Story Ideation to me is exploring a story, an anecdote, a bit of consumer experience through the very physical act of sketching. A thought Experiment, forcing decisions about emotion, context and characters.
Design a Window…
The image below started as a thought experiment for a project that focused on windows. A glass frame for letting light, air and aroma in and out of the house. The process of pen to paper forces you to analyze and synthesize memory, photo references , emotion and improvisation all at once.
What began as a sketch of a window became a story about Mrs. Merrill and her morning coffee, her garden, the birds, her cats, the morning fresh air, the scent of her blooming flowers, the wind chimes, and all the items and creatures that live on the window ledge…just to mention a few. It created a series of conditions to consider and potential solve for in the features and forms of the window product ideation.
Sketching like a storyboarder for product ideation, forces you to use:
-Observation skills
-Imagination
-Improvisation
In a search for a deeper purpose or meaning behind a product beyond feature improvements.
It is not to replace real research and user engagement, but to enhance your senses and skills in these areas. It also makes your user the HERO of the story. Isn’t that why you are designing in the first place?
To create value or solve problems for Humans., not to create museum pieces or functional sculpture.
Keep sketching!
Which came first the chicken or the egg? The visual or verbal? A verbal story, by its very nature, creates relatable images and context. A visual (sketch) forces you to make decisions and get specific about characters and settings even in the rough stages...
Check out these two great resources!
Shawn Callahan on Business storytelling. It is a great read on story applications in business.
https://lnkd.in/erKfivq
Griz and Norm is a wonderful book on visual communication!
https://lnkd.in/eJnef4Y
#storytelling #design #marketing
