These are the steps we take in the narrative design process
1. The brief
- Negotiate the brief with the client or write your own brief
2. Research
- What are the features of the place?
- What is history and future of the place?
- Who are the users, what are the vested interests?
- What are the dramatic conflicts?
- Answering these questions will give you insights
3. Use insights to develop a design direction
- Analyse and interpret the insights to develop a design direction – a few words or a phrase.
4. Interpret the design direction into visual form
- Interpret that design direction by using metaphor- translate the words into materials, light, forms, space, image and sound.
- Expand the metaphor into a story and create the story world, the actors, the events, conflicts and resolutions, stories nested inside others. Ask what happens next?
- Ask yourself who is speaking? What is the tone of voice?
- Ask yourself who is listening? How will your audience receive or take part in the telling of the story? Anticipate their emotional and physical reactions and behaviours.
- Reflect and visualise how your story will unfold- the sequence, zones, messages, how roles are shared or swapped, fold the story onto the space.
5. Detail the visual form to provide specification to produce/construct the environment
- Make site plans and models
- Visualise the user experience in a story board
- Prototype or test the environment whenever possible
- Detail the look and feel
6. Construct the environment
- Send specs to production companies or make the installation yourself
- Oversee the installation
7. Evaluate success of the design for:
- Commercial success, eg more products sold, press and publicity
- Educational success, more people learned more
- Community cohesion or societal benefit and sustainability