Chastain starts by explaining that storytelling as an important feature of interaction design is a point of contention in the design community. Chastain wants to prove that storytelling is indeed important with this presentation. What she wants to tell us how we can learn from storytelling to design more meaningful and engaging products.
She alludes to the significance of storytelling as a whole by talking about Aristotle. “All stories are, in their general conception, modes of imitation.”
She talks about how most dramatic stories have a shape.
Looking at the beginning, the scene is set and an inciting incident occurs which causes a rise in action until the final climax which comes down to the ending. This involves a lot of timing and structure and a lot of artistry, this is what causes the emotional response to a story.
She tells us that Aristotle has 6 Qualitative Elements of Drama
- Plot (events)
- Character (agents)
- Thought (ideas/theme)
- Dictation (languages)
- Song (pattern)
- Spectacle (the visual)
Asides from plot these are all things that we, as designers work with all the time.
1. Plot
The plot is used to communicate potential to use , express causality, reinforce probability, facilitate completion.
Chastain gives an example of the ‘check in’ wizzard for a site she’s designing. She said they used narrative to create a flow letting the user know each step they will take when completing the ‘check in’. User is given feedback at each point of the wizzard. She mentions how she used empathy to motivate user to make the next move . It is important to use empathy to understand the user to help