!Rerouting•!Inventory

Outbound! !

Hand-off

Send•!Take orders•!Pull inventory•!Returns

Shipped•!Done•!Exceptions!

Confirm

•!Delivery confirmation•!Collect paymentSender

Receiver

In-hand

ShipCo

ShipCo

6. Create Scenariosuse mockups, interaction maps, and storyboards

Scene 4Visual: Central Park ViewCopy: Audio: Private 1st Class Sean Horn, 19Bell

Scene 5Visual: Central Park View (darkened) Copy: 1270 US dead, and counting…Audio:

Scene 6Visual: Fade to BlackCopy: noneAudio: Bell

Scene 7Visual: child’s shoes (?)Copy: Audio: Ibrahim Abu Mal, 44 (bell)

So, the Basic Approach Involves:

1. Understand the Context2. Conduct Research3. Create Personas4. Define Scenarios5. Build Prototypes6. Iterate Rapidly7. Increase Fidelity8. Fail Early and Often

When designing with emergent stories, we aren’t developing a single solution,

but rather creating a platform for further development.

Through emergent stories, we have the opportunity to create artisanal design,

and embrace individual potential.

– Create personas and scenarios that feel true; don’t overcomplicate, but be sure to add enough detail to create resonance.– Use models and storyboards to explore alternatives; don’t be afraid of taking wrong turns.– Focus on values, and don’t disregard the subtext; many desires are unspoken.

Key Principles:

“Man is least himself when he talks in his own person. Give him a mask, and he will tell you the truth.” – Oscar Wilde

Thank You!