Published on <a href="http://ift.tt/2tys8xx">| Prototyping: From UX to Front End &mdash; Medium</a> Rémi Parnaud <img alt="" src="http://ift.tt/2rCm7TR">IBM workshop — Offset 2016
Online identity is something unique to each of us; we build it everyday — posting, uploading, interacting with apps &amp; websites. We use the web to read stories and tell our own. Today, most forward-thinking web services are using those stories (user data) to provide personalised user experiences (part of the <a href="http://ift.tt/2smi5fE">Web 3.0</a>).
<img alt="" src="http://ift.tt/2rCm8XV"><a href="http://ift.tt/1dJJfnd">http://ift.tt/1dJJfnd</a>
Whether you’re a Strategist, Manager, Developer or Designer, one of the very first questions you’ll face is: “ Who is the target/user? ”. Especially when using techniques like <a href="http://ift.tt/1dJJfnd">Design thinking</a>, revealing the identity of the audience (Step 1: Empathize) is the initial and essential phase to designing any meaningful service, experience, app, website or visual story.
With this article, I’m sharing my vision of a simplified approach to Design thinking, a creative process that I use as a pattern for any new design project
Imagine a sphere: the surface (most visible part) shows the experience, the layer underneath it is the story behind it, and the core of the sphere contains the identity. The idea is to use this visual representation to guide us through a journey from the inside out…
<img alt="" src="http://ift.tt/2rCm9uX">Awesome Pixar movie with a convenient title for this article. #Emotions
Here is the process: always start at the core (1. Identity), this will give you what’s necessary to define the second layer (2. Story), to finally reach the what level (3. Experience). Each layer is based on the previous one, thus ensuring we design something meaningful. I recommend using a large piece of paper and simply list out keywords / ideas in each section.
<img alt="" src="http://ift.tt/2slSQK6">Reveal the identity — Build the story — Imagine the experience
<h3>1. About Identity</h3>
I believe everything starts with observation: the same way we observe nature (or human creations) to select familiar shapes for a logo, observing people helps us designing interactive systems that feels natural to its users.
<img alt="" src="http://ift.tt/2rCma1Z">Some of my photographs on the left — Rory Dowling’s brand research on the right — Huguenot 2016
Empathy seems to be a keyword. Without empathy, there’s no understanding of others. That is why observation is a crucial part in learning about people. I guess that’s why photography is so often a passion for designers: it is the core of what makes us aware of how life is.
Ideal User Experience suggests there’s no need to adapt (cf Don’t make me think by Steve Krug). That’s why I want to insist on the importance of identity as a starting point: “Who are you?”. You as a business, company, organisation… as a brand in fact. The next step is to consider your followers. Who are your users or clients? What makes you special? Why do people react to what you do?
Photography can be an asset as part of your communication of course; but I like to think of it as a way to initially discover the core of a concept: approaching places and people related to the project, capturing their essence, thus revealing their identity.
<h4>Photography as a way to reveal identity</h4>
I guess I just wanna tell stories because so many of us out there have beautiful ones but are unable to tell them nicely. The picture below is a spontaneous portrait of a stranger (<a href="http://ift.tt/2smnW4n">something I love doing those days</a>). His name is Mark: Bar tender, ultra-cool, the kind of guy who puts you at ease, I just trusted him instantly. And when you trust people, they usually trust you back and open up, allowing you to capture their true soul.
<img alt="" src="http://ift.tt/2rC9qbH">Mark — Dublin — May 2016<img alt="" src="http://ift.tt/2smbxgR">People creating things — inspiring us
<h3>2. About Storytelling</h3>
<blockquote>‘Beautiful’ is good, ‘Meaningful’ is better.</blockquote>
<img alt="" src="http://ift.tt/2rCflgO">Simon Sinek — Ted 2009
There’s this <a href="http://ift.tt/1kBffwg">amazing TED talk</a> about the way we communicate, about the way we tell a story. Simon Sinek is saying that it’s all about the order of the information.
Most people would communicate from the outside in (What &gt; How &gt; Why) like: “Hey I sell stuff. They are the coolest. Would you like to buy one?”.
But great leaders would simply reverse the order (Why &gt; How &gt; What): “I believe in something special, that’s why I make things in that cool way, I just happen to make awesome stuff. Wanna buy one?”
And that makes all the difference! Seriously, even as a structure to map out a concept, using this graphical representation can help focusing on the essential: the reason why you started the project in the first place, the reason why people will care, follow you, buy your product and most importantly, be loyal.
<blockquote>“People don’t buy what you do, they buy why you do it.”</blockquote>
<img alt="" src="http://ift.tt/2rCePQ6"><img alt="" src="http://ift.tt/2sm0cxg">
Many creative minds have started adopting the model, and the key word ‘Why’ is gaining popularity in speeches and conferences.
<blockquote>“It’s not really about what I do, or even how I do it. It’s all about Why I do it.” —Speaker at Offset 2016</blockquote>
<h3>3. About User Experience</h3>
When you know the true identity of a brand and how to tell the story, then you did the hardest part. At this stage, you might need to design an experience for that brand. Well let’s just make it part of the story — whatever it is: an event, a video, a document, a website, etc.
<h4>Some tips:</h4>
<ul>
<li>Place the user as a character of the story.</li>
<li>Make it similar to what your audience is used to in their day-to-day life.</li>
<li>Make it interactive.</li>
<li>Speak their language.</li>
<li>Make it collaborative (social at least).</li>
<li>Develop it in a self-enhancing way.</li>
<li>Design for disabled first (in the same logic you would design mobile first).</li>
</ul>
<blockquote>Section to be continued with examples of good UX part of a bigger story…</blockquote>
<h3>4. Play, Teach, Learn</h3>
4 years ago, I was involved in a 27-student / 6-month project called <a href="http://ift.tt/2rBDKDg">E-saac</a>. It was a <a href="http://ift.tt/1Q5jkUL">serious game</a> — literally. The client was Eurocopter (now <a href="http://ift.tt/1lLLUNH">Airbus Helicopter</a>). We came up with a virtual universe for pilots and technicians In order to transmit knowledge. We basically had to learn how to teach best.
It turns out laughing, or more generally, having fun is the best way to remember something. It makes sense I guess; we all remember that day, when our teacher said something really hilarious! The memory stays forever. But can you guess who’s number 2? What else is really good to understand &amp; remember something?
Teaching. Yep, one of the best way to learn something is actually to teach it. Studies have shown teaching is a really effective way to create neural connections that last. To be put in a position where you have to explain something, you have to make sense of it all before you can formulate a definition and say something that will be understood by your audience.
I like to think that it is why I’m writing this article now, to push myself to share my knowledge and experience, making me able to understand and remember it better…
<h3>5. About filters</h3>
Creating algorithms who bring up the most relevant content for each user enhances indeed the user experience. Though, just like we got to remember to leave extra margin in a digital design (to allow for unexpected content), maybe we should apply the same logic to the information feeds we use everyday: allow unexpected content. Maybe even encourage it…
Take Facebook as an example. Our feed is curated automatically based on our interests, based on what we like (quite literally). But in the context of a political election, we might have the feeling that most of our friends share the same beliefs. You can influence the algorithm of course, by purposely liking pages who don’t share your opinions, but the bias is still somehow present simply because Facebook considers that a happy user is more likely to spend more time on the system (thus generating more revenues).
Are we aiming for the right thing with that idea? Doesn’t most of the serendipity (happy accidental discoveries) come from outside of our digital filtered bubble, outside of our comfort zone?
I guess I’m just trying to remind people around me to design in a more organic way, a more nature-like way… full of happy accidents and unexpected encounters! It always feels right to me when people meet and match like 2 pieces of a puzzle — you know.
<h3>6. My story</h3>
<img alt="" src="http://ift.tt/2smkOWi">Portrait of me by Andy Ristaino (‘Adventure Time’ illustrator)
I love languages: whether it’s music, code lines, visual communication, photography, design, copyrighting, human expressions, movements, dance, theatre…
Learning a language is a never-ending process. One good way to keep it going, is to teach, to share our knowledge and challenge our own certitudes.
I started my studies in IT and learned web development for a couple of years. As a contrasting element, photography became a huge part of my days. It became my way of observing people, my source of inspiration and of course a way to celebrate the world’s beauty.
Graphic Design then naturally became my new obsession (especially digital); it helped balancing my focus between the real world and the World Wide Web. Also, it feels great to build an experience that will make people&#8217;s’ lives easier.
<blockquote>“ Observe the world, talk to strangers, collect life stories, take photos, explore the unknown, connect with a community, emphasise &amp; reveal their identity… Then be a storyteller, give someone a voice, solve a problem, invent an experience &amp; design the world of tomorrow. ”</blockquote>
Thanks for reading, I always welcome productive criticism, so feel free to leave comments!
<img src="http://ift.tt/2rBDLai" width="1" height="1" alt="stat?event=post.clientViewed&amp;referrerSou">
<hr>
<a href="http://ift.tt/2sm5cCh">How to design meaningful experiences? Identity &gt; Storytelling &gt; UX</a> was originally published in <a href="http://ift.tt/2cAqCpx">Prototyping: From UX to Front End</a> on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

How to design meaningful experiences? Identity > Storytelling > UX

Top Stories