How to make people famous, (and other stories)

As a UX designer, it’s your job to uncover stories from subjects in exploratory research to create concepts and apply them to digital product design. Through compelling storytelling, patience, and the craft that goes into translating theoretical concepts and behaviours into novel humane experiences.

Their story is what you’re selling

Since you’re selling research, you’re primarily selling an abstract idea to how you can positively affect a business outcome.

Business strategy and ROI calculations are just assumptions. Maybe even bullshit. It’s all part of a story.

When you tell your story, hero the customer and create the space for peers to know how to help guide them. You won’t come in to save the day — that’s your customer's job. It’s your job to tell the story that describes what is needed for your customer to reach their desired future state, which is the original premise for why anyone buys anything.

Your peers and leaders will relate most to a story they can empathise and relate too — share who your customers are, the problems they’re facing, and the transformation they want to experience.

They also need to know how it will all happen, and why they should believe you. Those are the elements of any good story.

Think about the power of story for a moment. I’ve helped win five and six-figure deals with nothing more than a slide deck. The slide deck was full of insightful thinking and information. True. But it was nothing more than a story in a document.

Your story had better be good. A rally cry, a purpose to the work, and a vision of what better looks like.