DIGITAL STORYTELLING Paul Cheung Director of Interactive and Digital News Production, The Associated Press pcheung@ap.org @pcheung630

“As the Web matures, the devices that

provide access to it have to evolve along with it.”

DESKTOPS, MOBILE AND SOCIAL

– They are not all the same.

– Users exhibit different behavioral patterns.

– Each device and platform addresses different needs at different times of the day.

– What works for a user on a desktop does not work for a smartphone.

LEARNING OBJECTIVE

– Use a scalable story-planning process across all digital platforms from Web to mobile to social.

A QUICK SURVEY

– What is your role in the digital-storytelling process?

– Tell me about your success stories?

– Tell me about your digital obstacles?

THE TYPICAL PLANNING PROCESS

Reporter/Editor Visuals

Web dev

Social

A FLAWED PROCESS

Reporter/Editor Visuals

Web dev

Social

A BETTER PROCESS

Brainstorm Storyboard Prototype Feedback Iterate Deliver

A BETTER PROCESS

Brainstorm Storyboard Prototype Feedback Iterate Deliver

Brainstorming is not just for generating story ideas.

– Gets us out of our comfort zones.

– Encourages wild ideas. This often leads to real innovation in terms of storytelling: Virtual Reality (VR) or Augmented Reality (AR) / Time-lapse / Before/after images

– http://interactives.ap.org/2015/transgender-youth/

A BETTER PROCESS

Brainstorm Storyboard Prototype Feedback Iterate Deliver

Storyboarding is a static description of your narrative arc.

– Divide the story into linear and nonlinear parts.

– Decide the contents of the story among the media (text, videos, audio, photos, information graphics, VR).

– Sketch out what the main story will look like and the elements it will include.

– http://interactives.ap.org/2015/mexico-disappeared/

A BETTER PROCESS

Brainstorm Storyboard Prototype Feedback Iterate Deliver

Prototyping is the visual and physical representation of how your story will be presented to the audience.

– Narrative structure

– User Experience (UX) and User Interface (UI)

– Interactivity

– http://interactives.ap.org/2014/honduras-soccer/

Feedback is the reaction to the presentation and narrative arc of the story:

– Is your prototype intuitive?

– Will the audience engage with your story from beginning to end?

– Observe audience behavior: Are they stuck in a particular section? Is something too boring or too complex?

– http://interactives.ap.org/2015/trading-pit-signals/

A BETTER PROCESS

Brainstorm Storyboard Prototype Feedback Iterate Deliver

A BETTER PROCESS

Brainstorm Storyboard Prototype Feedback Iterate Deliver

Based on your feedback and observations, iteration is your second chance to re-edit the story or to improve the UI/UX of the story.

http://interactives.ap.org/2015/mh17-crash/

A BETTER PROCESS

Brainstorm Storyboard Prototype Feedback Iterate Deliver

When and how to deliver digital stories:

– Timing

– Platform differentiation

– Print vs. Web vs. mobile vs. social

EXAMPLES

http://interactives.ap.org/2015/ap-interactive-guide/

Q&A PAUL CHEUNG | PCHEUNG@AP.ORG | @PCHEUNG630