Storymaking (or storymapping) is cool. So is Donna Lichaw, as it turns out. They made for a killer combo in our Slack channel today, for the latest in our Ask the UXperts series.
Donna did a bang up job of answering all the questions we threw at her, and treated us to an impromptu storymapping experience (of the Headspace app).
Donna’s ‘story first’ approach helps with transforming user thinking, audience engagement and defining the value proposition of a product or experience. If you haven’t tried it before, I highly recommend checking out her book: The User’s Journey: Storymapping Products That People Love.
If you didn’t make the session because you didn’t know about it, make sure you join our community to get updates of upcoming sessions. If you have follow up questions for Donna, you can ask them here.
If you’re interested in seeing what we discussed, or you want to revisit your own questions, here is a full transcript of the chat.
Transcript
hawk
2016-08-24 21:59
Ok guys, good to go?
renat
2016-08-24 21:59
yea
mike_aquanassee
2016-08-24 22:00
:+1:
hawk
2016-08-24 22:00
I’ll start by introducing Donna, Donna will introduce the subject and tell us a bit about why she’s passionate about storymapping/storymaking, and then I’ll throw it open to you for questions, which I’ll queue if things get busy.
danitomas
2016-08-24 22:00
Daniel. From Spain.
hawk
2016-08-24 22:00
I’ll also post a full transcript up on http://uxmastery.com later today for anyone that has to leave part way – or you can revisit this channel later.
hawk
2016-08-24 22:01
If you need me during the session, feel free to DM or @ tag me
hawk
2016-08-24 22:01
If you have follow up questions, make sure you join us at http://community.uxmastery.com where we spend most of our time
hawk
2016-08-24 22:02
So first up, thanks for joining us, and a huge thanks to @donnalichaw for her time today (she’s technically on holiday right now)
donnalichaw
2016-08-24 22:02
Thanks, hawk! Hi, everyone!
hawk
2016-08-24 22:02
Donna is the author of “The User’s Journey: Storymapping Products That People Love.”
renat
2016-08-24 22:02
Hi! glad to meet you:)
hawk
2016-08-24 22:02
Through her writing, speaking, and much loved Storymapping Workshop, Donna guides startups, non-profits, and global brands in optimizing their digital products and services by providing them with a simplified way to drive user engagement.
mike_aquanassee
2016-08-24 22:03
Hi Donna
hawk
2016-08-24 22:03
Recognized as a thought leader in storytelling and customer engagement strategies, she has presented as a keynote speaker at design and technology conferences in the US, Canada and Europe.
hawk
2016-08-24 22:03
And you can follow her on twitter – dlichaw (can’t do the @ here or Slack does its thing)
hawk
2016-08-24 22:04
So @donnalichaw ? tell us about this amazing thing called Storymapping and how we can use it in our work
donnalichaw
2016-08-24 22:04
Sure thing, Hawk.
donnalichaw
2016-08-24 22:04
So it all starts many years ago…I used to be a documentary filmmaker – where I learned (the hard way) that _everything_ needs a story at it’s foundation…even serious documentaries.
donnalichaw
2016-08-24 22:04
Many years later, I was working in tech helping companies build apps, software, websites…and I started to wonder if the same was true of those things. Might they also need a story at their foundation in order to engage people?
donnalichaw
2016-08-24 22:04
As I learned in film school, story is not just a series of events or good ideas, pretty screens, nice edits. Story = structure. Architecture.
donnalichaw
2016-08-24 22:05
So I decided to start applying some of the techniques I used as a filmmaker to building software and apps.
donnalichaw
2016-08-24 22:05
A few years later, it’s everything I do. I map the story. Always.
donnalichaw
2016-08-24 22:05
I love to tell people that I even mapped the story of my wedding. Plot points and all. The moment when the band got really loud and the dancing got nuts? Mapped.
donnalichaw
2016-08-24 22:06
(people still talk about the wedding years later).
donnalichaw
2016-08-24 22:06
So this is what I do _ I help people, teams, companies, orgnizations learn how to map the story of the product, service, app, etc?.
donnalichaw
2016-08-24 22:06
so they can better engage their users.
donnalichaw
2016-08-24 22:06
(and the best part is that it’s crazy simple and fast to do)
donnalichaw
2016-08-24 22:06
(and that’s what the book is about)
hawk
2016-08-24 22:07
And: questions!
renat
2016-08-24 22:07
well, Donna what do you think about 2016 ux trends?
rafael_m_lopes
2016-08-24 22:07
so, how do you plan a story for a digital experience like an mobile app or web application?
donnalichaw
2016-08-24 22:08
@renat – lately, I’ve been looking less at current trends and more at story, which is thousands of years old-it’s never going away. It’ll be there weather we’re mobile, no UI, always.
rafael_m_lopes
2016-08-24 22:08
what is the relationship of the navigation elements / controls to how a user experiences the story in an app?
crystal
2016-08-24 22:09
If storytelling isn’t something that you have much experience in, what are some key points to keep in mind?
mike_aquanassee
2016-08-24 22:09
What story mapping tools do you mainly use?
donnalichaw
2016-08-24 22:09
@rafael_m_lopes well, the answer would be kind of long and you’d have to read my book (or check out a ton of free stuff on my website, articles, etc.). But the gist of it is that you ask three questions:
rafael_m_lopes
2016-08-24 22:09
seems like the user is in the control not the story
donnalichaw
2016-08-24 22:09
1. who is your hero?
donnalichaw
2016-08-24 22:09
2. What is their goal?
hawk
2016-08-24 22:09
I’m queueing questions now.
donnalichaw
2016-08-24 22:09
3. How will you help them meet their goal?
donnalichaw
2016-08-24 22:09
And then there is some art and science you throw in there to build the story of the _idea_ of your product and how people engage with it (user flows).
donnalichaw
2016-08-24 22:10
@rafael_m_lopes what is the relationship of the navigation elements / controls to how a user experiences the story in an app? – think of all of those things as props in a movie – their primary job is to move the plot forward.
donnalichaw
2016-08-24 22:11
They’re there to help a hero or character _do_ something
alevisohn
2016-08-24 22:11
Can you have multiple heroes and thus multiple goals? How do these relate and interact?
donnalichaw
2016-08-24 22:12
@crystal If storytelling isn’t something that you have much experience in, with some practice you can get better and better at it. The best thing to keep in mind is GOALS. Without goals, there is no story. I forget that all the time – as a filmmaker and with clients. There has to be an end-point.
rafael_m_lopes
2016-08-24 22:12
unlike movie or book…with the course of the story unfolding already set…in a self-driven app experience, user controls plot twists and scenes and outcome?
donnalichaw
2016-08-24 22:13
@mike_aquanassee the only tools I use are whiteboards, markers or paper/pen/post-its. Stories need to be very simple.
donnalichaw
2016-08-24 22:13
One of the best books on screenwriting tells you that all stories are built with 3×5 cards (that’s in inches).
donnalichaw
2016-08-24 22:13
That was before post-it notes were around.
catsaway
2016-08-24 22:13
I assume the hero reflects or is a persona?
donnalichaw
2016-08-24 22:14
Stories need to be universal and translatable to any medium, which is why you stay low budget as long as you can for the architecture/structure.
emcqualter
2016-08-24 22:14
Can you talk us through an example of how you work with clients to create a story for their UX/CX?
donnalichaw
2016-08-24 22:14
@alevisohn Yes! You can (and likely always will) have multiple heroes and thus multiple goals? I have a diagram in my book that shows how all of those stories interact. It’s kind of a mind-bender puzzle.
donnalichaw
2016-08-24 22:15
but the secret it this – you stay linear for each story (because time is linear) and build out as many stories as you need to so you cover all your bases.
donnalichaw
2016-08-24 22:15
Each person can have many many stories
donnalichaw
2016-08-24 22:16
@rafael_m_lopes yes. In a self-driven app experience, the user controls plot twists and scenes and outcome. It’s your job as a designer to enable them to move through the experience in the way that you want them to.
donnalichaw
2016-08-24 22:16
Game designers have been using story structure to build out games for years (they use arcs and loops)?everything in the game has a purpose.
frankenvision
2016-08-24 22:16
what do you need to start story mapping besides some goals in mind?
donnalichaw
2016-08-24 22:16
like props – they teach you how to move through the universe and meet goals.
renat
2016-08-24 22:17
really? everything?
donnalichaw
2016-08-24 22:17
we can’t control how someone experiences using our apps, but we can enable them using them in the best and most effective way possible.
donnalichaw
2016-08-24 22:17
Don Norman calls these things affordances – the door handle says “push me”
frankenvision
2016-08-24 22:18
is this something that gets presented to the client?
donnalichaw
2016-08-24 22:18
that’s what good story design is – affordances everywhere so that you enable people to move efficiently and meet brand goals. Fun? Efficiency? Whatever those business goals are also need to be accounted for at the end of the story.
donnalichaw
2016-08-24 22:18
@catsaway yes, a hero is like a persona.
donnalichaw
2016-08-24 22:19
If you already use personas, place them at the center of your stories and map them out.
donnalichaw
2016-08-24 22:19
If you don’t use personas, I recommend putting together a simple “character sketch”
donnalichaw
2016-08-24 22:19
I talk about character sketches in the book – and have downloadable templates and printouts on my website?
donnalichaw
2016-08-24 22:20
Many personas get too complicate and lose focus – storytellers know that characters are actually often a lot simpler than we think.
donnalichaw
2016-08-24 22:20
They have goals. They resist meeting those goals and/or meet resistance. And they have to meet their goals or it’s a tragedy. That would be sad.
catsaway
2016-08-24 22:21
awesome, thanks!
donnalichaw
2016-08-24 22:21
@emcqualter when I work with clients, I work in one of two ways:
mike_aquanassee
2016-08-24 22:21
What would be an example of a simple story for a digital product?
donnalichaw
2016-08-24 22:22
Either I do the research for them – I talk to their users, uncover the characters, stories – and we use those stories to map out a strategy to meet some kind of business or org goals (something related to engagement – like “we want to increase donations for our nonprofit” “we want more people to login X times per week”, etc.)
donnalichaw
2016-08-24 22:22
Or, if the client has a team on-site, I’ll run a workshop and teach them how to uncover stories with their users, how to map them out in different contexts to meet different goals.
donnalichaw
2016-08-24 22:22
In that case, I’ll check in with the client on a regular basis to make sure their on track.
donnalichaw
2016-08-24 22:23
My goal is usually to empower the client and build capacity on their team to uncover stories and use them on their own as time goes on – I’m a teacher at heart. I’d always rather train others to do amazing things than to do the work for them :slightly_smiling_face:
seb
2016-08-24 22:23
has joined #ask-donna-lichaw
donnalichaw
2016-08-24 22:24
I go into depth on this in my book and in my workshop – there are tons of ways to uncover stories from users and to map out existing and future state stories to improve products and services.
donnalichaw
2016-08-24 22:24
@frankenvision other than goals, you need a clear understanding of who all of your user types are (characters/heroes).
donnalichaw
2016-08-24 22:25
Then you can map out stories of how they currently do things with or without your product and how they _could_ do things using your product.
donnalichaw
2016-08-24 22:26
Then you want to come up with ways to test all of those stories without testing them (either as a lo-fi or hi-fi prototoype) whether you’re testing ideas of interfaces, they’re just hypotheses until you test them to make sure you’re measuring and meeting your goals.
donnalichaw
2016-08-24 22:26
@mike_aquanassee do you have an app that you love?
donnalichaw
2016-08-24 22:27
(every story should be simple – let’s map it out!)
mike_aquanassee
2016-08-24 22:27
Headspace
donnalichaw
2016-08-24 22:28
Ok. So @mike_aquanassee what do you want to get out of using headspace?
hawk
2016-08-24 22:28
(Is that headspace? ^^)
mike_aquanassee
2016-08-24 22:28
Guided mediation practice
mike_aquanassee
2016-08-24 22:28
Yes thanks hawk
donnalichaw
2016-08-24 22:28
@mike_aquanassee why do you want to meditate?
mike_aquanassee
2016-08-24 22:29
Peace of mind
donnalichaw
2016-08-24 22:29
(btw, for everyone – I’m asking 5 whys – this is part of how you dig in and uncover stories)
donnalichaw
2016-08-24 22:29
@mike_aquanassee why do you want peace of mind?
mike_aquanassee
2016-08-24 22:29
The headspace owner is getting some good free publicity here!
alevisohn
2016-08-24 22:30
In your work with organizations have you had to work with cross-functional teams (e.g. business analysts and UX Designers)? Do you have suggestions as to how stories can be used in this type of environment? What value do they have to business analysts and their work identifying business requirements and building process flows?
mike_aquanassee
2016-08-24 22:30
Because life can be stressful
donnalichaw
2016-08-24 22:30
Ha, yes, I got an email from Headspace this morning – it could have been the inciting incident of a new journey with them if I had clicked on the link :wink:
donnalichaw
2016-08-24 22:31
So @mike_aquanassee it sounds like you can find life stressful, you want to de-stress. Headspace is a way to de-stress.
mike_aquanassee
2016-08-24 22:31
@donnalichaw its free for 10 days :stuck_out_tongue:
donnalichaw
2016-08-24 22:31
@mike_aquanassee another question: how else could you de-stress? Surely there are other ways…
renat
2016-08-24 22:31
))))
mike_aquanassee
2016-08-24 22:32
@donnalichaw yes there is exercise, alcohol and many other ways to destress
donnalichaw
2016-08-24 22:32
And @mike_aquanassee there’s also taking a yoga classs, a meditation class, or just meditating on your own freestyle, right?
mike_aquanassee
2016-08-24 22:33
@donnalichaw there is a gamfication element to the app which helps to build a practice out of it.
donnalichaw
2016-08-24 22:33
@mike_aquanassee considering all of the options – why use Headspace, then?
mike_aquanassee
2016-08-24 22:34
@donnalichaw It’s specifically tailored to meditation, which is scientifically proven to be of benefit
mike_aquanassee
2016-08-24 22:34
@donnalichaw I use other ways as well:)
donnalichaw
2016-08-24 22:34
But @mike_aquanassee you could meditate without the app, right? You could just do it yourself on your own?
mike_aquanassee
2016-08-24 22:35
@donnalichaw yes but I sometimes need a bit of help to make it a habit
donnalichaw
2016-08-24 22:35
(btw, for everyone watching – these are _tough_ questions you need to ask yourself and your boss/client _every_ time you build _anything_
donnalichaw
2016-08-24 22:35
)
donnalichaw
2016-08-24 22:35
Ok, so,.the story of headspace…
donnalichaw
2016-08-24 22:36
At the highest level (Headspace as an idea – I call this a Concept Story)
donnalichaw
2016-08-24 22:36
What is Headspace?
donnalichaw
2016-08-24 22:36
If you’re mapping it out, it looks like this:
donnalichaw
2016-08-24 22:36
Exposition: I’m stressed.
Inciting incident: I want to chill.
Rising action: Headspace…it’s a way to chill (it’s an app for guided meditation).
Crisis: I could drink, take a class, try to meditate on my own…
Climax: It’s guided. It keeps me on track. It’s bite-sized. I can fit it in anywhere, any time.
End: Ahhhh….
mike_aquanassee
2016-08-24 22:36
p.s. if anyone signs up on here, use my referral link! :stuck_out_tongue:
donnalichaw
2016-08-24 22:36
lol
donnalichaw
2016-08-24 22:37
Concept stories help you not only understand _what_ your app is (or feature, or anything, really) but what it can help someone do and why it’s better than the competition
renat
2016-08-24 22:37
Donna, how storymapping can help in a multicultural environment? chinese users for example, another language, life experience, another life goals.
rafael_m_lopes
2016-08-24 22:37
Can you elaborate on Rising Action.,..in app design?
donnalichaw
2016-08-24 22:37
this high-level story is then something that you as designers need to make sure is echoed in each and every key flow that matters to the business
frankenvision
2016-08-24 22:37
is this something that’s done after a stakeholder interview?
mike_aquanassee
2016-08-24 22:38
@donnalichaw it’s interesting how you relate it to a typical film script
donnalichaw
2016-08-24 22:38
So every time you use headspace, it needs to feel better than doing it on your own or taking a class than drinking, etc.
donnalichaw
2016-08-24 22:38
@hawk You can map stories before you build a product and definitely _after_
donnalichaw
2016-08-24 22:38
to troubleshoot engagement issues and make it more bulletproof
donnalichaw
2016-08-24 22:39
map always and everything
donnalichaw
2016-08-24 22:39
you can also use story to guide usability and concept testing sessions – you mapped a story of how you wanted a flow to work and you can see people using your product and make sure that the story is in tact
donnalichaw
2016-08-24 22:40
I call this the ‘smile test’ – also on my blog and in the book, you can see stories in people’s faces as they use your product and as you ask them questions
donnalichaw
2016-08-24 22:40
@alevisohn yes! I usually work with cross-functional teams.
donnalichaw
2016-08-24 22:41
The way I see it is that the story is something that _everyone_ in an organization should own, uncover, and maintain and improve.
donnalichaw
2016-08-24 22:41
Even BAs (especially BAs so they don’t get stuck making up requirements based on ‘good ideas’)
donnalichaw
2016-08-24 22:41
Even non-creatives, they get into it and love my workshops, too.
donnalichaw
2016-08-24 22:41
Story architecture is so accessible that anyone can figure out how to do it and play around with it.
huckledust
2016-08-24 22:42
We are currently transforming our digital experience. Still completing user interviews. My manger us very excited to start on possible future state user journeys. But I’m wanting to proceed with mapping current journeys and highlighting the grumble areas first. This makes me feel like I should keep on with this
chels
2016-08-24 22:42
What about story mapping an engagement experience? (Journey Mapping if you will) – not specifically focused on a single product, moreover engagement with your organisation?
donnalichaw
2016-08-24 22:42
@renat I haven’t worked with many clients in Asia yet, but I’ve had many from out east in my workshops and while the nuances of story might seem different across cultures, the core structure is still universal as far as I can tell.
donnalichaw
2016-08-24 22:43
Last year, I had someone from France in one of my workshops I was teaching in Switzerland – he was _convinced_ that the french don’t do story structure in the same way and that this can’t apply
donnalichaw
2016-08-24 22:43
So we mapped out some french films as a group and the structure still applies.
emcqualter
2016-08-24 22:43
@huckledust “grumble areas” – GREAT term!!
donnalichaw
2016-08-24 22:44
Even one of my favorite movies by a belgian filmmaker, chantal ackerman has this structure – it’s a 4 hour movie about nothing happening.
donnalichaw
2016-08-24 22:44
I think the climax involves someone dropping a potato.
donnalichaw
2016-08-24 22:44
But it?s very climactic!
donnalichaw
2016-08-24 22:44
So, story can be pretty universal as far as I can tell – there’s a lot of neuroscience behind it. It’s just how the brain wants to perceive and communicate.
donnalichaw
2016-08-24 22:45
Even babies start to do it early on as soon as they can communicate.
donnalichaw
2016-08-24 22:45
@rafael_m_lopes Rising Action.for a Concept Story, rising action is just your app, what it is and what it does. For user flows (Usage Stories, I call them), the rising action is a series of tasks, steps, or screens…
donnalichaw
2016-08-24 22:46
each step just has to get better than the last
donnalichaw
2016-08-24 22:46
and it can’t be too short, but can’t be too long – you have to feel it out.
donnalichaw
2016-08-24 22:46
(this is why you test everything to make sure your usage stories feel right)
nwhysel
2016-08-24 22:46
What if you get push back? e.g. Development team or business manager doesn’t want to bother with story? How do you show the value of story mapping?
donnalichaw
2016-08-24 22:47
(and this is why I always recommend to prototype usage stories as early as possible – you can reorder steps in the rising action so that it’s what it should be
donnalichaw
2016-08-24 22:47
)
donnalichaw
2016-08-24 22:48
@huckledust yes! map current states and then future states…
donnalichaw
2016-08-24 22:48
what’s nice about mapping stories with just squiggly arcs, paper, pen, whiteboards, etc. is that your boss or client can’t complain that it’s taking too long.
donnalichaw
2016-08-24 22:48
We just mapped a story in this slack chat – it took a couple of minutes.
donnalichaw
2016-08-24 22:48
stories are cheap and easy. Fast, cheap, and easy.
huckledust
2016-08-24 22:49
@nwhysel keep at it. I’ve been banging on about getting personas for 3 years. This year we engaged a research company and very quickly the business owner are seeing value and there’s talk of how it needs to be on going
donnalichaw
2016-08-24 22:49
@chels you can map small scope stories with products or big broad ones for organizations.
donnalichaw
2016-08-24 22:49
I just finished a project with a giant non-profit in NYC doing just that…
mike_aquanassee
2016-08-24 22:49
Does one need to follow the question structure you used in order to reveal the most insight?
hawk
2016-08-24 22:50
There are no more questions in the queue and we have 10 mins left. If you?re sitting on something that you haven’t asked, now is the time!
donnalichaw
2016-08-24 22:50
It was for Central Park – they wanted to figure out why people donate to the park (in the US, parks need to ask the public for money because they don’t get enough funds from the government to keep the parks nice, sigh)
huckledust
2016-08-24 22:50
Great @donnalichaw thank you for giving me the confidence to keep insisting. I will win the war!:facepunch::skin-tone-3:
renat
2016-08-24 22:50
well, Donna, you mean everything is a linear process? trouble -> ux research -> troublesolving?
donnalichaw
2016-08-24 22:51
So we mapped out the story of why people love Central Park, what they get out of it, etc., etc, and then how they use the park and how it does or doesn’t relate to why they do or don’t donate money to the park.
donnalichaw
2016-08-24 22:51
Sometimes stories can be very high level and involve many touchpoints, park signage, etc.
selie
2016-08-24 22:51
@donnalichaw this was all really helpful
donnalichaw
2016-08-24 22:51
But.you always need to make sure you keep the stories simple and high level
donnalichaw
2016-08-24 22:52
at the point that your story is starting to look like a complex journey map, service blueprint, or something you need an advanced degree to decipher, you stop. And chop the story up in to something more manageable.
donnalichaw
2016-08-24 22:52
But the story of Central Park? It _has_ to be simple for people to love the park, right?
donnalichaw
2016-08-24 22:52
I could go to the gym, but I go to the park because it’s _amazing!_
donnalichaw
2016-08-24 22:52
and I give them money to keep the grass cut
rafael_m_lopes
2016-08-24 22:53
Makes sense.
emcqualter
2016-08-24 22:53
I’m working on a story designed to show a B2B client how we deliver better retirement outcomes for their employees. So my team wants to start with the ‘what’ – show service interactions and build the story around that. I’
donnalichaw
2016-08-24 22:53
those are the kinds of stories that park users told us they experience and those are the types of stories that I want the organization to make happen for _more_ people
huckledust
2016-08-24 22:53
Thank you @hawk and @donnalichaw I have to leave now.. My train ride to work us over. These sessions are so great.
donnalichaw
2016-08-24 22:53
?though the website, the park experience, the app, everything, stories everywhere
hawk
2016-08-24 22:53
@huckledust Totally welcome. Thanks for joining us. Have a great day at work.
donnalichaw
2016-08-24 22:54
Again, this isn’t about telling stories – it’s about making sure people keep experiencing the stories and/or that more people experience these stories
emcqualter
2016-08-24 22:54
I’m feeling the the opposite is better – to be true we have to start with authentic stories and match user experiences against those. Thoughts?
nwhysel
2016-08-24 22:54
Regarding personas, I’ve seen the complaint that they are a bit flat. Who the user is but not necessarily what they do. I love the story angle because it brings the user to life a lot more.
chels
2016-08-24 22:54
@donnalichaw Thank you for reigniting the passion that what I’m trying to do is the right path. Sadly I encounter so much opposition because the concept seems _too_ simple.
donnalichaw
2016-08-24 22:55
@mike_aquanassee regarding question structure – when uncovering stories in user interviews, I use plot points to guide how I structure my scripts, but it’s not word for word – I just make sure that after I do an interview, I’ll have uncovered all of the plot points.
rafael_m_lopes
2016-08-24 22:55
@nwhysel great point!
chels
2016-08-24 22:55
In my opinion, if it’s simple it means you’ve broken it down to the right level
donnalichaw
2016-08-24 22:55
@chels the thing about simplicity is that humans are simple, there’s no way around that :wink:
crystal
2016-08-24 22:55
So… What I am understanding here is if you can’t come up with a good story or stories, there is no goal, there is no journey/experience, there is no point
renat
2016-08-24 22:56
@chels simplicity is the ultimate sophistication
renat
2016-08-24 22:56
))
chels
2016-08-24 22:56
@renat my argument exactly. . .
donnalichaw
2016-08-24 22:56
@emqualter – authentic is always ideal. Does the org want to tell it’s story or to help users meet goals?
nwhysel
2016-08-24 22:56
We have used user stories to help refocus the motivation from difficult trust issues to finding happiness.
donnalichaw
2016-08-24 22:57
because sometimes companies get caught up in wanting to tell their _own_ story
donnalichaw
2016-08-24 22:57
so for that, if your company’s origin story (founder story) is about two people in a garage reinventing the future with some wires and a box and your company’s brand is about innovation then, great, that’s a lovely story to _tell_
donnalichaw
2016-08-24 22:58
but otherwise, people don’t care about the business story unless it echoes the story that they want to have…
donnalichaw
2016-08-24 22:58
we all want to be heroes in our own story
donnalichaw
2016-08-24 22:58
(I’m quoting a cognitive psychologist I quote in the book :slightly_smiling_face: )
emcqualter
2016-08-24 22:58
@donnalichaw Nailed it – the org is all about showing their capabilities – not authentically about the user. I struggle with that!
donnalichaw
2016-08-24 22:59
@nwhysel hi! And, yes, I’ve had teams complain about personas for years, stories they get and get more buy-in, which is nice.
hawk
2016-08-24 23:00
Ok I’m going to call it a wrap after this question.
nwhysel
2016-08-24 23:00
Those are the one who need training on what a story is and how it is different from personas.
rafael_m_lopes
2016-08-24 23:00
thanks all…its been fun and informative. will connect with you @donnalichaw on LinkedIn. Best…
mike_aquanassee
2016-08-24 23:00
@donnalichaw Thanks for sharing @hawk thanks for organizing!
rafael_m_lopes
2016-08-24 23:01
Thanks @hawk !:grinning:
frankenvision
2016-08-24 23:01
This was great. Thanks @dhabersaat and @hawk
hawk
2016-08-24 23:01
Thanks SO much @donnalichaw – you rocked it.
donnalichaw
2016-08-24 23:01
Please do! For everyone – you can find me on twitter @dlichaw – and on the web at: http://donnalichaw.com – you can download a free workbook and get lots of goodies on my site
hawk
2016-08-24 23:01
Thanks to everyone else for joining. Great to see so many awesome questions.
nwhysel
2016-08-24 23:01
Thanks @donnalichaw . I’m still working through your book and just downloaded the workbook. Definitely one of the more useful books.
donnalichaw
2016-08-24 23:01
Also, I’m taking my storymapping workshop on tour this fall
renat
2016-08-24 23:01
@donnalichaw @hawk thanks :slightly_smiling_face:
donnalichaw
2016-08-24 23:01
and might be coming to a city near you (though only North America for the fall)
emcqualter
2016-08-24 23:01
Thanks @donnalichaw and @hawk!
chels
2016-08-24 23:02
thanks @donnalichaw @ @hawk
This has been great
This has been great
crystal
2016-08-24 23:02
Thanks @donnalichaw and @hawk !Very enlightening!
donnalichaw
2016-08-24 23:02
Everyone, I hope to meet you at some point, stay in touch!
alevisohn
2016-08-24 23:06
Thanks @donnalichaw!
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