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UsingPersonasandthePowerofStorytoDriveProductDevelopment
Erin Liman | Innovation is Social | @liman

me
business
design people
tech

a-ha:storybrings
needs,motivationsand
solutionstolife

4

5

marketing story
customer pain story
product story
coherence+resonance=allspeakingsamelanguage
>
>
>

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storiesguideproductdevelopment
• Promote understanding: each team member should
have a visceral understanding of the customer problem
• Guide micro-decisions routinely made while developing
• Inform MVP: develop only what’s needed to deliver the
critical function
http://etc.usf.edu/clipart/

storiesaresticky

compellingstories
areaboutchange

Figureout
thecurrentstory
tella
newstory

Figureout
thecurrentstory
tella
newstory

so,howdowe
createthenewstory?

3STEPS
TOCREATINGTHENEWSTORY

COLLECTSTORIES
IDENTIFYPATTERNS&FLOWS
RE-FRAME,TELLANEWSTORY
1
2
3

COLLECTSTORIES 1

immerseyourself
bywalkingin
someone
else’sshoes
José Avillez (Chef)
Portuguese Men in
High Heels for
Women Rights

to discover someone’s explicit
and implicit needs
so you can test your
understanding of these needs
with your prototypes
(interventions)
WHY gain empathy?

Evoke stories.
HOW TO gain empathy?

basicstoryspinetension
time
once upon
a time…
and every day
until one day
and because of that
and because of that
until finally
and ever since
that day

exercise:sentenceatatimestory
1 onceuponatime…
2 andeveryday…
3 untiloneday…
4 andbecauseofthat…
5 andbecauseofthat…
6 untilfinally…
7 andeversincethatday…

howtowediscover
what’smeaningful?

WISH
WANT
NEED
PAIN
FEAR
CONSCIOUSUNCONSCIOUS
depth = meaning
©
2016
Innova/on
is
Social,
LLC

tension
time
introduction
build rapport
“sunny day”
“rainy day”
resolution
reflection
wrap-up and
thank
collectstoriesusingthestoryspine

Challenges re:
landing big deals
Collaborating
across disciplines
Collaborating
across orgs to
fill gaps
Motivation / Rewards
End-to-end
“service” especially
the last mile
Sharing expertise
Ethnographic Research Themes to Investigate
Getting help

COLLECTSTORIES
IDENTIFYPATTERNS&FLOWS
1
2

COLLECTSTORIES 1
2
insights,motivations,workarounds
IDENTIFYPATTERNS&FLOWS

See text msg
about a big
sales
opportunity
Crisis of
confidence -
knows this
deal will
require
assembling
teams within
and across
companies
Doesn’t know
what he
doesn’t know
(people, tools,
processes for
similar deals
in the past)
Swallows
pride and
calls sales
superstar on
drive to next
account
meeting
Wake up,
look at
phone
salesexecwhojoinedBigCosixmonthsago(“as-is”)story
time
Fears that the
people he
needs to
engage won’t
see enough
benefit to
help much

credit: Village9991
persona=compositeportraitofauserorstakeholder

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personaexamples

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lifelesspersona

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Source: Kate Rutter, Strategic Sketcher at Intelleto
usefulpersona

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presentedresearch,audible+visualpersonasformeta-synthesis

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synthesis:
identify patterns in fears, pains and workarounds
create rough personas
see who else has overcome similar challenges
(analogous)
zoom out: what are key executives focused on this year?
How will these findings help them advance their goals?
experts
analysts (trends)
observations
stakeholder stories
quantitative data

I
am
...
I
am
trying
to
...
But,
...
Because
...
Which
makes
me
feel
...
“Who”
with
3+
characteris/cs
Objec/ve
or
“job
to
be
done”
Perceived
barrier
Root
cause
Emo/on
Exercise: Problem Statement
It
would
be
game
changing
if…
Idea

I
am
...
I
am
trying
to
...
But,
...
Because
...
Which
makes
me
feel
...
“Who”
with
3+
characteris/cs
Objec/ve
or
“job
to
be
done”
Perceived
barrier
Root
cause
Emo/on
Exercise: Problem Statement
It
would
be
game
changing
if…
Idea
Sarah,
a
32
year-­‐old
sales
exec
with
new
role
in
a
B2B
company
Recognize
and
shape
large
transforma/onal
deals
I’m
s/ll
learning
how
things
work,
and
who
to
call
in
Nothing
is
documented,
and
no
one
has
/me
to
help
me
stressed
and
frustrated
we
could
recognize
paYerns
and
fill
gaps,
then
remember
“plays”
without
re-­‐work

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analogus
inspiration

COLLECTSTORIES
IDENTIFYPATTERNS&FLOWS
RE-FRAME,TELLANEWSTORY
1
2
3

DEFINEAPOINTOFVIEW
We are all, in turn, buyers and sellers.
How might we orchestrate value
exchanges, then “remember” these
patterns and flows
as a byproduct of the work?

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highlightstrategicstory“beats”/tellstorymultipleways
wikipedia //hdfreefoto

collaborativestorytelling/bodystorming

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illustratekeystorybeats
playwithordertoseewhathasthemostimpact

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packageforvirality
howcanweembedstakeholderlanguage
sostoryresonateswithdifferentaudiences?

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example
[articulatereactionto
whatheseesonhisphone]

adoptaprototypingmindset
Prototype the problem(s) / “as-is”
Prototype the context
Prototype the new story / “to be”
Prototype the value proposition
Prototype how the value will be delivered

1. Step into the perspective of the key persona (hero).
2. Walk through the storyline, one step at a time, from trigger to
resolution.
3. Brainstorm ways to get the hero into trouble. Show how the hero
overcomes the challenge(s), and what happens as a result.
4. Add context (backstory, environment, etc.) to evoke empathy.
Include details to help the listener visualize what they hear. Make
the story sticky by helping listeners relate it to their own
experience.
5. Step back and simplify. Then, simplify even more.
6. Tell the story. Revise. Repeat.
director’stips

re-incorporatestakeholderlanguage
removemarketing-speakandcorporatejargon

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Thank you!
Erin Liman
Innovation Accelerator, Narrative Designer
Innovation is Social, LLC
twitter: @liman
blog: innovationissocial.com
linkedin.com/erinliman