Developing Discipline: Story Architecture — Part 3
Evaluation
So far we have covered ‘what’ is Story Architecture (SA) in Part 1: Introduction and ‘how’ to bring SA into practice in Part 2: Navigation, but one obvious question remains regarding the ‘why’: Why is there a need for SA?
The idea of using story or storytelling for engagement is not a new concept. Although reduced to becoming a buzzword by most, stories have been, for many, sort of a secret sauce added while selling (for economic purpose), showing (for entertainment purpose) or schooling (for educational purpose).
One of my favourite resources for this is Putting Stories to Work: Mastering Business Storytelling by Shawn Callahan (Founder of Anecdote), a book which is - ‘considered to be the most practical guide available to developing your skills as a business storyteller.’
The techniques used have worked for decades (and still works) because of its precision and practicality, and I strongly advise anyone interested in practising SA to give the book a read.
However, there is a common trend amongst marketers to confuse ‘storytelling’ as stuffing stories wherever and whenever possible instead of framing it within a conceptual paradigm that is created for an experience for conveying an intended meaning.
The earliest formalisation of this type of constructed framework I have seen is Storyscaping, defined by Gaston Legorburu (Chief Creative Strategist at Publicis.Sapient) and Darren McColl (Global Chief Brand Strategy Officer) as -
..[a] strategic approach [which] has continued to fuel powerful thinking about brands and experiences at the intersection of story and technology
In their 2014 book Storyscaping: Stop Creating Ads, Start Creating Worlds, they touch upon the importance of stories as experience. (I like how they even express their discontent with the term ‘storytelling’ stating that more often than not it becomes ‘story yelling’ by brands)
Along with the significant progress that has been made on applying narrative technique, the way stories are created and consumed contemporarily is also being put under the lens. Coined as Collective Journey by Jeff Gomez (CEO of Starlight Runner) in contrast to Joseph Campbell’s Hero’s Journey, it shows a new model of storytelling. Maya Zuckerman (Co-founder of Lucidity Mythos, Transmedia Producer and also a Story Architect) explains the need for this transition as -
We are looking far beyond the individual hero, who in reality so often fails us, and now we cheer on the collective. Perhaps what we are now looking for is a kind of collective journey — one in which a society grows capable of changing itself for the better by seeking answers en masse through digital communications, operating in concert to raise the potential of individuals, and working together to surmount challenges and improve their world.
What stands out for me about the Collective Journey movement is that, while acknowledging the problems of the traditional storytelling model, the practitioners are very self-reflective of its power to empower and enslave us thus cautioning us to understand the mechanism behind it.
That to me gets to the heart of the matter: Ethics of Storytelling.
Too often in creating a framework or giving solutions that use or capitalise on storytelling, we forget the significance of or the implication on human lives, leading to a dangerous state of apathy.
The good news is that there are efforts being made, such as Ethical Design Thinking, a methodology developed by Alex Honeywell (User Experience Design Intern at Microsoft), Amanda Poh (User Experience Designer at Oak+Fort) and Maheen Sohail (Product Design Intern at Facebook) which as they state -
…encourages designers to think inclusively and consider the social impact of their design goal.
Now, it’s important to understand that Story architecture is not a replacement, revision or remix of these movements. If anything, it’s a developing discipline that I believe is standing on the shoulders of these giants, focusing on crystallising their contributions in holistic and procedural manner for achieving specific objectives.
The focus, thus, brings me to the drivers or the principles of SA. To put it organically, if the pillars are the bones and the parts are the flesh, then the principles are what give it life.
PRINCIPLES OF STORY ARCHITECTURE
CONTEXTUALITY
Exploring and expressing every aspect in relation to the conditions defined or emerged while creating the Blueprint and conceptualising the Setting.
AUTHENTICITY
Grounding the framework to certain consistent rules and restraints while planning the Entrance and preparing the Plot so as to offer a sense of realism.
UNIVERSALITY
Bringing thematic connections in the narrative for fusing the Fragmentation and focusing on the Character to deepen engagement.
MORALITY
Outlining a system of values that drives towards delivering Justice and developing Language in the direction of clear intent.
Note that each principle comes as the synergy of pillar and part (something that I will go in depth in later posts). This is what differentiates and defines SA.
One of the reasons for having the structural development aspect termed as ‘Architecture’ is to reaffirm the idea that it’s a conceptual framework developed for someone real to experience it by being immersed in it at the end. It requires focusing on the final experience. If architecture is creating plans for a ‘house’, then the story is what helps it transform into a ‘home’ — a place of function, familiarity and fun.
So it is the Story Architect’s responsibility to design keeping the safety and welfare of the end-user in mind. It, at times, means recognising the limits of SA and not enforcing it for the sake of engagement by drawing a line between empowerment and exploitation.
It is deliberation over deception. Compassion over calculation. Satisfaction over seduction.
After all, as Jared M. Spool (Writer and Chairperson User Interface Engineering) beautifully stated -
Design is the rendering of intent.
Until, next time.
(Go back to Part 1: Introduction and Part 2: Navigation to know more about SA)
P.S. Apologies for the long hiatus taken in writing this post. While I had the earliest draft ready at the beginning of the year itself, there was a gnawing unease about publishing it as I felt the ‘why’ was not coming out clearly, and I ended up retracting behind regular reading. Fortunately, the literature put forth by personalities mentioned in the article along with my interaction with some of them gave me the clarity and confidence to rethink and redraft the post.
