Lilha Willems' presentation about the power of storytelling and how this can be used in UX: from gathering requirements, brainstorming, feedback sessions, and prototyping

1. B Y
L I L H A W I L L E M S
Once upon time there was
“Storytelling in UX”

2. Overview
 What are stories
 Why use stories
 How to apply or use stories in UX
 Conclusion

3. What are stories?
 “They’re a tool, one invented to
inform, persuade, and entertain
other humans.”
 “Stories are also very powerful.
Someone who remains
unconvinced after a thousand
pages of scientific data can often
be swayed by just the right
anecdote.”
© 2014 Scott Westerfeld

4. What are stories?
 Buridan's Donkey

5. What are stories?
 Should two courses be judged equal, then the will cannot
break the deadlock, all it can do is to suspend judgement
until the circumstances change, and the right course of
action is clear.
— Jean Buridan, 1340

6. What are stories
 This simple story has persisted throughout centuries
despite it being unbelievable
WHY?

7. What are stories?

8. What are stories?
“Stories are a particular type of human communication designed
to persuade an audience of the storyteller's worldview.
The storyteller does this by placing characters, real or fictional,
onto a stage and showing what happens to these characters
over a period of time.
Each character pursues some type of goal in accordance with
his or her values, facing difficulty along the way and either
succeeds or fails according to the storyteller's view of how the
world works.”
- Jonah Sachs

9. Video 1 – Hero’s Journey
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RPKzF2tFgfs

10. Why tell stories?
 Engages audience if told well
 Gives meaning to (complex) information

11. Storytelling and UX
 Why tell stories in UX?

12. Storytelling in UX
 Ground your work in real context
 Keep people in the center
 Engage the imagination

13. Little girl’s toilet (LGT)

14. LGT - Requirements
 The user must be able to pee in the toilet while
standing
 It must be possible for the user to sit down

15. Brainstorm and Concept Development
 Sarah is an 8-year old girl that really looks up to,
Tom, her older brother. Tom is very popular and has
a lot of friends. This why Sarah wants to be just
like him and copies everything that he does.
However Sarah is not allowed to stand in front of
the toilet to do her business like Tom. That is until
her parents got her LGT. Sarah is now also able to
do her business just like her older brother.

16. LGT – User Testing and Prototyping
 Measures of success
 Empathy when testing with non-typical user

17. Conclusion
 Give meaning to:
 Requirements
 Design
 Results
 All the while keeping the users at the center
 Engage and therefore persuade

18. Video 2 – The Myth Gap
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_JepcvF_s8g

19. THE END
Credits
Presenter
Occupation
Company
Contact
Lilha Willems
Technical Consultant / Developer
Realworld Systems
lilha.willems@realworld-systems.com