GETTING STARTED

It has been said that if “problems are hard to see,” then their solutions are “nearly invisible.”²

Design storytellers help their audiences see the problem for themselves. To do so, they start thinking about how to “package” their ideas nearly as soon as they begin developing them.

There are two important questions that need to be answered early on in this process. The first question centers on the goals for sharing – essentially, why are you presenting your ideas? The second question hinges on who will receive them, namely, who are you presenting these ideas to? Only after those questions are answered can designers begin to think about what to share and how.

This chapter will use the early steps of the design process as a guide to answer the why, who, what, and how questions that design storytellers must answer. Chapter 3 will then move into the process of generating story ideas.

THE ATTENTIVE STORYTELLER

An attentive design storyteller is one that attends to their audience. They create a conversation centered on their audience’s needs and desires. To do this, they seek to understand who they are speaking to, and what makes these people tick. An attentive design storyteller also anticipates their audience’s fears and aspirations, reacting accordingly. For instance, knowing that some board members may be hesitant to change their company’s image, an attentive design storyteller may opt to acknowledge their worries before they share any new ideas.

Creating a memorable experience is critical, one where the audience is the star. Not only are they the star, but, during the presentation, audience members should feel as though they are the masterminds behind the design. This can be a difficult proposition for designers, relinquishing ownership of an idea; after all, our ideas represent our time, creative energy, and livelihoods. Do remember though, that it’s the client who takes on most of the risk. In the end, it’s their money, reputation, and future on the line. They’ll live with the design outcomes long after you’ve moved on to other projects.

Consider the following design presentation scenarios.

If you were a client, which would you prefer?

BRIDGE BUILDING WITH UNIVERSAL TRUTHS

Think back to your favorite book or film. Whether is was funny, romantic, or thrilling,it likely struck a chord on an emotional level. Perhaps the circumstances resonated withyou, or maybe you identified with the characters. While the author or director didn’tknow you personally, they managed to connect with you by tapping into universal truths.

What are universal truths?

Universal truths are ideas, notions, and concepts that hold true for almost anyone, regardless of their background. Universal truths are valid across time and place, for instance, love for a family member. Chances are that no matter how old you are, where you live, or how much you earn, you love a family member. Therefore you can likely identify with a message that speaks to this universal truth.

Some common universal truths include:

An example of speaking to universal truths can be found in a recent Argentinian advertising campaign which was aimed at increasing organ donor roles.³ Instead of a more traditional campaign targeting altruism, the video’s producers started the spot with a man and his dog. Viewers witness their mutual devotion and see the two sharing in daily activities. Then the man becomes very ill and goes to the hospital. The dog sadly waits at the hospital - night and day, even in the rain. After several days, a female patient emerges from the hospital, and the dog immediately senses a kinship to this stranger. While no words are spoken, to viewers, it becomes evident that she now owns the man’s heart. In essence, the man lives on, and the dog’s purpose continues. If you’re a dog lover, chances are you connect to the message.

UNIVERSAL TRUTH EXAMPLES

Figure 2.0
“Man’s best friend” can be a subject of a universal truth

IDENTIFYING THE AUDIENCE

Given that the audience is so important, it’s essential to identify their characteristics and motivations. In her book Resonate, Nancy Duarte⁵ outlines a process of audience segmentation, in which a presenter analyzes audience characteristics, including demographics, psychographics (i.e., personality), and firmographics (or business setting).

However, no two audiences will be the same. Even within a seemingly homogeneous audience, individuals may have varied backgrounds and even conflicting beliefs. While it is impossible to know everything about everyone, it is helpful to gain as much insight as possible about an audience relative to who they are and what they want.

WHO IS AT YOUR TABLE?

When you’re thinking about your audience, imagine them as your guests at a dinner party. Did you invite them to your table because they will help you get ready (doers), or bring the expensive wine (suppliers)? Perhaps they’ll bring a distinguished guest (influencers), or maybe they tell the best jokes (idea generators). Consider these individuals as the agents of action in your audience, since they have the ability to move your idea forward, provide funding, hone your ideas, or share those ideas with others. These change agents are the real stars of your story.

There may be times when an intended audience (i.e., Board of Directors, Parent –Teacher Association, etc.) is more effectively reached through others. For instance, if your goal is to help your client generate funds for a new classroom wing, parents may be apathetic to your appeals. However, if you enlist their children (as influencers) to share your message, the parents may be more responsive to your request. You can excite the youngsters by sharing design ideas, so that they, in turn, go home and discuss the possibilities with their parents. Of course, you want to leverage such a tactic ethically, but these types of clever targeting strategies can be very useful.

Figure 2.1
Consider who in your audience can help you achieve your goals

AUDIENCE CHARACTERISTICS

DEMOGRAPHICS

Age

Education

Ethnicity

Gender

Location

PSYCHOGRAPHICS

Personality Are they Introverted/Extraverted? How do they feel about change? Are they disciplined?		Values What do they respect? What are their priorities?		Attitudes What is their outlook on life? How do they react to events?
Interest How do they spend their time and money?		Knowledge What do they already know? Where do they get information?		Lifestyle What is interesting about them?

CONTEXTUAL INFORMATION

Personal-domain		Public-domain
How large is their family unit?		How large is their business?
What does their family do in the space?		What do they do?
What is in proximity of the residence?		What types of people do they employ?

MOTIVATIONS

Personal-domain		Public-domain
Examples:		Examples:
Better support for daily activities		Increased profitability
Enhanced family connectivity		Employee recruitment & retention Company values

WHAT EXPERIENCE WILL THEY HAVE?

Use your knowledge of the audience to speak to their needs, but keep in mind that they may not believe in the need, or believe that your design is the solution. This obviously makes your job more difficult since you will need to change their positions. At first, this can be disheartening since they don’t appreciate your ideas as much as you had anticipated. But it’s human nature for people to “value their own conclusions more highly than yours.”⁶ So plan their experience from their perspective. Essentially, what is the best way to start from their position, but change their hearts, minds, and beliefs?

REWARDING THEIR CHANGE

For any number of reasons, some in your audience may not appreciate your ideas. They may feel that a new design is unnecessary, fear change, or worry that the design itself may not meet their needs. Whether their concerns are valid or unwarranted, these issues are important to them, and should not be dismissed. Your design may provide countless benefits, but remember that change is hard – and sometimes scary – so highlighting rewards can help to motivate the change.

For instance, when a company is relocating, the ensuing changes can be both exciting and distressing for staff, and there will likely be some resistance to change. Employees might have to settle for smaller workstations, and if they don’t understand the benefits of this change, they will resent the design – and perhaps you by extension.

To alleviate concerns, consider how to convey the rewards of the change – both big and small. The employees might accept smaller workstations if they are rewarded with views of the outside or access to a coveted fitness center. More broadly, the new location might accommodate more employees, thus reducing their personal workloads. Ensure that you know what the client’s objectives are so that you can weave them into your design story.

These rewards happen at an individual level too. For instance, a consumer may be willing to spend more on a product, if they can trust that it’s reliable, or feel that it was ethically produced. Such rewards can range from basic necessities to lifelong goals; consider the rewards against Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs.⁷

Does moving to a smaller office satisfy a basic need? Probably not, but the promise of a newfound sense of openness may motivate the audience to make the change you are requesting.

WHOSE CHANGE IS IT?

It’s human nature to desire personal gain, and audience members certainly like to hear about rewards that directly impact their lives, yet they may care nearly as much about the impact on others. So, while your design may not directly change their own experience (i.e., micro benefits), the design may improve the status of their company, community, or even mankind. For example, paying extra for recycling bins may not benefit one employee in particular, but doing so will enhance the firm’s sustainable practices (group) and preserve the environment (macro benefit). Or a water feature designed for an emergency room waiting area may go unseen by the physicians listening to your presentation, but if their patients are calmed by its presence, it may help them to better diagnosis their patients’ ailments. The key is to thread these rewards back to the lives of the target audience.

Figure 2.2
Maslow’s original Hierarchy of Needs

PERSUASIVE APPEALS

Olson is not the first to recognize multiple pathways to persuasion. Greek scholar Aristotle suggested that the roles of the speaker, their message, and their audience are inherently connected, and outlined three means to persuade an audience. These include the speaker’s character or credibility (ethos), the logic of the message at hand (logos), and the emotional arousal of the audience (pathos).^{9 10}

Figure 2.3
Aristotle’s persuasive appeals

WHICH APPEAL IS BEST?

While most design presentations will use all three tactics, they may vary in terms of which is emphasized. To determine which appeal is best, consider your personality (and your level of comfort), the meaning and tone of your content, and, of course, the personalities of those in your audience.

Figure 2.4
There is an inherent relationship between a speaker, their message, & their audience

There is also some evidence to help speakers identify which appeal might work best for their specific situations. TED Talks are a popular venue to convey ideas and their popularity helps illuminate the relationship between a speaker, their message, and their audience. In studies of TED Talks, whose online videos focus on Technology, Education, and Design, communications researcher Scotto di Carlo found that Talks were often introduced using story, or by providing context about a given topic. In fact, 43% percent of the talks in her study had incipits (or entry words) that recounted a personal story or experience; this suggests that pathos, or appeals to the heart, played an important role early in a Talk.¹⁹

To understand why some messages are more apt to be shared, communications professor Jonah Berger conducted a study examining how people opted to forward nearly 7,000 online articles. His team initially found that topics considered interesting and useful were more likely to be shared. Going further, they found that articles conveying sadness were 16% less likely to be shared, while those inspiring awe were 30% more likely to be shared. To the research team, it seemed that positive articles were more likely to be shared; however, articles that made people angry or anxious were shared at similar rates.²⁰

So, what was the difference?

Articles that evoked a physiological response (i.e., heart racing, palms sweating) – whether positive or negative – were more likely to be shared. Brain scans suggest these types of articles stimulate our mirror neurons.²¹ Essentially, when the emotions are deeply felt, we are more likely to care; thus, we are more likely to share.

This prompts the question, should designers aim to get their audience worked up about a problem, or simply delighted in the solution? Communications consultant Nicholas Morgan suggests that we do both.²² In other words, a good design story uses the tools of the trade (written, verbal, and visual messages) to give the audience a sense of urgency about a problem. Only once they are convinced that the problem is dire, do we offer the solution.

LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT TOOLS

The language we use to tell the story – both visual and written – will be critical. This language should be in terms familiar to the audience. So do your homework. As you ask questions about the audience, answer these questions with words and images that represent their current characteristics and terms (i.e., slogans, adjectives, mission statements, brand imagery, pictures in the home, stylebooks, etc.). Also, compile aspirational images that best represent the tone you’d like to depict and the benefits of the design – the more of each the better. Use these to determine any underlining trends. Are there vast differences between their current language and your intended tone? What do these differences tell you about how they may react to your message? This collection of representations should serve as a reference. Use it to meet the audience where they are, and guide them toward the better destination. This is the cornerstone of your creative brief.