thinking like a storyteller

Thinking Like a Storyteller

Cindy Chastain @cchastain

#ixd10 #story

What’s the deal with ���Storytelling?

revised title:

design thinking!

innovation!

storytelling!

personas

scenarios

storyboards brand stories

product stories

user stories

framework

communication tool

demos

my story

Ahhh..this button, ���will direct a call to the

president of the company. Oh! the call is going

through….If the president of the company gets his call, he will be happy. If he is happy, I

will be noticed. If I am noticed, perhaps I can get a

raise… This device is so good for my life!

self-narratives

how can we, as designers, provide

cues that will deepen that narrative connection?

emotional cognitive

engagement

What can we learn from the discipline of storytelling that will help us design for more meaningful and engaging product experiences?

the ultimate question

slow disclosure

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surprise

Stories engage us because of ���the way they’re designed.

If we, as designers, had a better understanding of how stories are crafted, we would have a better understanding of how to craft deeper kinds of engagement in the interactive products we create.

Act I: Theory the construction and deconstruction of narrative (!)

All stories are, “in their general conception, ���modes of imitation.”

-Aristotle

The Poetics

But what makes them differ…

Objects

Medium

Manner

Two Manners of Storytelling…

dramatic/showing narrative/telling

diegetic mimetic

Plot (events)

Character (agents)

Thought (ideas/theme)

Diction (language)

Song (pattern)

Spectacle (the visual)

Aristotle’s Six Qualitative Elements of Drama

So, how does this relate to interactive products?

the shape of narrative flow

introduction and setting of characters explanation of state of affairs complicating action ensuing events outcome ending

Canonical Story Format

introduction and setting of characters explanation of state of affairs complicating action ensuing events outcome ending

Narrative Flow

understanding narrative craft will help us get there

Act II: Craft Or what we can learn from storytelling about the ���art of narrative flow.

Plot (events)

Character (agents)

Thought (ideas/theme)

Diction (language)

Song (pattern)

Spectacle (the visual)

Aristotle’s Six Qualitative Elements of Drama

Plot (events)

Character (agents)

Thought (ideas/theme

Diction (language)

Song (pattern)

Spectacle (the visual))

Three Primary Elements of Storytelling

first element: plot

To understand a film’s story is to grasp what happens and where, when and why it happens.

communicate potential

express causality

reinforce probability

facilitate completion

four relevant mechanics of dramatic narration

communicate potential

cognitive/emotional

express causality

cognitive

reinforce probability

cognitive/emotional + meaning

facilitate completion

emotional

second element: character

Well designed system-based agents, can contribute to dramatic engagement, elicit empathy, and influence the actions and emotional responses of human agents involved in the same activity.

Act III: Challenge

If we can move away from thinking of products in terms of interfaces and start thinking of them as representations or environments, in which agents perform actions we will get us to a place where we can design more fluid and engaging dialogues/experiences.

understand the craft of

storytelling

design with a narrative in mind

develop narrative craft for design

yes, we can use it

the end

(thanks)

@cchastain chastaincm@gmail.com