Written by In the realm of human-centred design, we face a paradox. We listen to stories brimming with emotions and experiences during the research phase. Yet, as we synthesise these narratives into user personas, the original stories often dissipate, leaving behind mere shadows of their former richness. This became evident nine years ago during my initial training in design thinking. My group was creating insights based on the personas we created. I was left feeling very confused.
As an actress accustomed to delving deeply into character psyches, I struggled with the surface-level personas that lacked the complexity necessary to embody a character fully. When I looked at the information in the persona, I had no idea what this person would say or need. I want to dive into how I solved this gap and worked to retain the emotions and empathy that come through in user interviews. This process transforms personas into characters with depth, fostering a profound empathy that resonates through every layer of design.
The Paradox of User Research
Traditional user research methodologies lead us to reduce the essence of user stories to quantifiable insights. After running a workshop with the innovation team from WorkSafe Victoria, Australia, they provided feedback highlighting this paradox, stressing the importance of “Using narratives and non-linear storytelling to build collective stories” and recognising “The importance of adding a layer of empathy on top of a persona.” These insights lay bare the need for a new approach that preserves the emotional core of these stories within the design process.
The traditional methods of building personas should be revised. Marco Regis, UX designer, provided his point of view on extending personas through character development. He commented on the process, “I was looking for a method that allowed empathy to be transmitted into my work… stories are essential. Stories can do great things.” This ethos is at the heart of a character-driven approach that seeks to create functional and emotionally resonant products.
The Power of Stories in Design
Stories possess the inherent power to evoke empathy. They must be the foundation upon which we build our understanding of users. They provide a depth of context that numbers and data points cannot. After participating in our Innovation Storytelling Workshop, Cam Birrell, a Senior Innovation Specialist, noted, “The awareness of looking closely at interview responses and making inferences is helping us understand exactly what they were saying. We are now looking at the granular detail in the responses.” This attention to detail is critical in uncovering the underlying emotional drivers that shape user behaviour and preferences. This feedback underscores the enduring value of narratives in crafting a user-centred approach that extends beyond the workshop setting into the daily practices of design and innovation.
From Insights to Emotional Depth
To truly embody empathy in design, we must extend our view beyond what users articulate to why they express themselves in specific ways. Emotional depth is essential, and the subtleties and nuances in user responses often provide the most significant insights. The journey from recognising a user’s pain point to understanding the emotional context of their experiences is where true empathy lies.
Character profiles are the answer to this need for depth. They are detailed documents that capture the users’ needs, aspirations, fears, and joys, providing a multi-dimensional view of the people we are designing for.
The Empathy Flower: A Tool for Emotional Depth
To facilitate creating a deep emotional connection with customers and users, I devised the empathy flower. This tool is a visual and analytical guide, helping distil core dynamic drivers from user stories. By capturing these shared emotional themes, we created a resonant narrative that now underpins WorkSafe’s customer experience vision and the innovation teams’ ongoing research into their customers’ needs. It also influences an operational transformation, embodying the shift from focusing on processes to prioritising people.
The transformation of design thinking from persona creation to character crafting represents a crucial evolution in our approach to design. It is an acknowledgment that at the heart of every user experience lies a story, and it is these stories, rich with emotion and nuance, that must guide our every insight and decision in the journey of human-centred design.
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Learn more about our Storytelling for Innovation workshop here.
Storytelling Built For Innovation 