Story is Our Weapon — Because we have “the Why”
Client: “Hey so I think I understand all this qualitative stuff we are doing but when do we get to the quant stuff.”
Project lead: “So we can do a quantitative survey, but that’s only going to tell us what’s important. What we really want to know with this challenge is why.”
Client: “Right. I understand but how do we tell a strong story with just 16 ppl interviewed?”
Project lead: “So take for example, as we have gone through these interviews, we have learned that consistently each person has a pivotal emotional moment that influences their final decision. This is a powerful story moment. There is no question we can ask in a survey that will reveal such an important insight.”
By the time we had the second draft of the research insights, concepts, and strategy, the client’s concerns about quantitative information had subsided. I share this story not to suggest qualitative research is better than quantitative. They usually complement both. A noteworthy point my project lead made in her argument is the focus on “the why”. We can analyze the difference between qualitative and quantitative methods in a different conversation. But in this blog post, “the why” point is most important.
In conversation with other designers, there seems to be a consensus that the goal of searching for the why in human-centered design is a crucial part of what makes design work relevant. For this reason, I think story is potentially the most essential tool in a designer’s toolkit. Multiple disciplines use a form of storytelling but, within all types of storytelling, the denouement always creates a resolution when we have some conversation that probes a why question. In design, the process is usually in pursuit of a why question.
I have had experiences during a research readout (Research readout is when the design group shares the findings and insights from qualitative/quantitative research conducted) when a client has a moment of realization as we tell them what they already know but include why it happens. One of those moments was when my project lead spoke about the “pivotal moment”. When we shared that in the client workshop, people’s eyes lit up.
Because we have the potential to explore the why, we have fodder to tell meaningful stories about people, their relationships with the world, and their experiences. For that reason, we are equipped to share powerful stories that can inform real change.
