Storytelling your designs
UX Design
Ever wonder why Disney movies are so engaging? Even when you can predict how these movies will develop and end, you still watch until the very end. Well, great movies all have a clear structure but still keeps you intrigued. And Disney simply does the following:
1. Set the scene
2. Introduce key characters
3. Create a tragedy or problem
4. Provide a solution
5. Outcome
This structure doesn’t just apply to movies; they can be used in multiple types of design like UX design, costume design, stage design, sneaker design, etc. In this article, we will cover how to showcase your design solution to your respective stakeholders.
In UX, we are continually trying to sell our designs to stakeholders. Sometimes when trying to explain our designs, we can cause confusion and frustrations, which can ultimately take away from what could potentially be a great design. If we can’t describe our designs clearly, how can anyone else see the value? A powerful way to do this is by storytelling your designs.
1. Set the scene
Start with stating your company’s business objectives:
- Stakeholders usually like to see that we (as designers) are thinking about the company’s overall goals
- This also helps us understand the impact of our project, and more importantly shapes our thinking when designing
What is your design trying to solve for?
- State the objective of your project in a short, concise way (usually 1–3 sentences)
Setting the scene helps focus the mindset of the audience by letting them know what to expect and why it is important to them.
2. Introduce key characters
Introduce your persona:
- Your persona is an ideal current or targeted consumer you are designing for
- What are their traits, roles, do they have a team, how do they work, what type of devices do they use, etc.?
- What are they trying to accomplish?
Understanding who you are designing for is key when trying to explain what your solution is. Your designs should tie back to who your persona is and how it is helping them in their experience with your product. They also help you understand their pain points which you are trying to relieve.
3. Create a tragedy or problem
What problem is your persona facing?
- Your persona is currently having issues with your product or needs a feature that can help make their lives easier
- If your persona doesn’t find a solution, they cannot do their job and will need to find another product to use
Now that you have set the stage, and introduced your persona, you now have to show that your ideal or targeted customer is having problems that only your designs can help. Next is providing a solution.
4. Provide a solution
This is when you introduce new designs that will help your persona solve their problem. At this point, the stakeholder has understood the impact of this project, who you are designing for, what problems they are having and now how you can help this customer. There are no distractions, confusion, or frustration, just eagerness to see your design solution.
5. Outcome
You have shown your solution, now how do we know it’s a success? How do we know the customer is happy? What are the success metrics? It’s important to know how we can measure the impact of this design.
In conclusion
A clear, simple storytelling structure to your design is key to keep your audience engaged and interested. Let them know what they are about to see and why it’s important to them. Show them who this is being designed for and what were the pain points you were trying to relieve with your designs. And finally, explain how they will know this design works.
