If someone asked me what the most surprising thing I have learned so far in my UX course, I would answer with storytelling. I had no idea how important the presentation of the design process is.
Looking back on my early design exercises and projects, I cringe a bit when I see how much they lack explanation. Some of the best constructive criticism I received from my mentor was incorporating more storytelling in my upcoming projects.
Since I received that feedback, I've started to focus on clearly articulating my process and why I make the decisions I make.
Here are some reasons why storytelling is so important when it comes to design.
1. Not all stakeholders have a design background.
Not all stakeholders will understand design terms, so when you're presenting deliverables such as user personas and customer journey maps, you must articulate what this method is, what your intention was for this step in your design process and why it's critical for the end-product.
2. It's your job to create user empathy.
As UX designers, our focus is on creating meaningful human experiences through our product. Your client might not understand the reason for conducting user interviews or creating user personas, but if you can articulately explain the importance of understanding the user, you might even have them feeling the same empathy you've obtained.
3. Good storytelling can ace an interview.
As new designers, we are far from knowing everything. There's a good chance that our designs are not top-notch quality, and that's okay! Instead of focusing so much on how pretty the end-product is, focus on your presentation of the case study. If you can explain your process, intentions of each step, and design decisions, an employer will have a better understanding of how you work and who you are as a designer.
You don't have to be the next Charles Dickens to nail the UX design storytelling. All you have to do is learn how to articulate your process, intentions, design decisions, and lessons you learned from the experience.
If you'd like an example of storytelling in design, check out this recent portfolio review I completed in my CareerFoundry UX course explaining my process during usability studies.
Reach out if you'd like to discuss storytelling in design or need further guidance!
- Kaity
