This week we had a guest lecture from Big Motive. They talked us through the importance of storytelling in design. I found this very useful as storytelling is a big part of our current project.
There are 7 main elements of storytelling: Character, plot, dialogue, decor, melody, theme, and spectacle. When I was first told about this, I struggled to imagine how each of them are relevant to design. However, they went through each of these in more detail which was very useful:
- Character: In design, this is when you create user personas, mindsets, and empathy maps. I like this part of the design process as it gets you out of your own mind and assumptions and into your users’ mindset. This way, you can start designing, thinking about their needs from the start.
- Plot: This involves storyboarding and user journeys. This is when you think about your personas may navigate your designs. This is an important step as you can uncover problems they may face early in the design process.
- Dialogue: This is when you create a tone of voice and think about the language. These, of course, are dependent on your target audience and how you want to communicate with them and come across.
- Decor: This involves creating a visual identity. “Appearance is just as important as functionality”. I partially believe this as I think people are more likely to use a product that is visually appealing as it makes it more enjoyable to use. This is why brands work so well as people build an emotional connection to them.
- Melody: This is where everything comes together and flows in a way users expect. We were told that we should always create a positive emotion in the things we create.
Overall, I found this lecture very useful. It was beneficial to see the storytelling process broken down into manageable chunks which are easy to understand from a design perspective. It is a good reminder of how much goes into the design process including personas, tone of voice etc. This makes me more confident for future projects to be able to tell a good story through design. I also enjoyed getting an insight into the projects Big Motive have done as it’s very inspiring.