The importance of storytelling
Creating a narrative gives people a reason to root for you and follow your journey. Using storytelling to share the history of the business, why it exists and why it matters can encourage them to form positive and even emotional connections - helping users and others feel included and perhaps inspired by your company's mission.
It’s all about the users!
It might not be immediately obvious why designers take the extra step of crafting these user stories, instead of just taking the user research and diving straight into building their product - but storytelling is one of the most powerful tools a designer has!
At its core, storytelling is about communication. We understand ourselves and the world around us through stories.
The science is clear. Story activates key emotional and social elements that engage our attention in a way simple facts do not.
Stories create empathy in the audience and allow them to relate to the people you are telling stories about.
Every brand, product and service has an audience that must be considered at every stage of the design process. User experience mapping helps document the entire customer journey - physically and emotionally - focusing on how users feel and what they experience as they interact with your product. This insight highlights pain points and reveals where your product or service can make the biggest impact.
Another way to create a strong narrative is to let your customers tell their own stories. More than ever, people want to hear from people like them, not just from brands. Whether it’s gathered around a campfire or a sticky pub table - we know that swapping stories is a timeless, community-building experience.
So, consider if and how you might provide the space for people to tell their own stories and build that community around your offering. This is an opportunity for these people to connect on a more personal level as well as offering new audiences a glimpse of your brand through the eyes of others.
Because when you create a space for a community to grow, you are not just offering a product - you are shaping a lifestyle experience. And that is what truly resonates.
