3. The Power of Storytelling
We all have the power of story
4. Why Story Matters
Behold, the universal power of story
Story makes us human
1. We all tell them
2. We all hear them
3. We all know instinctively when
we have heard or seen a good
one
5. “Human minds yield helplessly to
the suction of story. No matter
how hard we concentrate, no
matter how deep we dig in our
heels, we just can’t resist the
gravity of alternate worlds.”
Jonathan Gottschall
The Story Telling Animal
6. “…Americans spend nineteen hundred
hours per year awash in the glow of
television and movie screens. That’s
five hours per day.”
Jonathan Gottschall
The Story Telling Animal
7. Question 1:
If you had to guess, how many hours
per day do you spend consuming
stories, including; TV, Movies, Music,
Books and Games?
(a) 1
(b) 2
(c) 3
(d) 4
(e) 5 or more
8. Story Structure
A formula thousands of years in the making
How does web design relate to story?
1. Character
2. Setting
3. Plot
= Audience & Persona
= Presentation & Design Trends
= User Flows or Journeys
10. Character
Get to know the characters that will drive our story
Character or Persona
1. Details – Name, age,
gender, technical
proficiency, hobbies,
etc.
2. Tasks – Top 5
3. Mental Model
4. Optimism vs.
Cynicism
11. Character Persona
Bob Tabulator
Tasks
1. Use online services
2. Find data tables
3. Search new products
4. Meet other
accountants
5. Send feedback
Mental Model
1. Email: PC & Phone
2. Smartphone
3. iPad
4. Google search
5. Internet Explorer 9
Age: 35
Gender: Male
Location: NJ
Likes: Coffee,
Sudoku, Scrabble,
White Toast, Pop
Music & Apple
Martinis
Dislikes: Tea, Spicy
Food, Mother-in-law,
Long Haired Cats &
Peanut M&Ms
Occupation: CPA
Bob Facts: Owns an
Android phone, on
the web 3-4 hours
per day, collects
antique pocket
watches, drives a
restored Gremlin
Discovery
Meeting
accountants
Find data tables
Specific
Online tools
Search Product
Send Feedback
Search accounting
topics
Optimism
Cynicis
m
Optimism
1. Impatient when unable to find info
2. Likely to call support numbers rather
than use online support materials
3. Likes personal contact
12. Question 2:
If you were to think about yourself and the
character archetype that best describes you, what
would it be?
(a) The Jester “You only live once”
(b) The Sage “Truth will set you free”
(c) The Magician “I make things happen”
(d) The Ruler “Power isn’t everything, it’s the only
thing”
14. Setting
What’s the environment of our protagonist?
A Sense of Place
1. Medium –
App, web, other
2. Device –
PC, tablet, phone
3. Window –
Browser, custom
interface
4. Design –
Clean, vibrant, contempo
rary, accessible
15. Question 3:
When using a web site, what impact does visual
design have on your experience?
(a) A big impact
(b) Some impact
(c) No impact
17. Setting: Responsive Design
Let’s talk about “Design”!
Why Responsive?
1. Making sites available
on many devices and
at many aspect ratios
2. The alternative to
native applications
3. Design for mobile first
4. Touch capable
interfaces
19. Setting: Content Strategy
Focus on your content & tell a great story!
Content First
1. Search indexes care about
content
2. Content strategy is a critical
investment
3. Content tells the story and
includes text, images,
interface
20. Setting: Mood & Style
Skeuomorphism is dead different!
Contemporary Design
1. Flat interface elements
2. Vibrant colors
3. Type as art
4. More white space
5. Larger controls & images
Buzzwords:
clean, modern, simple
25. The Perfect Plot
Every scene must turn the plot, if it doesn’t…cut it!
A Collection of Scenes
1. We have a finite number of scenes in which
to tell our story
2. Each scene must contribute to the telling
2. The protagonist must emerge from the
scene different (hopefully better) than they
went in
3. Well crafted scenes pull the audience
through the story, making them crave more
26. Arch-Plot
Arch-Plot
1. Linear Time Line
2. Causality
3. Active Protagonist
4. Consistent Realities
5. Closed EndingMini-Plot Anti-Plot
73%
20%
7%
AUDIENCE
Arch-Plot Mini-Plot Anti-PlotThe Plot Triangle
Linear Time Line
Coincidence
Passive
Protagonist
Consistent
Realities
Open Ending
Nonlinear Time
Line
Inconsistent
Realities
Open Ending
28. Question 4:
Of the three plot types we have discussed, as a
movie fan, which do you find most compelling?
(a) Arch-Plot
(b) Mini-Plot
(c) Anti-Plot
30. What we know
Telling your story on the web is about more than copy!
Compelling Story…
1. Requires a deep
understanding of
our characters
2. Requires a setting
in which our
characters may
thrive
3. Requires a well
crafted plot with a
satisfying
Passage from a story:The fob had three buttons: one for the doors, one for the alarm, and one which, he hoped, was a remote starter. He pressed this one first. From deep within the garage came a tart, single-noted bleep, the sound ricocheting like a bee-bee through the sealed space, followed by the throaty roar of the Ferrari’s engine. Another mistake: the Ferrari was parked nose to the wall. He should have thought of that. Not only would this slow his escape; if the car had been facing the opposite way, its headlights would have afforded him a better look at the room. As it was, all he could make out through the window was a distant, glowing region where the car awaited, a cat purring in the dark. The rest of the garage was veiled in blackness. The infected liked to hang from things, Kittridge knew. Ceiling struts, pipes, anything with a tactile surface. The tiniest crack would suffice. When they came, they came from above.The Twelve by Justin Cronin
Imagination fills in the holes.
Our sites and application tell a story. Compelling story draws in the viewer. We all understand when we have seen or heard a good story.Why shouldn’t we draw on the power of story?
Leverage vs. harness
Our sites and application tell a story. Compelling story draws in the viewer. We all understand when we have seen or heard a good story.Why shouldn’t we draw on the power of story?
Color and contrast
Unfettered type and vector icons
What’s important is why we do this? We are engaged in story telling.
Our sites and application tell a story. Compelling story draws in the viewer. We all understand when we have seen or heard a good story.Why shouldn’t we draw on the power of story?
Arch-plotLinear time lineCausality – Linked events, the successful conclusion of event 1 leads to event 2Active protagonistConsistent realities – regardless of which plot certain things are true to allClosed ending – Satisfying conclusion Regardless of good or bad outcome
Question 4: Of the three plot types we have discussed, as a movie fan, which do you find most compelling? (a) Arch-Plot (b) Mini-Plot (c) Anti-Plot
What’s important is why we do this? We are engaged in story telling.
What’s important is why we do this? We are engaged in story telling.
What’s important is why we do this? We are engaged in story telling.