1. Storytelling & Written Scenarios
HCDE 418
Winter 2014

2. Agenda
Announcements
Lecture & Discussion – Storytelling & Written Scenarios
Break
Sketching Critiques
Next class
4:00 - Mid-Quarter Evaluation, Jim Borgford-Parnell

3. Announcements
S2, A2 due now R5 due Monday S3 due Wednesday Questions/Comments?

4. LECTURE & DISCUSSION – Storytelling & Written Scenarios

5. Storytelling in UX Can be primarily in two phases:
Tell the users' current situation
Describe a users' hypothetical experience using a new technology design
Can (and should) be used to play with ideas, rather than just confirm or define ideas (Buxton)
Usually are written, visual, or video-based
Alternate ways of conveying a story

6. Uses for Storytelling in UX (Quesenberg & Brooks)
They help us gather (and share) information about users, tasks, and goals.
They put a human face on analytic data.
They can spark new design concepts and encourage collaboration and innovation.
They are a way to share ideas and create a sense of shared history and purpose.
They help us understand the world by giving us insight into people who are not just like us.
They can even persuade others of the value of our contribution.

7. Who is the audience for UX stories?
Other designers Clients Stakeholders Managers Funding agencies The users

8. Storytelling provides context
Who will be using the designed product? Why will they be using it? What are their goals for it? Where will the designed product be used? What do they hope to accomplish? How does the product fit into their lives? How does the product make them feel?

9. Stories & Context
When stories include context, it helps you think of unique details you might not have otherwise thought of Example: if your user is using a phone app in a grocery store, you might think of using it one-handed while holding a shopping cart, privacy aspects of speech input, split attention from distractions, etc.

10. Personas + Scenarios
Scenarios are often used to convey the experience and frustrations with current technology
Often the scenarios can tell a story about personas you have developed based on your user research
Personas help with character development, especially if team is already familiar

11. Roles of stories in UX (Quesenberg & Brooks)
They explain They engage the imagination They spark new ideas They create a shared understanding They persuade

12. Where do stories come from?
User research data
Design ideation sessions
“User experience stories aren’t made up. They are based on data from listening and observing in formal and informal settings.” –Quesenberg & Brooks

13. Characteristics of a good story
Good understanding of audience
Provide context of use
Are well-motivated
Memorable
Evokes a reaction
Evokes empathy
Illustrate experience and emotions
Short and to-the-point
TL;DR: Can be read in a few minutes

14. Characteristics of a bad story
Story that doesn’t account for audience
Boring or un-engaging
Fantastical or unrealistic
Too long to hold attention of busy professionals
Wrong story for wrong purpose
e.g., proposing a new idea when try to convey existing state

15. Three Ways of Telling Stories
Written Scenarios - Today
Written accounts and narratives of the experience
Analogy: Books
Storyboards – next Monday
Visual storytelling with rough sketches/cartoons
Analogy: Comics, Picture books
Video Scenarios – next Wednesday
Richer visual storytelling
Analogy: Movies/TV

16. Written Scenarios
Allow the user to imagine themselves in a given situation
Similar to books, imagination plays some role
This is good and bad
Good for engagement
Bad for specifics
Use personas as characters to help with empathy
They should be fully developed

17. How did it go for R4?
What was the process like in writing your scenarios for R4 due Monday? How do you think you did? What kind of story did you write? What would make your task easier?

18. Activity – Critiquing Stories
Example #1 – as a class Example #2 – in groups

19. Example Scenario #1
Before the clinic visit, Sue, a CEO, describes how she feels: “you walk into an appointment already scared, already having half convinced yourself that the worst is about to happen…you can't listen as fully… the stress of being in these meetings, even for someone like me that functions well in high stress environments, whoosh.” During the visit, Sue sits on the exam table balancing her question list and pencil on her lap, while she attempts to maintain eye contact with Dr. Jones, to record notes, to communicate with hand motions, to track her list of questions, and to collect handouts that are given to her. At one point, Dr. Jones becomes frustrated when he discovers that Sue has neglected to bring in a list of her current medications with their dosages….

20. Scenario #1 Continued
….Next, Dr. Jones commences to describe Sue’s treatment options at 204 words per minute (normal conversation rate is words per minute). Sue exits the appointment realizing that she forgot to ask an important question about how to manage the surgical drains embedded in her body. In later discussions with the friend who she brought to the clinic with her, they discover that each came away with a different interpretation of the treatment options that Dr. Jones presented. Whose interpretation is correct? Additionally, as Sue looks through the collection of notes from a previous visit, she discovers the name of a genetics book, but she can’t remember why she recorded that information. Did the doctor recommend it? Was there a particular chapter to look at? How did this book relate to her specific health condition?

21. Scenario #1 Reaction
What type of scenario was that? Who is the audience? What did the scenario make you feel? When could this be used in the design process? What worked about it? How could it be improved?

22. Example Scenario #2 Carolyn with sleep problems
Read the scenario on your own, and then break into groups to discuss the following questions:
What type of scenario is it?
Who is the audience?
What did the scenario make you feel?
When could this be used in the design process?
What worked about it?
How could it be improved?

23. How to present scenarios to users for feedback
Printed during user research or usability sessions or online via a survey
Can present multiple scenarios at once and have them rank ideas
Ask users questions about…
Acceptability of design idea
Likelihood of use
Ideas for improvement
New ideas to solve a similar problem

24. Interactive Scenarios - DesignLibs
Useful for involving users in the ideation & brainstorming process
Allow them to contribute ideas, not just to react to those of the designer
Inspired by children’s game of “Mad Libs”
Bauer & Kientz, CHI 2013

25. “Mad Libs” style
Good for generating random, wacky ideas

26. “Fill in the Blanks” style
Results in most “realistic”
ideas

27. “Q&A” Style
Good combination of random and realistic

28. Summary
Storytelling is an important way of conveying the existing and intended user experience of designs Written scenarios are easiest stories to generate, but have some limitations

29. BREAK – 5 minutes

30. Sketching Critiques – S2 ~10 minutes

31. Next Class Topics Monday, February 3rd Upcoming Work Storyboarding
Reading Reflection 5 due Monday
Sketching Project 3 due Wednesday

32. Mid-Quarter Evaluation – Jim Borgford-Parnell