[ Preface ]

It All Starts with “Once upon a time…”

I grew up in a family where stories were always told. My dad, Ingvar, is a writer, and reading and writing played a big part in my childhood. I remember sitting next to my dad on the sofa with one of my brothers on the other side. Dad would read us the Moomin books, The Chronicles of Narnia, the Brothers Grimm, Hans Christian Andersen, and Astrid Lindgren, and we’d sit there completely absorbed.

The stories he read sent us on journeys to places we didn’t know existed. They created worlds in our minds and sparked our imaginations by making us see things we’d never seen before. As with a dream you don’t want to wake up from, we never wanted those reading sessions to stop. We wanted to know what would happen next, how it all began, and how it was going to end. Evening after evening, we’d get one step closer until the final page was turned and it was time to start a new chapter, sometimes in a new book.

Many of the classic fairy tales from our childhoods, like Snow White, Rumpelstiltskin, and Hansel and Gretel, start with one of the most widely known sentences in the world: “Once upon a time…” According to The Oxford English Dictionary, the phrase has been used in one form or another since at least 1380 to introduce narratives of past events, typically in the form of fairy tales and folktales. During the 1600s, it became commonly used as a way to begin oral narratives and often ended with “...and they all lived happily ever after.”

Today a number of modern variants of “Once upon a time…” have been introduced, primarily through film and TV. One of the most famous ones is “A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away…,” which opens the Star Wars films. Other well-known variations are “In a land of myth, and a time of magic…,” which is the opening line of the TV series Merlin, and “In the time before time…” from the movie Bionicle. Whether it’s the classic “Once upon a time…” or one of the modern variants, these opening phrases signal that it’s time to sit back because in one form or another, a story will follow. This book is the story of the role that storytelling plays in product design: telling stories with our work is essential for the people and contexts we now design for.

The Art of Storytelling

The art of storytelling has always been a well-respected skill, and those who were great at telling stories were often key figures in their communities. Great storytellers have always been particularly gifted at communicating in a memorable and effective way to not only convey a sequence of events, but also evoke emotions from the listeners. This was key for ensuring that whatever the tale was about—be it war, deeds, or events—wasn’t forgotten and could be passed on. Today technology and print have solved the challenge of how to pass on information, but great storytellers remain key figures just as much now as in the old days.

In 2014, Raconteur published an article and infographic called “The World’s Greatest Storytellers.” It was the result of a survey that asked almost five hundred authors, journalists, editors, students, and media and marketing professionals who they considered to be great storytellers. The top five included William Shakespeare, J.K. Rowling, Roald Dahl, Charles Dickens, and Stephen King, but there was great diversity in the responses and the reasons behind their respective choices. The suggestions spanned continents, genres, disciplines, and mediums. Some picked influential people in their own fields. Others chose family members who’d influenced their love for writing and history. Yet others based their choice on their own definition of “great.” What united them all was that, in one way or another, their stories had hit home. 1

This points to some of the key aspects of a good story. However we tell or create a story, all good stories capture the audience’s attention and resonate with them. At times they’re almost spellbinding and draw us in so deep that we can’t help but keep on turning pages to find out what happens next. Other times a gripping tale of faith connects with us emotionally and moves us to excitement, or even rage―“This can’t be right,” “How could they let that happen?” All instances of good storytelling involve a bit of magic. The narrator draws the audience into the world they’re telling a story about and, to some extent, holds them captive by building up the anticipation around how the story will end.

Why I Wrote This Book

While many stories in the form of film, TV series, plays, novels, and books tend to come with happy endings, storytelling is increasingly moving outside its traditional form. A quick search on Google for “storytelling” and “business” returns around 122 million results, and there is no doubt that storytelling has become a buzzword in the business world over the last few years. However, as this book covers, it’s not without good reason. Stories have the power to make us see things, to move us emotionally as well as into action, and to make us process and remember facts. Responding to and telling stories is part of what makes us human.

As a business tool, storytelling is also incredibly important. We’ve all likely sat through horrific presentations that make us want to leave the room. Most of us have been impressed by someone who, on the other side of the spectrum, has delivered a great presentation and captured the attention of the whole room. Today, being a good communicator, which essentially is being a good storyteller, is an increasingly sought-after skill. It impacts our ability to communicate with clients, team members, and internal stakeholders, whether we’re having day-to-day conversations or writing and giving great presentations. Being a good storyteller is something that is reflected in the work that we produce. It’s also increasingly important when we look for that new role—from our own personal branding to the way we present ourselves and our work as well as in any portfolio. When it comes to work, we can all benefit from knowing how to tell a good story.

So what is it that sets a great story apart from an average or even a good one? What is it that makes the likes of Star Wars and The Shawshank Redemption become box office hits, and the likes of Harry Potter become such page turners? And what is it that makes certain TED talks the most watched of all time?

The question of what makes for a good story is what started the journey of this book. It’s a question I asked my dad when I was preparing for my first-ever storytelling talk. I wanted to find out if there was a magical recipe or formula to follow, besides a beginning, a middle, and an end. While I wasn’t expecting a “Well, yes there is!” answer, my dad’s response and the research it sparked turned out to be far more interesting than I could have imagined. Everywhere you look and everywhere you go, there is a story to tell. Exactly what makes for a great one and how this is connected to product design is the story I aim to tell you through this book.

As the world we’re designing for is becoming increasingly complex and automated, it is shifting what’s required of us as UX designers, product owners, strategists, founders, marketers, and more. Not only does our T-shaped form―a metaphor used to describe cross-skilled people who have expertise in at least one area (vertical bar) and are also knowledgeable in related areas (horizontal bar)―need to stretch a bit wider, but we also hold greater responsibility. In the words of product designer Wilson Miner:

We’re not just making pretty interfaces; we’re in the process of building an environment where we’ll spend most of our time, for the rest of our lives. We’re the designers, we’re the builders—what do we want that environment to feel like? What do we want to feel like? 2

To build and create great product experiences that deliver to both the user and to the business, we need to master Walt Disney’s ability to get the bigger picture right as well as the small details. We also need to account for a growing number of eventualities and moving parts that need to be defined and designed so that they all come together. Just like a good story. By turning to traditional storytelling, we can draw on tools, principles, and methods to help us―from character development (to help identify and define all the actors that play a part, including when and where), to narrative structure, main plots, and subplots for defining and designing for all eventualities. Happy and unhappy ones. And then, of course, there are set, scene, and shot design, which help us bring particular parts of a product or service experience to life. This all helps to ensure that the people who are or will be using our products and services will be the heroes of our stories, and who the experience is about.

How the Book Is Structured

The purpose of this book is not to come up with new tools and methods to replace those that we and our clients are used to working with, but instead to take methods, tools, and principles from traditional storytelling and use them to complement and enhance the tools we’re already using. There are increasing overlaps between the various disciplines and professions involved in product design, with each team member influencing the project, product, and the experience of the same in different ways. Because the products and services we are working on are no longer limited to just being experienced on a screen but increasingly offline as well, we benefit from looking broader afield in our approach. This is where turning to traditional storytelling can provide insight, inspiration, and practical tools to help us think about and approach product design differently.

The book is divided into three parts. The first part provides background and context around storytelling theory, its relevance for product design, and what we need to consider for the current state of digital experiences and where we are heading. It’s less practical and more theoretical and forms the foundation of the book. If you feel you have a good understanding of some or all of what this part covers, jump ahead to Part 2.

Chapter 1: Why Storytelling Matters

In this chapter, we look at the role of stories throughout history as a means to pass on information and instill moral values, and how storytelling has been highly regarded as a profession. We also look at how the medium of storytelling has evolved as well as the role of storytelling in our day-to-day lives before ending with the role of storytelling today and for product design.

Chapter 2: The Anatomy of a Great Story

Here, we look at some of the theory behind great stories, including Aristotle’s seven golden rules, the art of dramaturgy, Aristotle’s three-act structure, and Freytag’s pyramid. We also start looking at what product design can learn from dramaturgy before rounding off with five key lessons from various types of storytelling.

Chapter 3: Storytelling for Product Design

In the third chapter, we start by looking at seven areas in which traditional storytelling is changing, from the shift to on-demand, to transmedia storytelling. Hereafter, we turn the focus to the changing landscape of product design and what that means for those involved.

In the second part of the book, we look explicitly at what we can learn from traditional storytelling and how to apply those lessons to product design. Since I am a user experience (UX) designer myself, each chapter in this part of the book covers a key aspect related to UX design and draws parallels to traditional storytelling principles, tools, and methods.

Chapter 4: The Emotional Aspect of Product Design

The key to a good story lies in the emotional connection that it evokes from its audience. Without that emotional connection, we don’t care. This connection is also where the persuasive power of storytelling lies. In this chapter, we look at why emotion in design increasingly matters and what we can learn from the way traditional storytelling evokes emotions in readers, listeners, and audiences.

Chapter 5: Defining and Structuring Experiences with Dramaturgy

Just as any good story needs a good structure, so does a carefully considered product or service. Applying dramaturgy to the products and services we work on is a simple yet effective tool to help analyze both how things are and how they should be. It helps us to be explicit about and to define the desired narrative of the product or service experience we’re working on. This chapter shows you how.

Chapter 6: Using Character Development in Product Design

Characters together with the plot form the key part of any good story. If you fail to make your characters believable, the story will fall flat. Make your main character—the protagonist—the hero and pay close attention to the development of all the other characters as well, and your story is more likely to hit home. In this chapter, we look at what we can learn from traditional storytelling when it comes to defining the people we’re building our product or service for. We also see how storytelling helps identify and define all the other characters and actors that increasingly are a part of the product and service experiences that we define; for example, in the form of bots and VUIs.

Chapter 7: Defining the Setting and Context of Your Product Story

Setting is one of the main elements in traditional storytelling. In this chapter, we explore what setting and context mean, the role they play in traditional storytelling, and how that translates into product design in terms of the environment and context of the product experience.

Chapter 8: Storyboarding for Product Design

Storyboards are widely used in film and TV, and to some extent they’re also used in product design. Here, we look at storyboarding and how to incorporate storyboards into the product design process.

Chapter 9: Visualizing the Shape of Your Product Experience

Most of the world’s stories follow one of a few well-known storylines. In this chapter, we look at what the shapes and structures of typical stories can teach us about product design. Mapping out the visual shape of the experience with our products and services can help us not only define and design better products, but also ensure we increase buy-in for our projects.

Chapter 10: Applying Main Plots and Subplots to User Journeys and Flows

In traditional storytelling, more than one storyline often runs through and makes up the narrative. In this chapter, we look at the role that main plots and subplots have as a mechanism in traditional storytelling, as well as why and how main plots and subplots can be applied to product design.

Chapter 11: Theme and Story Development in Product Design

In all good stories, things happen for a reason. Part of the glue that makes a story come together is its theme. In this chapter, we look at theme in relation to traditional storytelling as well as its role for product design. This is also where we study how to develop your story.

Chapter 12: Choose-Your-Own-Adventure Stories and Modular Design

In choose-your-own-adventure (CYOA) stories, the reader is an active participant making decisions about how the story should unfold. In this chapter, we look at the similarities this has with product design and what we can learn from CYOA when it comes to modular design.

Chapter 13: Applying Scene Structure to Wireframes, Designs, and Prototypes

Every chapter in a book and every episode in a TV show is a story in and of itself, and so are the pages and views in the products and services we design. In this chapter, we look at how to apply storytelling principles to help narrate the layout of pages and views across various devices and sizes, as well as make everything come together using the tools discussed in the previous chapters.

The third part includes the last chapter of the book and provides an introduction to the importance of telling and presenting your story.

Chapter 14: Presenting and Sharing Your Story

In the last chapter we look at the role of purposeful storytelling. We also look at and how we can use storytelling to inspire, ensure we get buy-in for our products and services, and as a way to identify and tell the right story behind data. Additionally, great storytellers know how to adapt their story to the audience. For us to have the desired impact in the workplace, we ought to adapt our story presentations to our audiences as well, from clients to team members and internal stakeholders. We’ll discuss how to go about that as well as some key tips for both visual and verbal presentations.

Who Should Read This Book

Index

I started writing this book with an intended audience of other UX designers and practitioners like myself. While this book will especially speak to UX designers, projects and products in this day and age are always the result of many people and disciplines coming together. All of us, regardless of whether we have “UX” anywhere in our job title, have an impact on the user experience of the products and services that we work on. As the book will make clear, everything is an experience, and the tools, methods, and theories that are covered are valuable for service designers, product owners, strategists, visual designers, developers, marketers, and startups. In fact, they are valuable for any type of experience, not just digital ones.

The book will be of particular interest to those with a few years of work experience, but it will still be a valuable read with useful tools for those who are more junior or simply new to digital. With the references to traditional storytelling and the latest developments in technology, the book will hopefully also be an enjoyable read for those who have an interest in the intersection of these two fields.

How to Use This Book

Though the chapters build on each other and ideally should be read in order, that’s not how you need to read them; you can dip into the chapter that meets the needs of what you’re working on or looking for at the moment.

Because no two projects are the same, this book won’t offer a one-size-fits-all framework that you can follow from start to finish. Instead, the chapters cover some of the main steps that you usually find in a project and offer tools inspired by traditional storytelling that you can use as they are, or even better, adapt so they fit your specific project.

As a supplementary resource, I created a Storytelling in Design website at storytellinguxdesign.com. Here you can find case studies, examples, useful links, downloadable worksheets and templates, and more.

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Acknowledgments

This book would not have existed were it not for my dad, who—ever since I was a little girl—inspired me to write. He also gave spark to the subject of this book and helped me see the connection between traditional storytelling and that of UX design.

A big thank you to everyone at O’Reilly and Nick Lombardi, who reached out to me and planted the idea of writing a book on the subject, something I at first brushed off with a “Who me? Not a chance!” Thank you, in particular, to my editor Angela Ruffino for believing in me and being patient. A big thank you also to Katherine Tozer, my production editor, Kim Cofer, my copyeditor, and Sharon Wilkey, my proofreader, who helped turn this into what you now hold in your hands. I’d also like to thank Jose Marzan, Jr. and the O’Reilly art department, whose drawings have really made this book come to life.

Because of various life events, this book took longer to complete than I’d envisioned. Without the support of my family and friends, and particularly my partner Dion (hereafter D), it wouldn’t have been possible to make this book happen. From giving me the space and time to write, to the physical and mental support in various forms, from feeding me, listening to me, hugging me, and cheering me on, thank you. To my sister and her partner for lending us their Baby Björn, which immensely eased restructuring the book with a sleeping newborn.

To the first group of reviewers—Christian Manzella, Christian Desjardins, and Ellen DeVries—who took the time to read through the very early and not very good first-draft version and gave me their invaluable feedback, thank you. And to the second group—Ryan Harper, Christy Ennis Kloote, Frances Close, and Ellen Chisa—whose input helped me identify the final restructuring that was needed and provided invaluable input.

To everyone in the UX community who has helped me connect with people for case studies for the website, or spread the word about this book, be it through word of mouth or social media, thank you. Thanks to the organizers of SXSW Interactive, who had me do not just one but two “reading” sessions back in 2017, and to all of the conference attendees. And a big thank you to the organizers of the following conferences and meetups who have invited me to speak and run workshops, which both helped distill and put the tools and thoughts in this book into practice: UCD London (where I gave my first storytelling talk), Digital Pond, Design + Banter, UX Oxford, Digital Dumbo, Breaking Borders, Amuse, Bulgaria Web Summit, Funkas Tillgänglighetsdagar, UX London, Conversion Hotel, DXN Nottingham, SXSW, ConversionXL Live, Click Summit, UXLx, IIex Europe, CXL, Conversion World, NUX Camp, Conversion Elite, UX Insider, Digital Growth Unleashed, Agile Scotland, InOrbit, and Webbdagarna. Thank you to all of you who came to my talks and workshops and chatted with me afterward.

Last but not least, thanks to all of you who have bought this book and are now sitting with it in your hands, and to all of you who bought the early release and inquired about the book way back when it was originally supposed to be released. Thank you for your patience. I hope you like it and that it’s been worth the wait. Now, once upon a time...

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