Story time.

Story telling is a useful skill in the world of product design. It allows us to capture our audience and bring them on a journey. I think it's important to use this tool throughout the whole design process, especially at the research stage. At this stage it isn't the designer telling the story but perhaps it's the user. They are bringing you into their world and their experiences through storytelling. As a designer at this stage it is important to ask the right questions and get the most out of the story being told. In this growing world of co-design I think designers can be more of a observer, listening to the users story in this early stage of the process. The story at this stage is mostly verbal but not exclusively.

Towards the end of a project the designer will fill the story tellers shoes, telling the story of a product through its function, form and colour. The story can give a product context and if told well can tell a story about the type of user that would use such a product.

It can be argued that if the story is told correctly it can overshadow or hide any flaws in the product or service itself. It's all about perceptions when it comes to branding and storytelling. Al Ries writes 'Developing a better coffee than Starbucks is a simple task compared to developing a better perception than Starbucks in consumers' minds. In fact, it's almost impossible -- unless Starbucks does something stupid.' I agree with Al, this shows the power of marketing and storytelling in our society and the fact that the story is more important than the product. I must emphasis that this doesn't mean the product is left to the side. I think both the product and the story have a valid place in the design process and should have be evenly focused on during the design process.

http://adage.com/article/al-ries/a-brand-a-product/294829/