Storytelling & Written Scenarios HCDE 418 Winter 2014

Agenda Announcements Lecture & Discussion – Storytelling & Written Scenarios Break Sketching Critiques Next class 4:00 - Mid-Quarter Evaluation, Jim Borgford-Parnell

Announcements S2, A2 due now R5 due Monday S3 due Wednesday Questions/Comments?

LECTURE & DISCUSSION – Storytelling & Written Scenarios

Storytelling in UX Can be primarily in two phases: Tell the users' current situation Describe a users' hypothetical experience using a new technology design Can (and should) be used to play with ideas, rather than just confirm or define ideas (Buxton) Usually are written, visual, or video-based Alternate ways of conveying a story

Uses for Storytelling in UX (Quesenberg & Brooks) They help us gather (and share) information about users, tasks, and goals. They put a human face on analytic data. They can spark new design concepts and encourage collaboration and innovation. They are a way to share ideas and create a sense of shared history and purpose. They help us understand the world by giving us insight into people who are not just like us. They can even persuade others of the value of our contribution.

Who is the audience for UX stories? Other designers Clients Stakeholders Managers Funding agencies The users

Storytelling provides context Who will be using the designed product? Why will they be using it? What are their goals for it? Where will the designed product be used? What do they hope to accomplish? How does the product fit into their lives? How does the product make them feel?

Stories & Context When stories include context, it helps you think of unique details you might not have otherwise thought of Example: if your user is using a phone app in a grocery store, you might think of using it one-handed while holding a shopping cart, privacy aspects of speech input, split attention from distractions, etc.

Personas + Scenarios Scenarios are often used to convey the experience and frustrations with current technology Often the scenarios can tell a story about personas you have developed based on your user research Personas help with character development, especially if team is already familiar

Roles of stories in UX (Quesenberg & Brooks) They explain They engage the imagination They spark new ideas They create a shared understanding They persuade

Where do stories come from? User research data Design ideation sessions “User experience stories aren’t made up. They are based on data from listening and observing in formal and informal settings.” –Quesenberg & Brooks

Characteristics of a good story Good understanding of audience Provide context of use Are well-motivated Memorable Evokes a reaction Evokes empathy Illustrate experience and emotions Short and to-the-point TL;DR: Can be read in a few minutes

Characteristics of a bad story Story that doesn’t account for audience Boring or un-engaging Fantastical or unrealistic Too long to hold attention of busy professionals Wrong story for wrong purpose e.g., proposing a new idea when try to convey existing state

Three Ways of Telling Stories Written Scenarios - Today Written accounts and narratives of the experience Analogy: Books Storyboards – next Monday Visual storytelling with rough sketches/cartoons Analogy: Comics, Picture books Video Scenarios – next Wednesday Richer visual storytelling Analogy: Movies/TV

Written Scenarios Allow the user to imagine themselves in a given situation Similar to books, imagination plays some role This is good and bad Good for engagement Bad for specifics Use personas as characters to help with empathy They should be fully developed

How did it go for R4? What was the process like in writing your scenarios for R4 due Monday? How do you think you did? What kind of story did you write? What would make your task easier?

Activity – Critiquing Stories Example #1 – as a class Example #2 – in groups

Example Scenario #1 Before the clinic visit, Sue, a CEO, describes how she feels: “you walk into an appointment already scared, already having half convinced yourself that the worst is about to happen…you can't listen as fully… the stress of being in these meetings, even for someone like me that functions well in high stress environments, whoosh.” During the visit, Sue sits on the exam table balancing her question list and pencil on her lap, while she attempts to maintain eye contact with Dr. Jones, to record notes, to communicate with hand motions, to track her list of questions, and to collect handouts that are given to her. At one point, Dr. Jones becomes frustrated when he discovers that Sue has neglected to bring in a list of her current medications with their dosages….

Scenario #1 Continued ….Next, Dr. Jones commences to describe Sue’s treatment options at 204 words per minute (normal conversation rate is 125-175 words per minute). Sue exits the appointment realizing that she forgot to ask an important question about how to manage the surgical drains embedded in her body. In later discussions with the friend who she brought to the clinic with her, they discover that each came away with a different interpretation of the treatment options that Dr. Jones presented. Whose interpretation is correct? Additionally, as Sue looks through the collection of notes from a previous visit, she discovers the name of a genetics book, but she can’t remember why she recorded that information. Did the doctor recommend it? Was there a particular chapter to look at? How did this book relate to her specific health condition?

Scenario #1 Reaction What type of scenario was that? Who is the audience? What did the scenario make you feel? When could this be used in the design process? What worked about it? How could it be improved?

Example Scenario #2 Carolyn with sleep problems Read the scenario on your own, and then break into groups to discuss the following questions: What type of scenario is it? Who is the audience? What did the scenario make you feel? When could this be used in the design process? What worked about it? How could it be improved?

How to present scenarios to users for feedback Printed during user research or usability sessions or online via a survey Can present multiple scenarios at once and have them rank ideas Ask users questions about… Acceptability of design idea Likelihood of use Ideas for improvement New ideas to solve a similar problem

Interactive Scenarios - DesignLibs Useful for involving users in the ideation & brainstorming process Allow them to contribute ideas, not just to react to those of the designer Inspired by children’s game of “Mad Libs” Bauer & Kientz, CHI 2013

“Mad Libs” style http://depts.washington.edu/chilllab/designlibs/scenarioA.html Good for generating random, wacky ideas

“Fill in the Blanks” style http://depts.washington.edu/chilllab/designlibs/scenarioB.html Results in most “realistic” ideas

“Q&A” Style http://depts.washington.edu/chilllab/designlibs/scenarioC.html Good combination of random and realistic

Summary Storytelling is an important way of conveying the existing and intended user experience of designs Written scenarios are easiest stories to generate, but have some limitations

BREAK – 5 minutes

Sketching Critiques – S2 ~10 minutes

Next Class Topics Monday, February 3rd Upcoming Work Storyboarding Reading Reflection 5 due Monday Sketching Project 3 due Wednesday

Mid-Quarter Evaluation – Jim Borgford-Parnell