Storytelling

This week we had a guest lecture by David Henderson about storytelling. I found the lecture very useful and learned some interesting things about the art of storytelling.

Throughout this degree, we have always been told about the importance of creating an emotional connection with our audience. This could be through brand stories, social media or even tapping into nostalgia. All of these can help tell a story that can have a big impact on whether users continue interacting with your product or not.

“90% of our decisions are made on an emotional basis. The other 10% are our rational minds used to justify those decisions.”

The psychology of storytelling

I decided to look further into the psychology of storytelling as this is something that interests me. I also think that knowing the facts behind this will inspire me even more to be a better storyteller.

Here are some reasons I came across why stories are so powerful:

• They have always been a form of communication: I think people are so familiar with stories that when we tell them, trust is formed.
• They are about connection: We can share many emotions through stories including, happiness, sadness, curiosity, etc. I think this helps people relate to each other and build a connection.
• Stories are how we think: They help us make decisions, explain things, and help us understand how things work.
• They provide order: Throughout interfaces, people like structure as it makes things easier to understand, process, and navigate. I think that this can help make things predictable which makes things easier for users and provides comfort.
• I think stories create immersion: They can make users feel like they are somewhere else which sends an even stronger message.

Overall, I think storytelling can be hard to get right but once you do, it’s a powerful thing. If you create an emotional connection, users will remember it with more accuracy. I think this can have many benefits as it makes you or your product more memorable, making users more likely to return and recommend it to others.