The Power of Storytelling in Design, Part I: An Intro

It's becoming very difficult to separate yourself from the pack online. It's 2017 and you can only do what someone else has done, but better. And there's nothing wrong with that. We just have to find more creative ways of delivering high-quality, curated and designed content. Storytelling is that avenue, and it's evolving at a very high level through design.

Online storytelling has been around forever in the form of blogging. And it evolved into websites using big tag lines (mylapka.com), then bigger, bolder photography (patagonia.com/home) and then video/animation started getting into the mix (socialdesignhouse.com).

But you're not confined to these options anymore, as there are much newer ways that expand on these concepts that allow for stories to be told in a much more cohesive, well-defined narrative, closer to something you might find on TV or a movie rather than a website.

It's pretty understandable that a more visual story is more powerful than one that is not. Content analysis firm Buzzsumo has a study that shows image-heavy content received double the social shares than those that do not.

If you look at storytelling this way and can communicate story clearly and honestly, it will make you bigger than your brand, bigger than your website and, in the end, help separate you from competitors — who will almost certainly have many of the same key website features that you do.

Let's take a look at some websites that are pushing the boundaries of websites that tell stories.

Pro Public's Houston

They take a series of interactive maps that illustrate Houston's ability deal with natural disaster. Data visualization for flooding becomes much more compelling when you see them reenact flooding and use other social cues to paint the whole story around this data point.

https://projects.propublica.org/houston/

Wallet Maker Bellroy

They use subtle interactivity to deliver a clear message that is effective and memorable by demonstration. There is no doubt about what their product offers as they give you simple walkthroughs where you don't need to do anything more than scroll and view, for the most part.

https://bellroy.com/slim-your-wallet

Akita's Storytelling

Akita uses their title to literally illustrate the point, and it's unavoidable to be immersed in their path as it is literally taking you on it. And it doesn't overload you with animations and elements, which is key to keeping a user's attention when you choose to pursue this level of interactivity. It's done with enough functional simplicity to get every point across in a digestible manner.

http://www.akita.co.uk/movement-of-data/

The hardest part is figuring out what story to tell and how to tell it. Reflect on your story and I'll come back in my next post to help you craft your own great story on the web.

To view the original article, visit the Tribus blog.