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Erin Liman | Innovation is Social | @liman
Using the Power of Personas and Story
to Drive Product Development
What’s the story?

2.
Stories
Guide
Product
Development
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Stories Guide Product Development
•Promote understanding - create a shared team vision of the need to
be addressed
•Guide micro decisions routinely made while developing
•Inform MVP - limit development to what’s needed to deliver the key
benefit

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Stories are Sticky

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The story itself, the true story, is the one that
the audience members create in their minds,
guided and shaped by my text, but then
transformed, elucidated, expanded, edited,
and clarified by their own experience, their
own desires, their own hopes and fears.
—Orson Scott Card

5.
• Visual
• Persistent - even
when creator isn’t
present
• Reflects and
shapes the culture

6.
Compelling stories
are about change

7.
Figure out
the current story
Tell a
new story

8.
3STEPSTO CREATING THE NEW STORY

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1
2
3
COLLECT STORIES
GET ACTORS INTO TROUBLE
RE-FRAME,TELL A NEW STORY

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1
2
3
COLLECT STORIES
GET ACTORS INTO TROUBLE
RE-FRAME,TELL A NEW STORY

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“Up” follows the Hero’s Journey emotional arc

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Who
What
When
Where
How
Why
Persona
Objective
Timing
Context
Action
Meaning
Questions to Answer

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Story Spine
time
tension
and because of that
so, the moral of
the story is
until finally
until one day
and every day
Memorable stories often have this structure
once upon a time
and every day
and because of that

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Story Spine
time
tension and because of that...
Carl is sentenced to a retirement home. To
escape this fate, he releases thousands of
helium balloons and sails away... with Russelll
the explorer scout.
so, the moral of the story is...
until finally..
Carl is forced to release his beloved house,
and Kevin is returned to her 3 chicks, and
Russell and Dug are delivered home. Russell’s
father fails to present him the final badge,;
Carl steps in and gives a grape soda badge
that Ellie had once given him. Carl now acts
as surrogate grandfather to Russell.
until one day...
Ellie dies before they realize their dream,
leaving Carl alone, a tired and sour recluse.
A construction worker breaks Carls mailbox,
and Carl hits him over the head with his
walker.
Memorable stories often have this structure
once upon a time...
Young Carl Fredricksen meets Ellie,
a tomboy who shares passion for
adventure and explorer Charles Muntz.
Make pact to travel to Paradise Falls
someday.
and every day...
Carl and Ellie get married and live a blissful life as
balloon salesman and zookeeper
and because of that...
He has a series of adventures. He faces a series
of tests, ultimately facing the elderly, now-crazy
Charles Muntz, who ultimately falls to his death.and every day...
The dig a little further into their Falls fund
to meet other obligations

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time
tension
“rainy” day
wrap-up and thank
reflection“sunny” day
Collect the Real Story - Interview Flow
Ethnographic interviews have this structure
introduction
build rapport

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Village9991
Persona = composite portrait of a user or stakeholder

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1
2
3
COLLECT STORIES
GET ACTORS INTO TROUBLE
RE-FRAME,TELL A NEW STORY

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The Worst
First Day
Experience

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Persona’s enable us to step into someone else’s shoes

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Parker

21.
homestay4studentsmontreal.blogspot.com
Example:
Rob, a 42- year old
businessman, wants delicious
food in an unfamiliar city

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credit: