UX Storytellers

Living Frames and Storytelling

2012-01-21T04:03:00.000-08:00

When we humans tell stories, we somehow tend to consult images in order to support what is being said. If we have no images, we simply draw some: into the sand, on a whiteboard or into the air (sometimes using wild projecting gestures). Nowadays erything is becoming digital and dynamic and has to move into the cloud. So how could this trend improve or affect storytelling and the usage of images?

The project Living Frames by Marco Triverio (@marcotriverio) and Chris Bierbower (@CBierbower) looks into it.

... we realized that using photos for story telling is such a fundamentally instinctive behavior that it is safe to predict it will last through several generations of technological innovation. Our concept develops on this insight. However, foreseeing 10 years into the future is tricky. With IBM’s Watson, we’re seeing a sneak peak of improvements in natural language and intention recognition. We think that one of the photo related advances users will enjoy are computers that will actually help us tell stories and have richer conversations.

Definitely a very interesting project.

(Image: Petr Kratochvil, publicdomainpictures.net)

Too Many Stories

2012-01-07T16:34:00.000-08:00

This is an interesting article: What Popular Psychology Books Forget: The Danger of Storytelling.

We simplify because we are biologically programmed to rely on journeys, stories and narratives to understand our lives and the world; our cognition is easily seduced by quests, voyages and tales of good versus evil – any of the other so-called seven story-types.

So, what exactly is the danger of storytelling? Well, the above mentioned article has a great quote: the single, central, most important way we screw up, and that is, we tell ourselves too many stories, or we are too easily seduced by stories..

Startups Tell All

2011-12-28T15:29:00.000-08:00

This are 17 short but very interesting little stories: How Do Co-Founders Meet? 17 Startups Tell All (found on http://mashable.com).

Many of today’s most notable and successful tech companies were born not out of one, but two (and sometimes three) noggins. Entrepreneurship can be a long, lonely and hard road, so it helps to have a co-founder — he serves as a sounding board, a different point of view, a yin to your yang. He’s a beer buddy when the going gets tough, and another flute to clink when the long-awaited funding comes through. The co-founding trend is going strong, with many of today’s up-and-coming startups led by two (or more) complementary individuals. After all, if you’re going to go through the startup rollercoaster, why not share the ride with someone?

A link worth clicking. Some stories are very entertaining.

A Hole in the Wall

2011-12-22T14:40:00.000-08:00

Marketing? Business? Entrepreneurs? Cookbooks? Process? This must be one of the best and most interesting podcasts I've listened to this year (and I listen to about 30 podcasts a week): Robert Stephens, CTO, Best Buy: Creating the Geek Squad. It starts with a simple question: Robert, what do you do as the CTO of Best Buy? About Robert Stephens:

Robert Stephens left a scholarship at the Art Institute of Chicago in 1990 to pursue a degree in computer science at the University of Minnesota. While attending the University, he landed a job fixing computers for the Human Factors Research Laboratory. Over a three year period, he rose to become head engineer of the lab while earning scholarships from the U.S. Navy and the FAA building flight and driving simulators. It was also during this time he started a computer consulting business. In April 1994, after three years at the University, he formed The Geek Squad with $200. In 2002, The Geek Squad acquired Best Buy and opened Geek Squad precincts in all Best Buy US and Canadian stores. Now, with over 25,000 Agents, The Geek Squad is now the world's largest technology support company offering phone, in-store, and in-home, and online support. In 2010, Robert was appointed as the Chief Technology Officer for Best Buy.

Robert Stephens goes straight into storytelling mode and stays there for the next 50 minutes. And boy, what great stories that are! Honestly: go and listen to this podcast. It's worth the while. There's lots to learn.

Joe Sabia: The technology of storytelling

2011-12-09T13:20:00.000-08:00

Storytelling Theory and Practice

2011-11-23T13:34:00.000-08:00

From youtube.com: Professor Brian Sturm presents storytelling as a way of organizing information, conveying emotions, and building community. A model of storytelling as altered state of consciousness (the story trance) is presented that inlcudes 16 portals to altered states. Three stories are told to illustrate the theoretical model: Truth and Story; What happens when you really listen; and The stone cutter. Storytelling ethics and the need for trust and truth are discussed.

No Story, No Fans

2011-10-24T13:15:00.000-07:00

Raf Stevens, founder of Corporatestoryteller.be shares his secrets in a new book: No Story, No Fans.

... and the best thing: get part 1 for free.

I havn't had the time to look into it, yet. But it definitely does sound interesting.

On reading and loving Science Fiction

2011-10-18T11:45:00.000-07:00

Have you read Shades of preference in storytelling?

We like stories. This is obvious when you read sports columns. Most of the time there’s really no substantive value-add. If you want substance, just check box scores. But we want a story. So sports columnists give us a story.

I like the last point the author is making: Just as I have changed over time, so humans as a species have different aesthetic preferences, rather than superior and inferior ones. I wish that people would be a bit more self-aware about this.

Btw: how do you like the storytelling in the Monty Python Sketch? I think it's interesting to look at it from a storytelling perspektive.

5 Storytelling Tips

2011-10-15T12:28:00.000-07:00

This is a short but very nice overview: 5 Storytelling Tips to Create Engaging Content.

I smile and remind myself that it’s all about telling a great story. People love stories. When we share our lives with one another, it’s through stories. We meet over coffee to talk about what happened to us at work; we call our friend up to tell a story about our fun night last night. Compelling stories persuade and even have the power to change deeply-held beliefs. To really engage your audience, deliver stories that they want to read, watch or hear — stories they want to be a part of and will enjoy so much, that they will be inspired to share them.

Have a look at those 5 tips. They are good.

Facebook - a platform for human storytelling?

2011-09-25T12:02:00.000-07:00

Do you know the new Facebook Timeline - or have you switched to Google Plus (like myself) and don't use FB anymore?

If you are still on FB or interested in Facebook, you might like this article: The New Facebook: A Timeline for Personal Discovery and Storytelling.

Timeline is a new kind of profile, one that lets people tell their story in a visually-rich and artistic fashion. In addition to aesthetics, Timeline is essentially a social home page for all that moves you, from media to experiences to people. (...) As the curator of your life’s experiences, you choose what appears in the timeline regardless of date to let your story unfold as you see and feel and in turn what you want others to see and feel.

And here is the video for you: Introducing Timeline -- a New Kind of Profile.

Gowalla - Now With Storytelling

2011-09-15T14:11:00.000-07:00

Oh, I read this news the other day: Gowalla Is Reborn As A Beautiful App For Travel And Storytelling. Gowalla is one of those location-based apps. Some people love them, some people couldn't care less.

I belong definitely to the second category. But what's this new storytelling aspect all about? Techcrunch.com writes:

Because Gowalla isn’t completely pivoting away from their core location functionality, much of the data and social connections remain intact. But instead of a stream of check-ins, you’ll notice people hanging out together. They’re checking-in, but they’re also taking pictures and talking to one another in clusters that are known as “Stories”.

Stories are like Design. They help sell everything. Perhaps they are even two sides of the same coin? Well, let's wait and see how this new feature helps Gowalla to promote their service.

2011-09-06T16:01:00.000-07:00

This is an interesting article: Making up Stories: Perception, Language, and the Web by Elizabeth McGuane and Randall Snare. They write ...

Storytelling is a buzzword with lots of different interpretations. Either the internet is killing stories, or it’s the best thing to happen to them since the printing press.  Stories have been around as long as we have, helping us understand our world and ourselves. We learn and retain information best through stories, because they turn information into more than the sum of its parts. But what makes a story a story, and what does it mean for the digital world we’ve built? 

Nice article and a good read.

Podcast: conducting interviews for user research

2011-08-22T12:05:00.000-07:00

This one is a little late, but I am working on our brand new Mobile Experience Design conference (this November in Berlin) called MobX and time is something I do not have right now. Well, anyway...

I am listening to many podcasts and the UX Pod is one of the good ones in my collection.

Steve Portigal talks to Gerry Gaffney about conducting interviews for user research. How going out to visit users, rather than just interviewing them on your premises, symbolises to them "your deliberate and passionate interest."

It turns out, Steve Portigal has some very interesting stories to tell. I can highly recommend this podcast episode. Here is a direct link to the audio file and here is a link to the transcript.

Fast Food Experiences

2011-08-11T15:21:00.000-07:00

Eating fast food is my most dubious habit. To me, it is neither a culinary delight, nor a tolerable source of nutrition. However, every once in a while and especially when I am enjoying my passion for traveling foreign countries and getting immersed into different cultures, the chances are high: I will end up in fast food shop. Most of the times, it will be a chain with stores all over the planet. The names are well known. In situations like that, when it comes down to choosing between exciting foreign cuisine and a trusted but maybe less exciting burger, the burger simply seems to be the most reasonable choice.

This choice of experience is no exceptional case for human nature. Albeit the awareness of possibly missing out on a remarkable experience, I am turning myself to a relationship of trust. Even though it might not be the best experience in the world, I know what to expect. In commercial terms, my need can be described as a customer experience of consistency, which is an important driver for the trust relationship between a customer and a brand.

Not surprisingly, the described experience is a major revenue point for international fast food chains, and the example can be related to almost every service or product. For instance, when deciding to try a completely new device experience, such as a tablet computer. For an appreciator of the functionality of an iPhone, it is straightforward to choose an iPad. Despite the significant monetary investment that it requires, a baseline user experience is shared among the devices. Overall this reduces the possibility of the new purchase to be a technologic gamble as well as a source of frustration.

Generally speaking, consistency within multichannel experiences is a design challenge that concerns a wide variety of brands and services. Multichannel experiences exist simultaneously among several customer touch-points. Online as well as offline, a coherent and integrated customer experience builds up trust by mediating competence and direction as well as generating perceived familiarity. Despite the broadness of the problem space of managing a trusted relationship between customers and services, almost all key issues and design requirements can be determined, investigated and revised. Consistency within multichannel experiences in this case is achieved through the following characteristics.

Coherent - basic idea of the service is perceived as consistent across channels.
Complementary - coherent service experience delights with specific benefits within chosen service channel.
Simultaneous - benefits of service channel can be combined as needed.
Shiftable - service adapts to customer flexibility and present needs.
Synchronized - service allows shifting between channels and shared features across service a shared among channel.

Characteristics like these not only ensure that the service delivers consistently among websites, microsites, mail, social media, in-store and even call centre experiences. Familiarity and stability also improve the overall quality of the service beyond the perception of trust and allow design space to delight with innovation and significantly increase adoption rates of new features and services.

By Robert Brauer. Robert holds a BSc in International Media Informatics from the University of Applied Sciences Bremen along with a MSc in Human-Computer Interactions with Ergonomics from University College London. He has 3 years experience in designing and developing interfaces for mobile platforms and web based applications.

Prior to joining Foviance in April 2011, Robert worked as a research associate and application designer for such organisations as IBM Research & Development, the Fraunhofer Society and the University of Applied Sciences Bremen.

Image: Steve Crane

Storytelling conventions

2011-08-07T01:50:00.000-07:00

Storytelling conventions on the web by Robert Mills is an interesting article and an except from A Practical Guide to Designing the Invisible.

Traditional narrative theory came from studies into folk tales and fairytales. These types of stories are primarily concerned with character function and plot development. We can’t just take these and apply them to the web: when would we ever design a website with a clearly defined hero and villain?

What we can take from these stories is how a set of conventions exist for each media. This consistency will help audiences engage with, and understand your story.

The article is a nice little intro to Storytelling. You might like it.

Dear Photograph: Time Travel in a Picture

2011-08-01T15:12:00.000-07:00

This simply is a great idea, a wonderful project and a nice story. http://youtu.be/IgiDtyEr6NQ (the YouTube video can't be embeded - shame on you, abcNEWS).

Speaking of storytelling through photos - this is a nice story, too:

Motivation to Storytelling

2011-07-28T22:08:00.000-07:00

I came across a blog post featuring some very interesting videos on storytelling: How Storytelling is Changing.

The videos are part of a Vimeo collection uploaded by the Center for Storytelling. Here is another interesting video:

The Center for Storytelling appears to be a project done by a Swiss university. Here is the website - in German (sorry).

Terraforming Narrative

2011-07-22T13:26:00.000-07:00

The Vimeo page of Terraforming Narrative writes:

As interplanetary scientists hypothesize the deliberate modifying of planets to make them habitable, so the immersive designer takes on the task of building narrative worlds that will immerse their audience through story, environment, immersive technology and poetic sensibility. This discussion will suggest a radical and transformative approach to design that takes story as its clay and embeds it into the fabric of environment to create new immersive experience across all narrative media.

Interesting video. The presenter is Alex McDowell.

Storytelling on Google+

2011-07-14T14:28:00.000-07:00

Storytelling and Social Networks: Why Twitter Beats Google Plus is the title of an interesting article.

As it stands, the stories shared on Google Plus feel an awfully lot like blogging. As in, here's my story: feel free to comment. That's not necessarily a bad thing. But it's not really a new thing. I'll include the standard "It's still early" caveat here, of course, because I don't mean to say that after 10 days we've seen the creative culmination of G+. No doubt new forms of collaboration will appear. Humans are clever that way.

So, is Twitter really a Storytelling platform? Really? Will Google+ become one? Well time will show. And in the meantime: let's tell some stories!

Storytelling lessons from Bill Cosby

2011-07-03T11:02:00.000-07:00

There is a very interesting article at presentationzen.com called Storytelling lessons from Bill Cosby.

Cosby's main story began about five minutes in and is one anyone can relate to. All of us have talked ourselves into thinking we don't belong or battle with self-confidence, etc. His point — which his true story brought out — is that we must not talk ourselves out of being who we really are. Cosby touched on the idea that being nervous ("but I was nervous") or other such excuses that we often use get in the way of us bringing our true self to the job (or school, etc.). People do not care about your excuses, they care only about seeing your authentic self. As Cosby said "people came to see you" not some version of what you think they want or need. "I don't care what you do," said Cosby, "when you are good, then you bring you out." "It's not for you to stand around and measure yourself according to diplomas and degrees. You are you — and you are not to put yourself beneath anybody!"

There are several great Cosby videos in the above mentioned article.
One of them is ...

A very interesting article. Have a look at it.

To UX with Storytelling

2011-06-25T06:08:00.000-07:00

This is a long but very interesting article: Better user experience with storytelling.

Stories have defined our world. They have been with us since the dawn of communication, from cave walls to the tall tales recounted around fires. They have continued to evolve with their purpose remaining the same; To entertain, to share common experiences, to teach, and to pass on traditions.

Today we communicate a bit differently. Our information is fragmented across various mass-media channels and delivered through ever-changing technology. It has become watered down, cloned, and is churned out quickly in 140-character blurbs. We’ve lost that personal touch where we find an emotional connection that makes us care.

A nice article with some good insights.

Storify

2011-06-20T20:58:00.000-07:00

Today everybody has become a reporter, right? So we "need" a tool to turn all that noise, er... sorry news, into good stories. That's where Storify comes into play.

And here is a little video showing the The story behind Storify, new real-time curation service.

Storify looks very interesting. Have a look at it. This might be the next big thing (again).

UX_Storytellers.epub

2011-06-19T05:03:00.000-07:00

Ok, let's give dropbox another try (now with a public folder, thanx to Stephen): UX_Storytellers_v1.1.pdf and UX_Storytellers.epub and for our beloved Kindle: U.mobi plus U.jpg plus U.opf.

UX Storytellers on Amazon Kindle

2011-06-16T12:47:00.000-07:00

So, I have written about the Kindle edition of the UX Storytellers ebook before. Now I am happy to say, I have uploaded the UX Storytellers to Amazon.

The problem is, Amazon right now doesn't accept free ebooks. So I gave it the lowest price possible. I am still looking for a good and free space to upload my mobi (Amazon) file to. I think I will try to go with dropbox

The first three pictures show Amazon Kindle for the iPad (there is an iPhone and Android version as well). The two last pictures show the Kindle device itself.

Leadership and Storytelling

2011-06-09T23:20:00.000-07:00

In this very interesting overview Steve Denning (the author of The Leader's Guide to Storytelling: Mastering the Art and Discipline of Business Narrative) comes up with a list of important aspects of storytelling: Steve Denning: Why Leadership Storytelling Is Important

Storytelling is often the best way for leaders to communicate with people they are leading. Why? It is inherently well adapted to handling the most intractable leadership challenges of today – sparking change, communicating who you are, enhancing the brand, transmitting values, creating high-performance teams, sharing knowledge, taming the grapevine, leading people in to the future.

Those bullet points are very good to read. You should definitely take a look at it.

Storytelling - Tips and Tricks

2011-06-03T22:05:00.000-07:00

A while ago, I asked (on Quora), "What are good ways to use storytelling in presentations?". Here is a very good answer I got ...

It's a worthy goal! Ever since we first began sitting around fires, we've wanted to submit to great storylines. Honing our presentations so that they appeal to this age-old urge will help to guarantee that our messages do more than just skim the surface.

Here is another good article (or summary) that caught my attention: 25 Things You Should Know About Storytelling.

And of course I like these eight tips as well: Start as close to the end as possible.

Scenario-based design

2011-06-01T13:48:00.000-07:00

This short exerpt contains a very interesting image: Overview of the Scenario-Based Framework.

So, what's scenario-based design all about?

In scenario-based design, you identify actions within the context of a given scenario which you want to support and which have high priorities within that particular scenario. Descriptions of those high priority actions drive the entire creative development process.

We all try to start by identifying the problem. We use requirements analysis - coming from the client's wildest dreams. And how can we UX designers contribute to those requirements if we know nothing about the client's specific target domain? What can be worse than addressing the wrong problem? We try to avoid such mistakes through empirical design (design based upon observation alone) or through participatory design (design by committee - how good can that be?). It's easy to lose the big picture while happily specifying functions and designing features out of scope and context.

Scenario-based design techniques belong to a complementary tradition that seek so exploit the complexity and fluidity of design by trying to learn more about the structure and dynamics of the problem domain, trying to see the situation in many different ways, and interacting intimately with the concrete elements of the situation, writes John Millar Carroll, author of the book Making Use: Scenario-Based Design of Human-Computer Interactions.

I came across this very good 2005 ibm.com article: Unified Scenario-Based Design, Part 1: Methodological principles. The article is long, but definitely worth a look.

So, dear reader and UX expert - is scenario-based design and storytelling part of your daily job? No? Well, why not give it a try?

The Periodic Table of Storytelling

2011-05-24T12:01:00.000-07:00

Here I have something nice and fine for you, dear fellow-storyteller: the The Periodic Table of Storytelling. Wow, this table is a beauty. Just have a look at it.

Pick a few squares that look interesting or familiar. Search for them here: [link] Warning: you will probably not emerge for several days. This was my final project for my Visual Design 1 class. During critique, a student suggested this could be made into a dart-board game, but Hollywood could never be allowed to play.

Nice work. You should definitely dive into it.

Bio is King

2011-05-21T11:54:00.000-07:00

This is a great article: The Resume Is Dead, The Bio Is King.

If you’re a designer, entrepreneur, or creative – you probably haven’t been asked for your resume in a long time. Instead, people Google you – and quickly assess your talents based on your website, portfolio, and social media profiles. Do they resonate with what you’re sharing? Do they identify with your story? Are you even giving them a story to wrap their head around?

How do you sell yourself? Does your resume tell your story? Does it tell a story at all?

How to Teach Storytelling

2011-05-18T11:47:00.000-07:00

Did you ever wonder how to teach storytelling? Well, one answer is provided in the WikiHow article How to Teach Storytelling.

Storytelling is the sharing of stories and events through words, sounds and visual images. An effective storyteller captures the attention of listeners and accomplishes the goal of telling the story, which may be to entertain, convey information, teach an important life lesson, or persuade listeners to take action of some kind. Storytelling techniques may incorporate a combination of tone usage, animated sounds and gestures, and digital tools. Here are strategies for teaching storytelling

A nice little overview.

Story is more powerful than any weapon

2011-05-11T12:44:00.000-07:00

Reawakening the Grand Narrative is an interesting article on tribecafilm.com.

As someone who has spent the last decade advising the entertainment industry on how best to extend big movie and videogame properties across an array of strange new media platforms, I’ve had to think about story from any number of perspectives. What I’m coming to understand is this: Story is more powerful than any weapon. More than warriors, storytellers have influenced the way we’ve evolved as a race.

I’m not just talking about your gold standard orators—Christ, Gandhi, King, Jr. It’s also worth examining some of the world’s more conventional storytellers, those who have infused story with the power to move us, changing for the positive the way we think and act, in less obvious ways.

Really worth reading.

UX Storytellers Kindle Edition

2011-05-10T01:25:00.000-07:00

Yes, we are getting there. Slowly. Very slowly. But we are moving towards the Amazon Kindle store. Last night, I had a few hours to continue working on the Kindle edition of the free eBook "UX Storytellers" (PDF).

There are still some bugs and things I don't like. But it's getting better. Take a look.

Blurb Mobile

2011-05-08T13:02:00.000-07:00

Mashable.com had an interesting story the other day: Blurb Releases iPhone App for Creative Storytellers. They wrote:

Blurb, a veteran self-publishing startup for do-it-yourself book makers, is launching Blurb Mobile for iPhone and iPod Touch Thursday to let users tell stories in a whole new way.

The application invites users to create mobile shareable stories using photos, videos and audio sourced from their devices. The idea is to turn mobile users into storytellers with a fast and elegant way to shape their rich media content into engaging stories.

“At the highest level, Blurb is about storytelling,” says Claire Barry, senior director of design for Blurb Mobile. “Blurb Mobile allows people to create a story with a beginning, middle and end — it’s a very personalized narrative.”

I was always a big fan of Blurb. Blurb Mobile looks very promising as well. Take a look at the features.

Now I wonder: how can I use this app in my next UX project?

Transmedia Storytelling

2011-05-01T10:28:00.000-07:00

Transmedia Storytelling: Neuroscience Meets Ancient Practices writes Psychology Today. The article is actually very interesting. How do you rise above the noise? the author asks - and comes up with the following solution: Transmedia storytelling.

Transmedia storytelling is quickly becoming the new standard for 21st century communication. Transmedia storytelling uses the tools of the storyteller-emotion, engagement, universal themes, personal connection, and relevance-to create a communication experience instead of a message. Get over thinking it is only about entertainment franchises. Transmedia storytelling moves a brand from slogan to interaction between the company and the customer. It unites executives and teams with focused goals and a common purpose.

A very good read. Make sure you have a look at the whole story.

Creative Writing 101

2011-04-25T13:32:00.000-07:00

Matthew E. May has posted a very interesting article: 8 Simple Storytelling Tips For Business Owners.

I decided to see if I could find something direct from a world class storyteller, something that might provide a user-friendly framework for thinking about how to craft a compelling story, and something that might not need an entire book to explain. In other words, I wanted a simple storytelling crib sheet.

I found it. And from a most unlikely source: Kurt Vonnegut. Yes, the Kurt Vonnegut, of the masterpiece Slaughterhouse-Five (and many others) fame

My favourite rule is number 5 : Start as close to the end as possible. This advice is so good - but not easy to fulfill.

The article contains other very interesting links as well. Go and take a look.

Image: exedes.com

Storytelling And Business Growth

2011-04-23T00:49:00.000-07:00

This is an interesting article: How Storytelling And Business Growth.

When you have a well-known and fabled story attached to your business, it should be easy to go out and succeed in social media, right. (...) The challenge for most companies isn't having a lack of stories to share—each has many. They just can't figure out a process for telling them.

This short article is worth a look.

Storytelling Platforms

2011-04-17T21:33:00.001-07:00

This is an interesting video from a PopTech presentation.

Jonathan Harris is redefining the idea of what it means to tell a story. Take a ride through an arctic whale hunt and plunge headfirst into the feelings Harris finds running rampant in cyberspace as he describes what he calls “storytelling platforms.”

Here is the video:

For Those Who Dare

2011-04-12T20:50:00.000-07:00

Do you know who has great stories to tell? Founders. What was the biggest obstacle you faced as a founder and how did you overcame this challenge? If someone asked you to create the largest online library of founder stories, how would you suggest achieving this goal? Well, that's what FounderLY (Founder Like You) is all about.

The project was conceived by Matthew Wise, who wondered what it would have been like to watch raw video footage of Steve Jobs, Bill Gates, and other tech founders during their formative years. When Larry and Sergey were building Google, Matthew was in the jungles of Southeast Asia working as a Naval Corpsman (combat medic) with the 3rd Marine Expeditionary Force.

...

Matthew stumbled upon the startup scene during grad school at Berkeley where he developed a small amount of social capital, enough to develop relationships with figures like Steve Blank, Mike Maples, Eric Ries, Naval Ravikant and others. Along with cofounder Andy Saebjoernsen (aka the “Viking”), Matthew devised a way to film more than 36 tech founders in four weeks.

This is a very interesting project. I love the idea.

Brands and The Art of Storytelling

2011-04-01T13:02:00.000-07:00

When I was a little child, I had a dream job ... or actually a dream agency. A place where I wanted to work once I had grown up: at the Amsterdam company LOST BOYS (founded in 1993, the name came from the story of 'Peter Pan', who showed the Lost Boys that using your imagination can take you anywhere. ‘If you think you can fly, you can fly…’).

Well, nowadays LOST BOYS are LBi - a network of 26 offices in 16 countries.

So what? Is this good or bad? Well, how do I know? But what I know is LBi is into Storytelling - and this is good. On April 14, they are having their Brands and the art of storytelling event. In London.

The event is invitation only. But perhaps you've some luck. Should be fun. Definitely.

STORyNET: Stories, Neuroscience and Experimental Technologies

2011-03-25T11:39:00.000-07:00

THE NEW YORKER has published a short but very interesting article about Storytelling: Why Is the U.S. Government Interested in Storytelling?

D.A.R.P.A. funds projects involving cyborg insects and killer robots. Why the interest in narrative theory?

The comments are worth a look as well. Someone writes for example ...

A deeper and more sophisticated understanding of storytelling could have strategic policy implications for the US, in terms of how we support different groups in other countries and intentionally use story narratives to shape cultural perceptions.

Yeah, this topic is worth a thought or two.

World Storytelling Day 2011

2011-03-20T00:01:00.000-07:00

Today is World Storytelling Day. The Wikipedia writes about this event ...

World Storytelling Day is a global celebration of the art of oral storytelling. It is celebrated every year on the spring equinox in the northern hemisphere, the first day of autumn equinox in the southern. On World Storytelling Day, as many people as possible tell and listen to stories in as many languages and at as many places as possible, during the same day and night. Participants tell each other about their events in order to share stories and inspiration, to learn from each other and create international contacts.

(...)

World Storytelling Day has its roots in a national day for storytelling in Sweden, circa 1991-2. At that time, an event was organized for March 20 in Sweden called "Alla berättares dag" (All storytellers day). The Swedish national storytelling network passed out some time after, but the day stayed alive, celebrated around the country by different enthusiasts. In 1997, storytellers in Perth, Western Australia coordinated a five-week long Celebration of Story, commemorating March 20 as the International Day of Oral Narrators. At the same time, in Mexico and other South American countries, March 20 was already celebrated as the National Day of Storytellers.

Every Storytelling Day has a theme. This year's theme is water.

So what is your water story? I have picked two stories for you. One interesting and one sad ...

(R.I.P. SION MILOSKY)

Corporate Storytelling

2011-03-16T23:39:00.000-07:00

The other day, I stumbled across narativ.com - a New York-based agency specialized in improving businesses through storytelling.

Narativ uses a proprietary methodology to foster self-advocacy, collaboration, and leadership in diverse businesses, community and educational organizations. We see a world connected through listening and sharing personal stories.

They have some more interesting videos on their site. You might want to take a look.

Teaching about storytelling

2011-03-12T15:08:00.000-08:00

I came across this short but interesting article: Teaching about storytelling.

Forget about beginning, middle and end. Think about what you want to end with — the point of it all. Tell me why this story is worth telling. Why is it worth anyone’s time to watch it, listen to it, read it? If you can’t tell me that, then you do not have a story at all. If you can tell me what the point of it all is, then that’s the point to which your finished story needs to lead me — lead the audience.

This is a very good point. We can observe this in User Experience Design as well. It's important to have a goal and a target in mind - otherwise every project starts tailspinning like a rocket on its way down to mother earth.

Engeneers and Sword Makers

2011-03-07T21:40:00.001-08:00

Mazda has a new campaign running where it uses the power of storytelling to bring their brand values to potential customers: Mazda Stories.

The videos are beautifully shot. Take a look for yourself:

Babies, Buns And Buzzers

2011-03-01T21:38:00.000-08:00

I was reading the HOTCOW Blog (a central London Marketing Agency), when I came across this post: What 100 years of experiential entertainment can teach us about transmedia storytelling. They write ...

We stumbled across this great talk by Mike Monello of New York marketing agency, Campfire.

It is his keynote speech at the London International Film Festival and is a great piece of content for marketers interested in telling their brand stories.

Yes, it is half an hour long but is very relevant to experiential marketing and offers some fantastic insights in to marketing narratives in today's "technology ecosystem".

This is the mentioned video. It's called Babies, Buns And Buzzers: What 100 years of experiential entertainment can teach us about transmedia storytelling. It is really worth watching.

Use the Power of Storytelling

2011-02-27T06:10:00.000-08:00

How to Use the Power of Storytelling to Get What You Want and Need is the title of a new article by David Goldsmith.

Select any great leader, either from history or from today, and the one asset that they all share is their ability to sell. Yes, whether you consider yourself to "be in sales" or not, if you're a decision maker, you sell all day every day.

Today, you might have to sell a new line of products to a lucrative account, tomorrow you might find yourself selling an expansion plan to a venture capitalist, and next week you might have to gain buy in on a new procedural process from your management team. You may even find yourself having to sell the financial benefits of a new promotion to your family when you catch heat for working longer hours. While it's true that we don't usually call our leaders salespeople, they are in fact, the quintessential salespeople.

The author goes on to say, Keep in mind that your stories should be credible and relevant, and tell them always with the purpose of making the human connection with others.

To come up with relevant stories is actually a good point.

Winner: Tell To Win

2011-02-25T12:26:00.000-08:00

I am still reading Tell to Win by Peter Guber. So far, it is a very interesting and entertaining book. The book is about, well, the power of storytelling. Peter Guber is a great storyteller and the book is really good to read.

As you may know, we had a little competition and now we have a winner ...

Congratulations to Laura Nicol (hopeangrcourage) and have fun with the book.

Win Tell To Win Closed

2011-02-20T22:41:00.000-08:00

Our little competition (Win Tell To Win) is finished and closed now. The lucky winner will be announced by tomorrow.

Corporate Storyteller

2011-02-18T01:17:00.000-08:00

Raf Stevens writes on his blog corporatestoryteller.be, well, about corporate storytelling. How can stories help you within a corporate environment? Raf writes ...

Stories add meaning and significance. There is no dearth of mission statements and visions of the future. But what do they really convey? Can any of them rise above being absolutely dull and excruciatingly boring, each one almost identical to the next?
But it could so easily be otherwise. For example, car maker Henry Ford’s mission, outlined a full hundred years ago, still makes inspiring reading. It is suspiciously far from a story that will play out in the future.

In fact, Raf is going to write a book about corporate storytelling and is actually looking for some money to support this project. Head over to believersfund.com to support him if you are interested in doing so.

Let's take a look at Raf's short video:

If this believersfund thingy is going to fly, I might consider doing my next book this way as well. Let's see :)

Anyway: Raf's project does sound interesting.

Texas Stories

2011-02-15T14:01:00.000-08:00

I was browsing through the South By Southwest Conference Website today, when I realized there will be many probably very interesting storytelling-related talks and presentations.

I wish I could come, but Berlin-Austin is not just around the corner.

If you should go, plz tweet me how it was and if it would have been worth the trip :)

Win Tell To Win

2011-02-12T06:50:00.000-08:00

I am reading Tell to Win by Peter Guber right now. So far, it is a very interesting and entertaining book. The book is about, well, the power of storytelling - and you can win a copy right here!

On peterguber.com you can read the following about Peter Guber:

Peter Guber has had an extraordinarily varied and successful career, serving as Studio Chief at Columbia Pictures; Co-Chairman of Casablanca Records and Filmworks; CEO of Polygram Entertainment; Chairman and CEO of Sony Pictures; and Chairman and CEO of his current venture, Mandalay Entertainment Group.

Among the award-winning films he has produced or executive produced are "Midnight Express," "The Color Purple," "Gorillas in the Mist," "Batman," and "Rain Man." Guber is the owner and co-executive chairman of the NBA's Golden State Warriors and oversees one of the largest combinations of professional baseball teams and venues nationwide. He is also a longtime professor at UCLA, a Harvard Business Review contributor, and a thought leader who speaks at numerous business forums around the country.

So, if someone like Peter Guber starts telling stories, trust me, you had better start listening.

The good news is, he has written down some of his stories and made a nice book out of them: Tell to Win: Connect, Persuade, and Triumph with the Hidden Power of Story. What's even better, dear reader, you can win a copy of the book.

Here's how to win: simply tweet the answer to the following question and add #telltowin to your tweet:

What is the best way to persuade, motivate and convince people?
(hint, hint)

A: Tell purposeful stories

B: Watch gorillas in the mist

C: Take the midnight express

I will collect all entries with the hashtag #telltowin and the correct answer on Saturday, February 19, 2011 (midnight, Berlin time) and determine the lucky winner.

The winner will receive a copy of Peter Guber's book Tell to Win: Connect, Persuade, and Triumph with the Hidden Power of Story via postal mail.

Good luck everybody!

42

2011-02-10T20:45:00.001-08:00

Today is the 42nd day of the year. Why not celebrate this date with a wonderful storyteller?

Watch how Douglas Adams tells his story. What can you learn from him for your next presentation? A lot, I think.

People and Story

2011-02-07T13:54:00.000-08:00

People Process Information Best In Story Form, writes Susan Weinschenk in one of her recent articles: 100 Things You Should Know About People: #56: People Process Information Best In Story Form.

One day, many years ago, when I was early in my career, I found myself in front of a classroom full of people who did not want to be there. Their boss had told them they had to attend the class I was giving. I knew that many, even most, of them thought the class was a waste of their time, and knowing that was making me nervous. I decided to be brave and forge ahead. Certainly my great content would grab their attention, right?

Definitely a good read you don't want to miss.

Professor Sturm on Storytelling

2011-02-04T13:41:00.000-08:00

Professor Brian Sturm (University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill) talks about storytelling in this very interesting video:

Funnily enough, he mentions connecting the dots as well. Professor Sturm, did you read our book? ;) ...

It’s the Cake

2011-01-31T11:24:00.000-08:00

Have you read Peter Guber: How to Use Storytelling to Build Relationships for Life?

“Stories are not the icing on the cake, it’s the cake – it’s everything,” he adds. “Stories are the way we make sense of our world.” And what are stories made of? Stories are our dreams he reminds and adds, “hits are not born in the head, they’re born in the gut and the heart. The idea is when you’re trying to get someone to do something, you need to connect to them viscerally and emotionally.”

I like this part a lot: The fourth key component to storytelling is Interactivity. “The best storytelling is interactive,” he says. It’s not a monologue, it’s a dialogue. When it’s a dialogue, you metabolize it, you get your audience to own it in their bodies.

Wanna hear more by Peter Guber? Take a look at this short video: NACCM 2008: Peter Guber Discusses The Power of Storytelling

Aristotle’s Storytelling Framework

2011-01-22T22:43:00.000-08:00

Jeroen van Geel, one of the brilliant minds behind Johnny Holland, wrote an interesting article about storytelling: Aristotle’s Storytelling Framework for Interactive Products.

Throughout the centuries people have told stories to share knowledge between generations, but also to simply entertain. Storytelling is an important skill each interaction designer should have. It helps us create more engaging products and services. But how should we start doing this? I’ve been thinking about a simple framework that provides a direction for interaction design work.

Jeroen goes on to describe his own storytelling framework, based on: Aristotle and ... 1. Plot, 2. Character, 3. Theme, 4. Diction, 5. Melody, 6. Decor and 7. Spectacle.

A very interesting article. Speaking of Aristotle and his other famous framework - Ethos, Pathos, Logos - this is a nice little YouTube video:

So, how does Ethos, Pathos and Logos fit into your webdesign? ui-patterns.com has a good article that tries to answer this question: Designing for logos, pathos, and ethos.

When speaking in public, Aristotle claimed that persuasion relies on the character of the speaker (credibility/ethos), the emotional state of the hearer (pathos), and in the argument (logos) itself. Although Aristotle’s principles only addressed how to effectively speak in public, they also ring true when communicating by other means: writing, photographing, painting, or even designing for the web.

Another article worth reading.

Collaborative Storytelling

2011-01-16T20:33:00.000-08:00

This is a pretty nice list: 7 Collaborative Storytelling Websites to Weave Your Own Digital Stories.

Everyone loves a good story. Writing it is another matter. Come to think of it, crafting a good story shouldn’t be too difficult. We are surrounded by stories of all kinds. Films and soap operas are the visual ones. Advertisements on TV are brand stories. The dreams we concoct in our minds are also kind of stories; even the lies we conjure up are one of a kind stories.

Have a look at the links. Those websites look promising.

The Story Collider

2011-01-12T12:41:00.000-08:00

Have you ever heard about the Story Collider? It's something like UX Storytellers, but for science geeks.

Our lives revolve around science. From passing high school chemistry to surviving open-heart surgery, from reading a book on mountain lions to seeing the aftermath of an oil spill, from spinning a top to looking at pictures of distant galaxies, science affects us and shapes us. At The Story Collider, we want to know people's stories about science. From our monthly live shows to our Pictures of Science project, we bring together scientists, comedians, librarians, and other disreputable types to tell true, personal stories of times when, for good or ill, science happened.

Here is the link to the Story Collider podcast on iTunes.

Nice.

Dustin Hoffman on Storytelling

2011-01-08T13:18:00.000-08:00

Sky Atlantic HD is running a nice little ad featuring Dustin Hoffman. Sky.com writes this about the ad:

An advertising campaign kicks off this weekend, featuring actor Dustin Hoffman, whose first ever TV series Luck will come to the channel later this year.

Naomi Gibney, director of marketing and communications, Sky Networks, said: "Sky Atlantic is a major new channel for Sky with great storytelling and incredible performances at its heart.

"We therefore wanted a collaboration with a hugely talented actor in a marketing campaign that reflected the power of great stories - and Dustin Hoffman appeared the perfect choice."

And here is the ad. Let's hear what Dustin Hoffman has to say about the miracles of storytelling ...

Nike Better (HTML 5) World

2011-01-04T14:08:00.000-08:00

Wow, I came across this HTML 5 website the other day: nikebetterworld.com. I like how the site tries to tell a story through all these images and little linked text elements.

And when you scroll all the way down, you are told, You've scrolled 13,995 pixels toward a Better World.

LOL. Well done.

50 Ways to Tell a Story

2010-12-29T02:10:00.000-08:00

This looks like a very interesting project: 50+ Web 2.0 Ways to Tell a Story, created by Alan Levine in October 2007 ....

This site was created by Alan Levine in October 2010, the second incarnation of the original 50+ Ways concept. Everything here is open to be linked, re-used, re-mixed, re-cast, etc. This particular page was created on Sep 8, 2010 8:31 pm and has been edited 11 times. The last tweak was made on Dec 1, 2010 1:01 pm by - cogdog. Share freely, often, and voraciously by linking to http://50ways.wikispaces.com/

There is lots of interesting content and many links to follow. Here is another good article from 50ways, for example: How Do I Come Up With a Story Idea?. In this short article, the author writes ...

But first, for fun, let's give you an example of how not to tell a story (and why the story approach is important even for presentations) -- see if this version of Cinderella is as touching as the story you remember.

And here is the presentation:

(View more presentations from Fortify Services.)

Good, isn't it?

CSO - Chief Storytelling Officer

2010-12-24T02:15:00.000-08:00

When was the last time you talked with your CEO? Many of us "ordinary" employees don't get a chance to meet with our CEO, and when we do, we try to play smart, or even better, shut up completely to prevent ourselves from saying something stupid.

But guess what? CEOs are humans, just like us, and like every human being, they love stories, and they even have some stories of their own to tell.

In fact, CEOs quite often have very interesting stories in their toolbox. That's why they are CEO, after all. Do you think someone could become a leader without having any stories to tell?

Forbes.com published a great article in 2009 called The CEO As Storyteller In Chief.

Many top executives, trained at conventional business schools, eschew storytelling and stick to a tight-jacketed professional approach. They lay out their vision, goals and results using data points, graphs, Excel sheets and PowerPoint slides. They transform the boardroom into a bored room. Not that numbers and charts are unnecessary, of course--what would happen if salespeople never mentioned numbers? But storytelling can be the most powerful way for a chief executive to sketch a vision and align people behind it.

And further down, they observe ...

A CEO who has a great story and tells it has a much easier time reaching out to people, connecting to them and creating a sustainable community of them, than anyone who relies entirely on data points and charts has.

So, next time you bump into your boss or the boss of your boss, don't shy away. Ask him or her about their story and the story behind your company.

Image credit

Innovative News Stories

2010-12-17T15:03:00.000-08:00

Well, this looks like a very interesting compilation: The 18 Most Innovative Alternative News Stories Of 2010.

As the definition of journalism is changing, so is our understanding of what constitutes a news story.

Technologists, reporters and citizen journalists continued to push the boundaries of innovative storytelling this year.

Whether it was a traditionally print media company's approach to more multimedia storytelling or a private oil company's push to expand its transparency by providing live online video feeds, 2010 news consumers digested vital information in the most interesting of ways.

Some of those news "stories" and projects are pretty entertaining, or at least worth a look, I must admit.

Business Storytelling - How to Start Your Story

2010-12-15T14:57:00.000-08:00

4 Minutes Film School

2010-12-12T20:33:00.000-08:00

Wow, this is an amazing resource: 500 Storyboard Tutorials & Resources. You'll find videos like this one:

Once the script is written – how do you effective communicate the visual direction of your film? The answer is storyboards – essentially a scene-by-scene visual guide to the screenplay of the film. Storyboards are a vital part of the pre-visualization process, as well as being an important tool for preproduction and on the set.

Developed in the 1930s by Walt Disney company for their animated cartoons, they grew in popularity during the early 40s. Storyboarding a film can be as simple as crudely drawn stick figures or advanced as elaborate 3D animatics with lens and motion simulators.

How can we use storyboards in our daily UX projects? There's lots to learn from those videos.

Discovering the Power of Narrative

2010-12-09T22:05:00.000-08:00

While watching this video with Michael Margolis, I first came across Get Storied.

Get Storied describes itself as ...

Get Storied is an education, advisory, and publishing company that champions a bigger notion of storytelling into business consciousness and popular culture. (...) At its essence, people don’t buy your product, service, or solution, they buy the story that’s attached to it. Perception is king. If you can learn to tell a story that others identify as their own, the need to convince, persuade, or sell anything disappears. That’s the art of getting others to believe in your story. Stop trying so hard, and just tell a story worth telling.

... and they have some very interesting links on their website. For example, you can download this free Storytelling Manifesto.

Here is another very interesting video:

Interview with Whitney Quesenbery

2010-12-04T23:07:00.000-08:00

This is a great interview with Whitney Quesenbery (co-author of Storytelling for User Experience: Crafting Stories for Better Design) and Tom Johnson, host of the always interesting I'd Rather Be Writing podcast.

You can find more about Whitney at wqusability.com

Find Stories Others Are Missing

2010-12-02T13:46:00.000-08:00

poynter.org has posted a nice list: 10 ways to find stories other journalists are missing.

Bringing diversity to our storytelling has to be an intentional act — one that requires strong leadership and coaching. Finding untold stories, covering hidden communities, making sure our source lists capture wide-ranging perspectives and experiences — these things don’t always happen naturally. Here are 10 steps that can help you coach for diverse storytelling.

Isn't that what we User Experience professionals do as well? Finding untold stories, covering hidden communities? Sounds familiar to me.

The points made in the above mentioned article are:

Step out of your comfort zone.

Find a guide.

Accept the fact that you don’t always know what you don’t know.

Understand your own filters.

Be a diplomat.

Break bread.

Take the time. Then take some more.

Invite folks into your newsroom.

Travel for difference.

Remind others that we’re pushing for accurate and complete coverage.

Take a look at the article to find out what's behind those bullet points.

Mongolian Life on Facebook

2010-11-29T20:40:00.000-08:00

Mark Hurst, one of the 42 authors of the free UX Storytellers eBook, has posted the following video in his article called Life stories told through Facebook and Google.

Mark writes:

Surprisingly effective, "A Life on Facebook" tells the story of one man's entire adult life - solely through the Facebook interface.

It is a nice video and an entertaining idea, though the Facebook interface seems sort of limited. Authors like Neal Stephenson nowadays try to use the full spectrum of the web. In an article entitled, How Neal Stephenson’s The Mongoliad is Revolutionizing Immersive Online Storytelling, readers are introduced to The Mongolia project.

The Mongoliad seems to have been largely overlooked by the publishing Establishment. Perhaps it’s the name. Perhaps it’s the knights and swords. Perhaps because it’s from a bunch of SF writers and outside the science fiction imprints this style gets short shrift from the literati. Perhaps people just don’t care. This is a mistake. The Mongoliad is one of the most radical experiments in the history of publishing and writing that, if it works, could reshape the nature of both for generations.

Sounds interesting, doesn't it? Here is the direct link to the project: mongoliad.com.

Dancing is Storytelling

2010-11-28T15:03:00.001-08:00

Holy cow, this video is awesome. Where do you learn to dance like this? This is fantastic. Take a look at this video ...

... and start dancing.

The Art of Storytelling - We are proud to announce the release of our brand new online viral commercial called 'The Art of Storytelling'. Narrated by our very own bgirl ROXY, this video also features the incredible talents of Pro-Dance artists JUNIOR, CICO, BRAHIM, MOUSE, BABYSON as well as ROXY. We want this viral to question the general British public perception of real talent by showing off the quality and skill of these dancers over and above anything they may have seen before on a reality TV program.

Oh, the website of the agency mentioned above is Pro Dance.

Tim Burton: Tweeting Crowd-Sourced Tale

2010-11-23T14:23:00.000-08:00

Film director and artist Tim Burton has taken to Twitter in a bid to drum up interest in a exhibition of his work. Burton's fans are being invited to collaborate with him, tweet-by-tweet, on a crowdsourced work of fiction; the best tweets from each day are chosen by Burton and used to continue the story, writes smartbrief.com and Mashable adds:

Ever had the burning desire to collaborate with Tim Burton? Well, now you can, as the director/producer/artist/writer has taken to Twitter to create a crowd-sourced tale to promote an upcoming museum showing of his work.

Tim Burton's project is called Tim Burton’s Cadavre Exquis and you can find it where you find everything nowadays ... on Twitter (search for #BurtonStory).

tiff.net writes:

Join Tim Burton in a story-making adventure. Contribute a line of your own based on the last visible Tweet. This story telling experiment runs November 22 - December 6, 2010. Tweet as often as you like. The best Tweets of the day will be selected to build the story.

Celebrating: 10 000 Reads in Three Weeks

2010-11-21T14:50:00.000-08:00

Dear friends of UX Storytellers, this is absolutely amazing: we just went past 10 000 reads, according to the stats over at scribd.com. 10 000 reads within the first 3 weeks. Wow!

Thanx to all the authors participating in this little UX adventure, to the team, our sponsors (Usabilla and Loop11), and to you, the reader.

But wait, there is more: I know the book is sort of hard to read on your iPhone, Nokia or Android (it's ok on an iPad and other PDF-enabled netbooks and tablet PCs). There will be an epub version and an Amazon Kindle version soon.

Thanx for reading UX Storytellers.

(Photomontage based on this image.)

2010-11-18T01:38:00.001-08:00

In the latest episode of The Big Web Show, the topics include ebooks and epublishing.

Episode notes: Andy Clarke joins Jeffrey Zeldman and Dan Benjamin to talk about his new book, Hardboiled Web Design, the evolution of the web, and the right way to design with HTML5 and CSS3.

It's - as always - a pretty interesting podcast. Give it a try. The ebook topic is in the first half of the show.

Kevin Connolly on Storytelling

2010-11-15T14:08:00.000-08:00

This is a short but interesting read: An interview with musician Kevin Connolly on storytelling.

As marketers, I think it’s important for us to get other perspectives on what storytelling is, how it moves us, and how to create a story that really connects with an audience. Which is why we’re publishing a series of posts that feature artists and others outside of the marketing world who provide their own unique perspective on the storytelling craft. After all, the very best ads, websites and videos tell great stories that captivate and move us – and while we may not pick up a guitar to sing our stories here at Captains (well, Captain Jean does), there’s a lot that we can learn from musicians and other artists.

This is my favourite part... Question: Do you find a story, or does the story find you? Answer: I want to fool myself into thinking that I am making everything up on the spot. Most of the time, though, the story does find you.

Storytelling - Not a Lost Art

2010-11-11T11:36:00.000-08:00

How to Improve Your Storytelling Skills is a nice little overview with some very useful tips.

Storytelling is not a lost art and we all have to be good at storytelling at one point or another. Practice makes perfect so you should pay attention to every performance and listen to other people’s comments and criticism so you can improve your craft. Ultimately, the reason why you are telling a story is for you to get a specific message across, and you can only do this with the proper skills, confidence, and lots of practice.

The author says you can also act out parts of the story. This is really a skill one has to learn over time and there are not many storytellers and presenters in our UX world who are actually good at acting out parts of their story. Eric Reiss comes to mind. He is definitely a great presenter and storyteller.

No matter what you do, you have to believe in your story - otherwise your audience will soon lose interest in you and your narration.

The Story Behind the Redesign

2010-11-10T01:46:00.000-08:00

Martin Belam, Information Architect at the Guardian, has written a nice short blog post about his contribution to the UX Storytellers ebook: The story behind the redesign of Guardian Jobs.

As Information Architect at Guardian News & Media, I've contributed a chapter entitled "Using the right tools for the job". It tells the story of last year's redesign of the Guardian Jobs homepage. The key elements of the tale are some 'guerilla usability testing' at the London Graduate Fair, evolving designs from initial sketches to fully-fledged wireframes, and finally some lab testing of a mixed fidelity prototype at our supplier Madgex in Brighton.

The article features some interesting additional images of the Guardian Jobs redesign.

Loop11: A Friend of UX Storytellers

2010-11-09T14:02:00.000-08:00

We are very glad to welcome our next sponsor: Loop11. Loop11 is a very interesting online tool that helps you test early and test often ... affordably.

Online, unmoderated user testing. Loop11 is a self-served, hosted solution for usability consultants, web managers and web designers to get the metrics you need to optimese website usability.

Loop11 is a great tool to create tasks and questions to help you explore the user experience, determine satisfaction and validate task completion on any website.

Check out their easy step-by-step process which enables anyone to create professional usability tests in minutes.

Usabilla: A Friend of UX Storytellers

2010-11-08T10:31:00.000-08:00

I am very proud and super glad to welcome our first sponsor: Usabilla: The most simple way to test with real users.

We help our customers to learn more about their customers. We think that usability research should not only be about data, but about gaining valuable insights. Usabilla offers a fast and simple way to collect visual feedback on webpages, mockups, wireframes, sketches, or any other images.

Usabilla is a fast and super easy way to dive right into usability testing. Take a look at their new Usability Testing Tool or read the full review on Mashable.

Design and Storytelling

2010-11-06T15:19:00.000-07:00

This is a very good article on the topic of storytelling: Storytelling by Design.

You can see more modern versions of storytelling through graphic design in magazines like Wired. They vary the layout and the design direction to set a mood for the article. The design helps reinforce the story. But when these articles move online they are all served up in the same template. We’ve distilled our stories down to content.

The author, Jeremy Keith, goes on to write ...

It’s always difficult to describe new technologies. We can always fall back on storytelling though. Early photography was described as telling stories with light. No one needs to know about the underlying technology. On the web, we’ve figured out the technology to a large extent: formats, etc. Design for the web has chiefly been driven forward by technology rather than message. Maybe it’s time to go back and start asking what are the stories we are trying to tell.

Great points. I totally agree.

ePub Books

2010-11-04T12:57:00.000-07:00

I came across this short but good overview: How can I create ePub files from my books?

Ultimately, an ePub file is merely a zip file consisting of XHTML and XML metadata, so it is possible to create one "by hand" yourself.

If you have five more minutes to spend, you might wanna look at this introduction to the ePub format as well.

How to Function in a Linkless World

2010-11-01T17:23:00.000-07:00

TheAtlantic.com has a very interesting article called Inside the Google Books Algorithm. The author, Alexis Madrigal, writes ...

We have come to depend on Google to give us exactly what we want.

But what about when the company has to reach outside the web? The printed volumes represented on Google Books form a completely different kind of problem. Google's famous algorithm can't be deployed to search through books because they don't link to each other in the way that webpages do. There is no perfect BookRank corollary for PageRank.

All of which made me wonder: How does Google Books work? What makes it tick? It turns out that it's actually a great place for the company's engineers to learn how to function in a linkless, physical world.

I must confess, I've never thought about it this way.

How to function in a linkless, physical world? Interesting. But is the physical world really linkless?

Aren't stories, for example, shared links? When we tell stories in our community, don't we share links to events, places and other objects through storytelling? Interesting. I have to think about it ...

Digi-Novels

2010-10-31T14:51:00.000-07:00

Last week, I was listening to the NYT Tech Talk podcast where they were discussing so-called digi-novels ... LOL, what a name.

This website is an interactive extension of the book series "Level 26," from Anthony E. Zuiker, the creator of CSI. Level 26.com and the Level 26 books combine to form a "digi-novel," a multi-platform experience that moves the reader from passages in the books to videos and interactive content right here on the Level 26 website.

As you read the book, you'll see calls-to-action that direct you to this website to enter codes that unlock Cyber-bridges. These cinematic Cyber-bridges take the experience to the next level, immersing you in the action and putting you inside the minds of a twisted serial killer and the man sent to take him down.

Wow, Cinematic Cyber-bridges? I mean, come on! Seriously?

Anyway. If you want to learn everything there is to know about digi-novels and level 26 then follow this link please.

Media Kit

2010-10-31T12:52:00.000-07:00

In this free eBook, ‘UX Storytellers - Connecting the Dots’, 42 UX masterminds tell personal stories of their exciting lives as User Experience professionals.

The book brings together authors from around the world who paint a very entertaining picture of our multifaceted community.

Whether you’re a usability pro or a student of interaction design, whether you’re a senior information architect or a junior UX designer, you will find 42 entertaining stories in this book told by leading experts from all over the globe.

Here are some images and other downlads for you. Feel free to use them in your presentation, your blog post or any kind of report.

Thanx a lot for your interest in UX Storytellers.

UX Storytellers - Testing 123

2010-10-30T23:28:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was a beautiful fall day here in Berlin, so we went to the park to give the baby some light and to enjoy the multicolored fall atmosphere.

I took the UX Storytellers ebook with me (still in beta - the current version: v0.96) and read a few stories on a comfy park bench.

The reading experience was ok. I think the main problem is the iPad, not the ebook. It's like looking into a mirror. Is the iPad not supposed to be used outdoors, Mr. Jobs?

The Kindle is supposed to be much better for outdoor reading. I am curious how that will work out. But first I need to get a Kindle.

A Sponsor who wants to donate me an Amazon Kindle (WiFi) in return for putting his logo on this page may email me :)

The Evolution of Storytelling

2010-10-28T20:31:00.000-07:00

In The Age of Digital Storytelling - a short post on the Threshold Interactive blog - the author shows two interesting examples of old and well-known stories told in a fresh new way ... with the help of an iPad.

In the beginning, storytelling evolved from various cultures through gestures to the spoken word, then from symbols to the written word, to print and now to digital mediums like e-readers and large form touch screen tablets.

One of those examples is this one:

I wonder, does technology really fuel the evolution of storytelling or is storytelling being enhanced with game elements?

Just like a good game doesn't need a story, a good story doesn't need a game. But a combination of both might still be very entertaining.

The Impact Of Strategic Storytelling - Professor Jay Conger

2010-10-27T13:26:00.000-07:00

This is an interesting video:

The video is definitely worth a look.

Fantastic Tales, Told in a Million Different Ways

2010-10-25T14:30:00.000-07:00

A lot of terrific action games along the lines of Halo and Modern Warfare could do away with whatever contrived storyline they’ve got going entirely, says the short but interesting article The Relevance of Storytelling in Video Games.

There are many popular video games today that amount to sprawling epics across fantastic realms and the farthest reaches of the galaxy, narrating tales of stalwart adventurers and depraved criminals alike. The introduction of storytelling to video games has resulted in an intriguing relationship between the two, and a wonderful evolution of the definitions of both in the past few decades.

Storytelling and video games? I can't help but think back to games such as Day of the Tentacle or Monkey Island.

Those were the good old days. But keep in mind: a good game doesn't need a story, as the article says.

What about your project? Can a good feature do without a (user) story?

99designs

2010-10-23T02:42:00.000-07:00

The other day I was browsing through 99designs. There is always something nice to look at. 99designs call themselves the "fastest growing design service in the world" - or as they write in About Us:

99designs is the #1 marketplace for crowdsourced graphic design. We connect 83,155 passionate designers from around the globe with small businesses who need design projects completed. And, we do it in a timely fashion without the usual risk or cost associated with professional design.

Anyway, they have different design projects running and that's where I came across a design contest for Story Stack ("Logo for a Social Storytelling App").

Social Storytelling App? Interesting. I wonder what that will be about ... Let's wait and keep our eyes open.

A Sense of Storytelling

2010-10-18T22:04:00.000-07:00

Oh boy, is it already mid-October? The last occasions to speak at a conference or somewhere inhouse are approaching fast. I, for example, will be speaking on November 11 in Prague about User Experience and Storytelling (I'll be attending the World Usability Day there).

Well, speaking of Storytelling and having gigs: I came cross an interesting blog post called Storytelling Techniques: 9 Guidelines for Storytelling In Any Situation.

Having a good sense of storytelling techniques is important for people involved in any form of communication. Unlike other ways to express a story, storytelling takes place in the moment between the storyteller and listener. It is a unique experience. Here are nine storytelling tips to use when you want to make the most of the story you have chosen.

Take a look at those 9 points the author is making. They should help you to beef up your next presentation I recon... at least I hope they will do so for mine.

Exploration of Service Ideas

2010-10-13T22:15:00.000-07:00

I am attending the Service Design Conference in Berlin (I have some pictures on my Blog).

Many presentations talk about - or do at least mention - storytelling. It's no wonder: if you are selling a non-haptic product, a service, it does help if you wrap a little story around it. And by selling I mean either to your customers or to your boss or colleagues (if you have to sell your idea to become a product).

You can't approach your boss and simply say "Listen, I have a good idea. I need 10k and 2 weeks and I build it for you."

Make a story out of it: "Listen, I was sitting in the park during lunch break when I saw two elderly people doing XYZ. I was fascinated. I began to look out for a simliar behaviour watching people walk by my park bench - and sure enough: in a certain situation they all seem to have this one pain point which I think we could adress like this ...

The website Storytelling Toolbox says about Storytelling:

The storytelling supports the exploration of the service idea. Through the use of simple words, the teller will illustrate the solution as it is a story.

So, when are you going to illustrate your next sollution with words?

The Story Behind Tesla

2010-10-08T23:18:00.000-07:00

Electric cars are all the rage nowadays. Going green is en vogue and every marketing department in the world is trying to build a bridge from their crappy product to the environmentally friendly fantasies of modern consumers.

Of course, the best way to build such a bridge is through storytelling. We know that.

In the current edition of the Wired Storyboard Audio Podcast, there is a very entertaining story about Tesla Motors being told. Check it out.

Have Their Story be Your Story

2010-10-05T22:50:00.000-07:00

Recently I came across this short but interesting article: What Does Storytelling Have to Do with Business?.

the idea of storytelling as it applies to business isn’t about spinning a yarn or fairytale. Rather, it’s about how your business (or its products or services) exist in the real world: how people use your products—how they add value to people’s lives, ease their troubles, help shoulder their burdens, and meet their needs.

Someone in the comments says People respond to great stories - and links to this video:

It's in our jeans? Interesting. ... ;)

Use Storytelling to Brand Business

2010-10-03T04:29:00.000-07:00

In the article Use the Art of Storytelling to Brand Your Business - Inspire Loyalty Among Employees and Customers, the author, Gail Kent, writes ...

Just as cultures pass along their wisdom from one generation to the next through stories, business leaders should use the art of storytelling to communicate the most important concepts they want others to grasp. Storytelling in business helps in just the same way. It turns difficult concepts into real life examples that employees, customers, volunteers and board members can grasp and accept. It is a powerful tool that can motivate people to give their best and remain loyal through downturns.

This is one of the videos Kent is talking about:

(There is a very interesting video with Tony Hsieh, CEO at Zappos, over at IA Television.)

Use the Art of Storytelling to Brand Your Business - Inspire Loyalty Among Employees and Customers is a short article, but a good read.

A Boy whose Father was Blah Blah

2010-09-27T20:18:00.000-07:00

The (f)Art of Storytelling is an interesting blog post about storytelling in gaming.

I’ve found that many of the games I might enjoy on a gaming level are not interesting to me on a storytelling level. And that I was spending a lot of time, essentially participating in stories that did not excite me or inform me or make me feel involved. And that this not only affected my immediate enjoyment but also my creative output.

The author, Landry Walker, is an American comic book writer. He is best known for his 2009 mini-series Supergirl: Cosmic Adventures in the 8th Grade, and is currently the writer of the Batman: The Brave and the Bold comic series and co-writer on The Incredibles comic series (Wikpedia).

I think he has a good point, saying Anything that you don’t need to advance your story? Cut it. But to cut it is simply a certain style of writing. You can find everything about it in this seminal book, of course: The Elements of Style.

I would argue, the brain simply doesn't need much to fill in the blanks and tell a story. So if you are a storyteller, don't bother with all the details of a story. Just give your listeners' brains some points of interest and let their brains do the storytelling for you.

There are some interesting comments as well.

Looking in the Right Direction

2010-09-21T23:22:00.000-07:00

The Harvard Business Review has an interesting short article on storytelling and journalism: When Storytelling Isn't Enough.

Reporters have become storytellers, looking for the meta-narrative and interviewing one another rather than reporting.

When people are looking in the right direction, things change, writes the author, Jimmy Guterman. I like this quote a lot.

I think this applies to user experience methods such as usability testing as well. You have to look in the right direction to observe what really matters.

Storytelling in UXD: It's Not Just for Content

2010-09-17T22:14:00.000-07:00

Storytelling in UXD: It's Not Just for Content, Kids - writes Michaela Hackner in a recent article on forumone.com.

Stories can provide a good framework for understanding your users, including their needs, perceptions, experiences, and objectives, as well as how your design can align with or alter them.

It's a good article with several quite useful tips. Take this example, for instance:

... let's pretend you have been selected to redesign a company’s intranet. In preparation, you want to gather some information about the end-users. You decide to do a series of interviews with a representative sample of the client’s employees. During interviews, you ask them to recall and describe their most recent visit to the existing intranet. Why did they visit? What were they hoping find? Did they find it? If so, how quickly? What process did they follow? Were they satisfied with the outcome? Did they find the experience pleasant? How would it have been more pleasant? By such questions, and then just letting users “tell their stories,” you come to find some interesting patterns.

It's easy to see how useful storytelling can be in an everyday project. And the best thing about it: it's fun too. So, go on and give it a try.

Razorfish and Storytelling

2010-09-05T00:02:00.000-07:00

I listen to many podcasts. One of the good ones is definitely This Week in Startups. In the latest episode, Jason Calacanis is talking to Craig Kanarick - the co-founder of Razorfish.

During the interview, they touch on several very interesting topics: the early days of Razorfish, Storytelling, the book publishing industry and so on.

It is worth listening to, or watching, for that matter.

Hey, speaking of ThisWeekIn they have a new show up and running: This Week in Mad Men. Oh, come on. You gotta love that.

Oh, and by the way: are you already a fan of UX Storytellers (on Facebook)?

Telling stories through Web Made Movies

2010-08-28T09:34:00.000-07:00

Filmmakers + web developers = Web Made Movies! This is the secret sauce WebMadeMovies is cooking with. Ah... ok. So what exactly is WebMadeMovies?

WebMadeMovies is Mozilla's open video lab and production studio. We're bringing together the world's most innovative filmmakers and web developers to show what open video and HTML5 can do. Producing cutting-edge examples and reference implementations that showcase new ways of telling stories online. And collaborating on new web tools for filmmakers and developers everywhere. Our goal: a new kind of cinema that works like the web.

As far as I can tell, WebMadeMovies is a Mozilla Drumbeat project.

Mozilla Drumbeat is about keeping the web open. We want to spark a movement. We want to keep the web open for the next 100 years. The first step: inviting you to do and make things that help the web. That's what Drumbeat is — practical projects and local events that gather smart, creative people around big ideas, solving problems and building the open web.

Take a look at this one. This is a WebMadeMovies demo using a framework called Popcorn. (OK, popcorn.js is actually a JavaScript library - but who cares about details?) Try viewing it with Chrome or Firefox.

While the movie is playing, several components (Flickr, Wikipedia, Google Maps...) load and update themselves, depending on what the movie is showing. Interesting take on storytelling, isn't it?

Twitter Tales

2010-08-20T13:03:00.000-07:00

Have you heard about Twitter Tales?

How do you use Twitter? We asked dozens of our users that exact question. What resulted from their responses is a series of quirky and inspiring articles. We call them Twitter Tales.

A recent tales is, for example, this one: Days are long, months feel safe. But the years, the years seem to be on the run:

When Natasha Badhwar created her @natashabadhwar Twitter account in June 2009, she used the service as a quiet and personal safe haven of sorts. It became an escape from other spaces, which seemed cluttered with superficial concerns and hollow outrage. Here, she could ask questions. She could seek change. She could give a voice to her innermost self. “I used Twitter to be honest, to express the core of my feelings and experiences,” Natasha, a New Delhi-based mother of three, filmmaker, photographer, writer, and self-described compulsive multitasker, explains.

There are some nice tales and stories in there. Have a look at it...