Even though that’s exactly what I am…
The word “story” is pretty close to losing its meaning when applied to interactive design. It’s about to go the way of other buzzword dodos like “convergence”–the first word I remember becoming absolutely meaningless as more and more consultants, and executives spouted it in meetings in an attempt to sound smart. Right now, story is everywhere. Brands tell their stories on social networks. User experience designers talk about the power of story. Everybody and everyone has a story to tell, and everyone and everybody is some kind of storyteller–UX designers, copywriters, and strategists.
The heartbreak with “story”, and it’s kissing cousin “storyteller” jumping the shark (to mix all kinds of metaphors in this blog post) is that various forms of storytelling are actually particularly powerful tools for creating great interactive experiences. Clearly written, concise, and easy to understand user stories are an essential scoping tool for developers who follow an Agile software development process. Detailed, researched, and compelling user personas, and scenarios help designers, and their clients undertand the people they design for–their “users” (another word that flirts with buzzword dodoism)–by telling their stories. Stories that help communicate what’s been learned about those users, what they want, and the context in which they will try to meet their needs. Beyond that, good, basic storytelling is useful any time a designer communicates with their clients, users, developers, and each other. Stories help organize information, and put it into context. They’re fun.
So what’s a poor storyteller to do–someone like me who actually writes stories in the form of screenplays, teleplays, and novels? Who writes user scenarios, and user stories as part of my design process? Who thinks in 3-act structure, and applies that structure to make documentaries, and textbooks more interesting, and fun? Who is addicted to exploring all the emerging new ways we tell stories, from transmedia to alternate reality gaming, and beyond?
What do I call myself so I don’t get lost in the crowd? How do I communicate what it is I do, and how I do it?
For now I’m going back to calling myself a writer and UX strategist. A little dry, but it is what I do.
Anyone have any better suggestions than that?
