Service Design as the Art of Storytelling
Stories and Story-telling
‘Stories’. The very word carries with it a magical connotation of wonder and enchantment. This age-old art has been revered for its ability to transport the listener into fantastical worlds, one where anything is possible. The dreary routines of everyday life seem pale and faded in comparison to the vibrant threads of an intricately woven story. Which one of us hasn’t been captivated in rapture by the thrilling tales told at camp-fires? Or the ones told lovingly by our grandmothers? What would you do to re-live those moments again?
Even simple, everyday conversations are a sequence of little stories that we immerse ourselves in. A little gossip with our neighbors, delightful anecdotes with friends, or even the little stories told through gestures. A firm handshake for solidarity, a thoughtful caress of the cheek for letting a person know they are loved. Stories, all of them, nested within one another, creating an endless anthology of epic proportions.
‘Story-telling’, as the name suggests, is the art of telling stories, but goes way beyond its perceived audio-visual implications. What it actually means is the complete immersion of the audience within the story, if not physically then at the very least emotionally and intellectually, irrespective of the medium through which the story is conveyed. This depends largely on the story-teller’s abilities, which have been discussed below.
The Skilled Storyteller
There must be a special note made here as to the qualities of a skilled story-teller. The medium may vary from cinema, novels, art or even a conversation, but the skills required for immersing the audience is fundamentally the same:
Knowledge of the audience.
Selecting the appropriate theme for the audience.
Selecting the medium of story-telling.
Command over relevant tools pertinent to the medium.
Painting a clear picture of the setting and the characters involved.
A story-line that keeps the audience hooked.
A definitive style that distinguishes the story-teller from the rest.
Adherence to the established theme.
A magical element that keeps the audience craving for more.
Service
What exactly is a service? One of the most respected definitions used by the academic community is the following:
A service is a change in the condition of a person, or a good belonging to some economic unit, which is brought about as the result of the activity of some other economic unit, with the prior agreement of the former person or economic unit (Hill, 1977).
This definition clearly states that for a service to occur, there must be at least two economic units or persons. Keeping the ‘economic’ part of the definition aside for now, the two units can be the story-teller and the audience. In service terms, this is actually the service provider and the customer respectively. ‘A change in the condition of a person …’ as mentioned above, when translated to story-telling, could mean a host of things. For example, on seeing a movie like acclaimed director Steven Spielberg’s ‘Schindler’s List’, the emotional condition of the audience changed drastically. Even after the movie was over, several audience members still had tears in their eyes. This is ‘the result of the activity…’ i.e, the movie itself, which was so skillfully directed, that it would be an anomaly for a viewer to not get affected emotionally. The ‘prior agreement of the former person’ is the movie ticket that the viewer bought. This was an understanding that the movie that he was going to be seeing would be out of his own free will. In other words, he chose so immerse himself in the movie.
Designing a Service as a Story
To design a service as a story requires fundamental knowledge about story-telling. :
Knowing your Audience
In order to design the service, the service provider must have an intimate knowledge of the audience. This means understanding their core needs, aspirations, and other aspects of their behaviour that may be relevant to the design. From a story-telling point of view, there are a few of the questions need to be answered:
What is the context that defines the user’s day to day life?
What kind of stories have been a part and parcel of their upbringing?
What kind of stories do they wish they had, but do not currently have?
How can the audience be made to feel the protagonist of the story?
What is the back story of the audience?
Who is the villain?
Which segment of your audience do you want to connect with?
Theme Selection
Based on an understanding of the audience, a theme must be developed. This helps maintain consistency in the service. Imagine if a Stephen King novel had horror interspersed with comedy. The overall effect of the story on both parameters (i.e scary & delightful) would be inconsistent, and thus diluted. Some questions that need to addressed here are:
What kind of theme would the service need in order to connect with the audience?
What socio-cultural aspects need to be kept in mind while developing the theme so as to not step into delicate or offensive territory?
Which theme could help draw in a greater audience?
What element would be required to consistently implement the theme?
Are these elements readily available?
Selecting the Setting
The setting comprises of the timeline, the physical environment and the associated socio-cultural context. This is of utmost importance as the setting will decide the nature of interaction between the characters. Some relevant questions:
Where is this happening?
In which era (time-line)?
Why must the service be in this setting, why not some other?
What are the characteristics of the setting?
Does the audience have a prior understanding of the setting?
How does the service setting integrate with the theme?
What subtle element define the characters’ relevance to the setting as well as the overall theme?
Story-line
A master of story-telling is skilled in the art of designing one. This means that the story itself needs to be crafted well in order to be told convincingly. A bad story, no matter how well told, will always be inferior. A master story craftsman must ask the following questions:
What kind of a story best suits the service?
How will the story be introduced?
What are the main plots and sub-plots of the story?
What events must be unfolded at what time to keep the audience’s interest alive?
How does the story lead into a climax?
How does the story give a sense of conclusion without ending?
Which elements in the story make it timeless?
Is the story capable of evolving into a saga?
Character Development
The characters in a story are the most complex elements. They are living, breathing entities who seemingly take on a life of their own. The audience empathizes with them, and feel themselves living the story from their point of view. It is thus necessary to have well-rounded characters with distinct traits that define them. Similarly, a service too must have such definitive characters, who are capable of breathing life into the story. Questions that could help this process:
Who are the main and side characters?
From whose point of view is the story being told?
What are the back stories of the characters?
How do the characters connect with the contemporary world?
What traits define every move the character makes?
What are their motivations?
What effect does the character have on the overall story-line?
Who are the audience’s most and least favored characters?
Presentation
The ultimate part of story-telling is presentation. How story is presented is as important as the story itself. The is where the skill of the storyteller is tested. Some stories are so well presented that they remain etched inner memories decades after having heard them. This should be the goal of a good service. A great story told so thoroughly that the audience has no choice but to come again and again to experience it. Some questions to help this along:
What is the choice of medium (physical/ virtual) for the service story?
What are the benefits and drawbacks of the chosen medium?
How can the story best be imparted to the audience?
In what language is the presentation being conducted?
What defines the presentation as distinct from the rest?
What tools are required on the part of the storyteller, and does she have an expertise over it?
Does the presentation have a unique style?
Conclusion
For any service to be designed as a story, it is important to have story-tellers on board. This means that the functional requirements of the service and the story-telling aspects must not be treated as two separate entities to be combined together at a later stage. The story-telling must be a natural extension of the required functional aspects. This will lead to an integrated design rather than an add-on accessory.
Where service providers see customers and users, they need to see an audience waiting to be enthralled. Every great story is celebrated; you only need to remember the lengthy queues outside movie theaters to be convinced of this. The digital world has changed many things, but the art of story-telling is still cherished. The medium has transformed, but the charm of a story well told has not.
