storytelling: finding ux moments that count
DESCRIPTION
Designed experiences make the difference between belonging and rejecting; between connecting and missing; between believing and doubting. The threshold can be slight — everyone knows when you’re fake-smiling. As UX designers, we make it our mission to invite people to belong, connect, and believe. Storytelling gets us there. From understanding stakeholders and contexts to crafting experiences that resonate and delight, storytelling gets us to the moments that count. In this talk, we will discuss how you can use storytelling to pinpoint compelling UX opportunities — opportunities that invite a flicker of hope in the hearts of many and inspire action. (presented at the Homegrown lecture series hosted by AIGA Raleigh Chapter)TRANSCRIPT
Storytellingfinding UX moments that count
Amber Howard, Ph.D.@amberkhoward
February 12, 2013
Customers don't know what they want until we've shown them.
— Steve Jobs
Qwikster
Muhammad Yunas, Grameen Bank
welcome to the party
create to resonate
belonging, connecting, & believing
CREATE TO RESONATE
the difference between
rejecting missing doubting
MINDSETS & EXPECTATIONS
DESIGNED CONDITIONS
increase the overlap
storytelling gets us there
CREATE TO RESONATE
we are all storytellers. story is a fundamental part of our existence.
make the experience count
Do you enjoy being a designer?
Why do you love being a designer?
Tell a story about a time when you felt fulfilled as a designer.
storytellingis a state of mind
invite storytelling
experience is non-conscious
INVITE STORYTELLING
consciousness is a bubbling up of non-conscious awareness.
the non-conscious knows
INVITE STORYTELLING
Iowa gambling task
stories are windows to the non-conscious
listen for the elephant in the trainer’s voice. one story is not enough.
what to ask
Text
TEXT
Text
— Henry Ford
If I had asked people what they want, they would have said faster horses.
how you want the design to resonate
WHAT TO ASK
what you ask depends on
atmospheres of resonance
What do people have?What can we make?
ASSETS
ASSETS ACTIONS
What do people do?How can we streamline the process?
EXPERIENCESACTIONS
How do people relate?How can we make it fulfilling?
ASSETS
VISIONEXPERIENCESACTIONS
What do people value?How can we align perceptions?
ASSETS
VISIONEXPERIENCESACTIONSASSETS CULTURE
What do people believe?How can we expand possibility?
VISIONEXPERIENCESACTIONSASSETS CULTURE
observable inferential
VISIONEXPERIENCESACTIONSASSETS CULTURE
tactical strategic
If I had asked people what they want, they would have said faster horses.
If I had asked people to tell a story, they would have surprised & inspired me.
how do you want to resonate
design the experience
ask & listen to the non-conscious
DESIGN THE EXPERIENCE
design the experience
facilitating a storytelling session
DESIGN THE EXPERIENCE
know your role
DESIGN THE EXPERIENCE
know the encouraging & supportive persona you’re going to play.
calm the elephant
DESIGN THE EXPERIENCE
provide no-stakes opportunities to tell casual stories.
give a basic structure
DESIGN THE EXPERIENCE
Great stories are designed. Give people the structure to tell great stories.
structure of a story
What was the situation?Where do significant moments happen?
SETTING
CHARACTERS
Who was involved?What roles and relationships matter?
SETTING
CHARACTERS
What happened?How did emotions & perspectives transform?
SETTING JOURNEY
CHARACTERS
How did it end?How was tension resolved?
Who does the person want to be?
SETTING JOURNEY RESOLUTION
CHARACTERSSETTING JOURNEY RESOLUTION MORAL
Why did it matter?What is valued?
What are the person’s hopes?
SETTING CHARACTERS JOURNEY RESOLUTION MORAL
DESIGN THE EXPERIENCE
provide a safety net give people a space to collect their thoughts before sharing.
DESIGN THE EXPERIENCE
make it social people are comfortable sharing stories with peers — it builds camaraderie. find ways to record the conversation.
DESIGN THE EXPERIENCE
invite the elephant to share
analyzing stories
how do we make sense of them?
ANALYZING STORIES
all these stories...
using grounded theory lite
ANALYZING STORIES
themes from many pieces
transcribe the stories
ANALYZING STORIES
get all the stories into a comparable format.
develop a coding system
ANALYZING STORIES
make dots so you can connect them. the dots should be project-specific.
SETTING CHARACTERS JOURNEY RESOLUTION MORAL
story elements
relationshipsroles
before/during/aftertriggertensionemotiondrama
transformationhopes
aspirations
significanceidentity
locationtimetools
categorize by affinity
ANALYZING STORIES
identify patterns & themes. Find significant moments.
find out through systematic inquiry
synthesizing stories
relevant and meaningful
SYNTHESIZING STORIES
tell a story that is
SETTING CHARACTERS JOURNEY RESOLUTION MORAL
BELONGING: common mindsets
SYNTHESIZING STORIES
situations & roles
SETTING CHARACTERS JOURNEY RESOLUTION MORAL
who were overwhelmed, but persevered,
Teachers
Principals
Staff
in a new environment
outside their comfort zone
with too much to do in too little time
when faced with a crisis
CONNECTING: leverage points
SYNTHESIZING STORIES
journey & progression
SETTING CHARACTERS JOURNEY RESOLUTION MORAL
my performance
set benchmarks
Provide speci!c praise
expectations
Facilitate re"ection
I NEEDI AM
LinkedInGoogle
FacebookEdutopia
Skype
ReassuranceOverwhelmed
& unsure
VALUEADDED
VALUE
I’M AFFIRMED
about
using
I’M CONFIDENT
celebrating success
asking for feedback
I REFLECT BY
I WOULD ENGAGE WITH THE ONLINE
COMMUNITY TO
How am I doing?“Con!dence and a sense of success is pretty awesome for me. It means a lot to be comfortable in your own skin.”
— teacher
BELIEVING: purpose
SYNTHESIZING STORIES
values & perceptions
SETTING CHARACTERS JOURNEY RESOLUTION MORAL
public transportation
effective public transit system
monorail
transportation to RDU
wayfinding
walkable features/riverfront
density
attractions
populationentrepreneurs
economic development
communication
convention center
DRA
NCSU/Universities/
Colleges city
chamber
other groups
References for success
> Keep Austin weird > Charlotte preserves history > Districts in Paris > Salt Lake City water feature,
ocean/mountain > Fortune 500 companies in NYC > NYC culture/grid/mindset/designers > Portland downtown transportation > Bike ecosystem of Copenhagen/Paris/
Amsterdam/San Francisco
> Amsterdam infrastructure for lots of people
> Austin music > Nashville music > Music scene in northwest
General advice from the group
Lay the foundation for 21st century growth.
CityWhere we want to go as a
Built upon these pillars
MOMENTUM: strategy
SYNTHESIZING STORIES
engagement architectureaction plan
10.8%ORGANIC
No one department manages or coordinates; efforts bubble up from the edges of the company.
18%DANDELION
Similar to Hub and Spoke but applicable to organizations with several autonomous sub-groups.
1.4%HONEYCOMB
Everyone in the organization uses social media safely and consistently across all organizations.
28.8%TREE
One department manages all social activities.
Data based on 140 surveyed social companies, courtesy of Altimeter Group, 2010.
41%HUB AND SPOKE
A community hub is like a bicycle wheel, with spokes
radiating out from the center.
Community hubs are the central gathering place for
featured content and discussion. The centralized
position of the hub ensures that the nodes are aligned
with the organization’s brand.
The spokes, radiating from the hub, route members to
need-speci!c resources.
Since one tool does not !t all, the nodes provide a suite
of curated tools and resources that cater to speci!c
needs, expectations, and values of the community.
MODELS FOR SOCIAL ENGAGEMENT
The conversations and ideas that came from the Pathways to Opportunity Tour demonstrated that North Carolina wants RTP to be a convener, a connector, a catalyst.
Here’s how RTP plans to ful!ll those roles:
CONVENER
THIS YEAR, RTP WILL INVITE REPRESENTATIVES FROM ACROSS NORTH CAROLINA TO COME TOGETHER IN THE PARK.
Events hosted in RTP will give passionate people an opportunity to collaborate and learn from one another to drive economic development in their own communities.
CONNECTOR
RTP WILL DEVELOP AN ONLINE COMMUNITY TO ESTABLISH AN ONGOING CONVERSATION ABOUT THE FUTURE OF NORTH CAROLINA.
Di!erent forms of online media will allow RTP to share timely information about the Park and the state’s development. Open communications platforms will give North Carolina a place to share stories and ideas.
CATALYST
RTP WILL BUILD AN INNOVATIVE COMMUNITY FOR SHARING NEW IDEAS.
The center will ful"ll the expectations we heard on the Pathways to Opportunity tour: it will connect North Carolina and brand our state as a global leader in innovation and collaboration.
moments that count
invite people to the party
storytelling gets us there
be systematic about it
belong, connect, & believe
moments that resonate
thank you.
Amber Howard, Ph.D.@amberkhoward