Learn how to build better scenarios
A recommendation of books, articles, and videos.
Me: Let me know if you want any book or article recommendations
Them: yeah..if there is the 1 book that you think will be almost like a manual…will be great
Me: A manual to _____ ?
Them: hahaha…you are good :)
Them: I’m thinking focused on scenario building, translating to use cases
With this request in mind, I pulled together some materials to help self-motivated individuals to learn more about how to build better scenarios.
Short List of Recommendations:
- Get some UX context: Watch the 20 minute presentation Secrets of Being a UX Team of One by Leah Buley
- Understand why storytelling matters: Watch the 9 minute video The Role of Storytelling in UX by Sarah Doody
- Read a short book: The User’s Journey: Storymapping Products that People Love by Donna Lichaw
- Read a longer book: Storytelling for User Experience: Crafting Stories for Better Design By Whitney Quesenbery & Kevin Brooks
1. Watch Leah Buley’s Secrets of Being a UX Team of One
You might be wondering why you should watch a video about being a solo UXer when we’re talking about writing scenarios. One word: Context.
This is a quick way to get the bigger picture of UX design before diving into one aspect of UX design which is storytelling.
If this 20 minute video intrigues you, you can also read Leah Buley’s book: The User Experience Team of One: A Research and Design Survival Guide. The book works as a short but comprehensive overview for people new to UX — not just for people who are in solo UX positions.
2. Watch Sarah Doody’s explain the role of storytelling in UX design
Some more context to get you into the mindset of storytelling, and short enough for you to share with others when trying to explain what you’re doing.
For more storytelling insights from Sarah Doody, check out her articles:
3. Read the The User’s Journey: Storymapping Products that People Love by Donna Lichaw
Compared to the next recommended book (Storytelling for User Experience), this is a quick read to get into the practical application of stories in UX design.
Get the book from the publisher, or start with an excerpt from chapter 5 (Usage Stories) shared at A List Apart.
I’m personally a huge fan of using story arcs (used in the book) to explain high level user journeys. I was first introduced to them as a UX tool at a WebVisions conference talk by Corinne Brown. The talk was called Pie Bellies, Colonoscopies and the Doorway of Forgetfulness — Structuring User Experience to Embrace Complexity and I can only wish that the presentation was recorded for you to watch. The context of the talk was web design, but the storytelling principles apply to any user experience.
[Pie-Bellies Summary] Research into physiology and psychology helps us understand how to make digital experiences compelling. The mechanics of experience include two systems in the brain which are responsible for both the “don’t make me think” and the “do make me think” parts of a web experience. Tips for enhancing memory and avoiding the doorway of forgetfulness are included.
4. Read the Storytelling for User Experience: Crafting Stories for Better Design By Whitney Quesenbery & Kevin Brooks
This is a longer book about storytelling to go even deeper into the craft of storytelling. Unfortunately it’s only available as an e-book from the publisher. Check out other book sellers for used copies.
These three diagrams from the book show how storytelling is used throughout the research and design process.
- Collecting stories from users (aka: research) and re-telling them to our colleagues.
- Using the accumulated collection of stories to inspire new design ideas.
- Storytelling with visible or tangible aids to communicate new concepts to colleagues (or to get feedback from potential users).
There is a 90 minute recorded webinar by one of the authors, Whitney Quesenbery, about Storytelling available at UIE, however you need to pay for access. This may be a better option for you if you have a hard time reading a longer book. (I have not listened to it myself so I cannot guarantee what it’s like, however I did attend the authors’ workshop and got value out of that).
You can find a pdf copy of the book online, shared by the UX Design Therapy Meetup, however I encourage you to support the authors by buying an official copy.
Comparing Books (and Picking Chapters)
I know people often want the cheatsheet so they don’t need to read the full book. Everything is better in context, but if you wanted to jump into creating scenarios, usages, and design ideas… I identified a chapter from both The User’s Journey and from Storytelling for User Experience as practical guides.
- Chapter 5 from The User’s Journey: Usage Stories
- Chapter 8 from Storytelling for UX: Using Stories for Design Ideas
TLDR:
- Get some UX context: Watch the 20 minute presentation Secrets of Being a UX Team of One by Leah Buley
- Understand why storytelling matters: Watch the 9 minute video The Role of Storytelling in UX by Sarah Doody
- Read a short book: The User’s Journey: Storymapping Products that People Love by Donna Lichaw
- Read a longer book: Storytelling for User Experience: Crafting Stories for Better Design By Whitney Quesenbery & Kevin Brooks
More reading as recommended in Storytelling for User Experience
- Article: “Design as Storytelling,” Tom Erikson
- Article: “Notes on Design Practice: Stories and Prototypes as Catalysts for Communication” In Scenario-Based Design: Envisioning Work and Technology in System Development (ed. J. Carroll)
- Slide Deck: “Storytelling: The Power of Scenarios. Goldsmith Award Presentations,” Ginny Redish, IEEE PCS, October 2001
- Book: Storytelling Games, Doug Lipman
- Book: Innovation at the Speed of Laughter: 8 Secrets to World Class Idea Generation, John Sweeney
- Book: The Brand Gap — How to Bridge the Distance Between Business Strategy and Design, Marty Neumeier
