Directed storytelling

I liked this approach of recording anecdotes and finding the common ground between each individual’s personal experience. It’s an interesting method of researching, and I especially liked the way they would record separate ideas (emphasized by both the teller and listener) on sticky notes. Sounded like a good way to find patterns and shuffle ideas around.

I just read an article that got me thinking about how we design the artifacts and experiences we create from the inside and outside. Outsides being the aesthetics: form, function, materials, etc. and the insides, not physical insides, but inside the experience of the item, and how people interact with them. What exactly makes them useful, usable and desirable? Its important that we consider both the outside and insides as we design, and in order to do this we really should take the time to research human experience. Recording anecdotes seems like a good way to get into the collective head of a group of people, and therefor makes it possible to design the inside of a product.

Richard Buchanan asks:

“What is the nature of a discipline that brings together knowledge from so many other disciplines (and experiences!) and integrates it for the creation of successful products that have impact on human life and serve human beings in the accomplishment of their individual goals?”