“A story can go where quantitative analysis is denied admission: our hearts. Data can persuade people, but it doesn’t inspire them to act.” – Harrison Monarth
As you can tell, I’ve been storyboarding a lot lately, trying out scenarios to identify potential solutions for my startup on mindful productivity and mindful intelligence.
Minimal viable stories for a minimal usable product.
Storytelling cuts through noise. It gets straight to understanding what users really need.
But why does storytelling work? To understand that, we first need to acknowledge the importance of fantasy.
Here’s a small exercise…
Imagine the chair you’re sitting in transforming into a beach lounge chair. 🏖️ The sun warms your skin. Waves crash gently in the distance. The sand hugs your toes as you close your eyes and inhale a deep breath of the salty sea breeze. Imagine what’s in your right hand. Who’s sitting beside you on the lounge chair?
Go ahead, take a minute to fantasize!
We often dismiss fantasy as a waste of time, but have you wondered why natural selection chose to keep it? What if fantasy isn’t just idle daydreaming but an evolutionary advantage?
Fantasy is the foundation of creative imagination exercising the muscle of “what-if” scenarios and helping us design narratives.
These narratives open doors to diverse perspectives. They allow us to simulate emotions outside of our reality.
Simulated emotions let us relate to other people’s experiences and feelings – helping us, quite literally, walk the mile in their shoes.
And empathizing with others in this way helps us to collaborate meaningfully and ensures we are mindful of their needs. Psychology calls this Theory of Mind.
Storytelling exists at the intersection of these internal fantasies, external narratives, and theory of mind.
We are wired to make sense of our world through stories.
Stories come before ideas, products, and features.
Fantasy comes before stories. A “vision” is nothing more than an entrepreneur’s fantasy.
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A straightforward way to storyboard ideas is to use the concept of 6-panel stories.
This simple framework allows you to understand your users’ reality better and connect with their experiences.
You can learn this storyboarding technique at Growth.Design, along with a host of other psychology principles for building meaningful products and features:
Nikhil Kabadi 