This document discusses using storytelling techniques to design multi-device experiences that optimize conversion. It emphasizes understanding users' journeys through dramaturgy and defining characters, plots, and environments. By mapping the experience ecosystem and asking fundamental questions, designers can move from data-driven mechanics to architecting experiences grounded in users' needs and contexts. This approach facilitates clearer, more accurate understanding from the start of a project.

1. @annadahlstrom@annadahlstromhttps://www.flickr.com/photos/expressmonorail/2486345776/
Using storytelling to
craft multi-device experiences
that convert
by Anna Dahlström | @annadahlstrom @uxfika
CXL
Live,
San
Antonio,
April
5
2017

2. @annadahlstrom

3. @annadahlstrom
Optimizing tends to
focus on the detail
REGISTER
HOUSE NUMBER
STREET
ZIP CODE
AND THE BUTTON
And testing what the best
converting copy in here will be
Testing headings
THIS FIELD LABEL
VERSUS THIS FIELD LABEL
Or this field label
LOOK UP
HOUSE NUMBER
ZIP CODE
VERSUS

4. We’re doing
this
rather than
this
https://www.flickr.com/photos/47557199@N03/4478980639 https://www.flickr.com/photos/patentboy/5752899772

5. @annadahlstrom
Produces the best
possible work
UX DESIGNERS
CREATIVES
MARKETING & BUSINESS
PRODUCT OWNERS
CROs
DEVELOPERS

6. @annadahlstrom
But reality often
looks a little different
UX DESIGNERS
CREATIVES
MARKETING & BUSINESS
PRODUCT OWNERS
CROs
DEVELOPERS

7. @annadahlstrom
But reality often
looks a little different
UX DESIGNERS
CREATIVES
MARKETING & BUSINESS
PRODUCT OWNERS
CROs
DEVELOPERS
1
2 3
4

8. @annadahlstrom
My involvement tends to
starts around here
WHERE I AIM TO START GETTING INVOLVEDEXPLORE
DEFINE
MEASURE

9. @annadahlstrom
My involvement tends to
starts around here
WHERE IT SOMETIMES ENDS UP BEING
EXPLORE
DEFINE
MEASURE

10. @annadahlstrom
For CROs it’s often
at the bottom of the funnel
EXPLORE
DEFINE
MEASURE WHERE CRO IS USUALLY FOCUSED

11. @annadahlstrom
ANALYSE
BUILD
FIX

12. @annadahlstrom

13. It often reflects an
environment similar to this
www.flickr.com/photos/affisch/32543429926 @annadahlstrom

14. @annadahlstrom
The thing
is though…
EXPLORE
DEFINE
MEASURE
IT’S ALL ABOUT ASKING AND
FINDING THE ANSWERS TO THE
SAME FUNDAMENTAL QUESTIONS

15. Who? What? Why? How? Why?
@annadahlstrom

16. www.flickr.com/photos/g-ratphotos/3404474275
“ Experiences matter. Experiences are journeys. Journeys are designed. ”
- Strategy + business
@annadahlstrom

17. Context
@annadahlstrom

18. Image via Shutterstock
“ The whole of a story is that which have a beginning, a middle and an end ”
- Arisstotle
@annadahlstrom

19. 7 principles of good storytelling1. Plot
2. Character
3. Idea
4. Speech
5. Chorus
6. Decor
7. Spectacle
@annadahlstrom

20. 1 The plot
@annadahlstrom

21. Dramaturgy knowing how to apply & structure
elements to tell a story
@annadahlstrom

22. Act three
Three act structure
Act one
Setup Resolution
Act two
Confrontation
inciting
incident mid point climax
confronts the main
character
tries to solve the problem but
don’t yet have the skills
the dramatic question is
answered
PLOT POINT ONE PLOT POINT TWO
@annadahlstrom

23. Source: http://www.openculture.com/2014/02/kurt-vonnegut-masters-thesis-rejected-by-u-chicago.html @annadahlstrom

24. There’s a big difference
between these two
https://www.flickr.com/photos/agvaniya/4954227399/ www.flickr.com/photos/trois-tetes/199816870

25. @annadahlstrom
Who? What? Why? How? Why?

26. Map it to a typical purchase journey
Setup ResolutionConfrontation
inciting
incident mid point climax
confronts the main
character
tries to solve the problem but
don’t yet have the skills
the dramatic question is
answered
PLOT POINT ONE PLOT POINT TWO
1. Becomes aware
5. Takes action
/ no action
4. Makes a decision
3. Looks further into it
2. Starts to consider
Act three Act one Act two
Awareness Consideration Purchase Post..
@annadahlstrom

27. Awareness Consideration Purchase Post..
1. Becomes aware
5. Takes action
/ no action
4. Makes a decision
3. Looks further into it
2. Starts to consider
Act three Act one Act two
Emotions influence the experience
Setup ResolutionConfrontation
inciting
incident mid point climax
confronts the main
character
tries to solve the problem but
don’t yet have the skills
the dramatic question is
answered
PLOT POINT ONE PLOT POINT TWO
HygieneFeelgoodDelight
@annadahlstrom

28. The plot Use dramaturgy to help define and visualise
the plot of the experiences that we design
@annadahlstrom

29. 2 The characters
@annadahlstrom

30. @annadahlstrom
The protagonist
+

31. The protagonist
+
1.
The main
characters
@annadahlstrom
2.
Supporting
characters
3.
Sub-plot
characters
4.
One-string
characters
+

32. @annadahlstrom
Traditionally we
think of these

33. But it’s also
about this…
Browse
Research
Buy & Pay
Get notified
✓ ✓ ✓
✓ ✓ ✓
✓ ✓ ✓
✓ ✓
✓
@annadahlstrom

34. Source: http://www.smartinsights.com/mobile-marketing/mobile-marketing-analytics/mobile-marketing-statistics/ @annadahlstrom
…and
this…

35. ..and a growing
number of these
Screenshot fromThe Next Web http://thenextweb.com/insider/2015/12/23/2016-predictions-for-iot-and-smart-homes/#gref @annadahlstrom

36. Screenshot: Minority Report @annadahlstrom

37. Screenshot: Minority Report Source: https://www.corning.com/cala/en/innovation/a-day-made-of-glass.html @annadahlstrom

38. Screenshot: Her @annadahlstrom

39. @annadahlstrom

40. @annadahlstrom
It’s not just voice
but bots in various forms

41. https://www.flickr.com/photos/websummit/15089463204/
A boundless future where
content flows from one “device” to another
@annadahlstrom

42. Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9J7GpVQCfms @annadahlstrom

43. Screenshot: Minority Report Source: https://medium.com/@maxbraun/my-bathroom-mirror-is-smarter-than-yours-94b21c6671ba#.ndwoxzamc @annadahlstrom

44. MORE PERSONAS ON https://uk.pinterest.com/uxfika/personas/ @annadahlstrom

45. @annadahlstromhttp://www.cs.sjsu.edu

46. @annadahlstrom
Big Health Sleepio Headspace

47. The characters Identify and define all the different characters (actors) that
play a role in the experience and what role they play and when
@annadahlstrom

48. 3 The decor
@annadahlstrom

49. The ever important
”red thread”
www.flickr.com/photos/pulpolux/3692396234 @annadahlstrom

50. www.flickr.com/photos/g-ratphotos/3404474275
“ In general there should be a basic idea of where the story is going, but not
for every character. You don't know who's going to die and who's going to start
becoming more important.
Big picture-wise, there’s a basic idea, but you need some surprises too. It’s like
driving from New York to LA: you know you’re going to get to LA, but there’s 10
different routes you could take. ”
- Brad Falchuck
@annadahlstrom

51. Let users
find their way around your content
www.flickr.com/photos/conorkeller/3879321839 @annadahlstrom

52. We no longer control the journey
@annadahlstrom

53. We no longer control the messaging
@annadahlstrom

54. a b
@annadahlstrom

55. @annadahlstrom
Google & social are
our new home page
https://www.flickr.com/photos/useanthonyryansphotos/7946386402

56. Source: https://www.thinkwithgoogle.com/articles/holiday-shopping-search-behavior.html @annadahlstrom

57. @annadahlstrom
The reality
is pretty much always this

58. STAGES
DOING
FEELING
Research & Planning Shopping Booking Post-Booking, Pre-Travel Travel Post Travel
People choose rail travel because it is
convenient, easy, and flexible.
Rail booking is only one part of people’s larger
travel process.
People build their travel plans over time. People value service that is respectful, effective
and personable.
EXPERIENCE
Rail Europe Experience Map
Kayak,
compare
airfare
Google
searches
Research
hotels
Talk with
friends
Relevance of Rail Europe
Enjoyability
Helpfulness of Rail Europe
Paper tickets
arrive in mail
• I’m excited to go to Europe!
• Will I be able to see everything I can?
• What if I can’t afford this?
• I don’t want to make the wrong choice.
• It’s hard to trust Trip Advisor. Everyone is
so negative.
• Keeping track of all the different products
is confusing.
• Am I sure this is the trip I want to take?
• Website experience is easy and friendly!
• Frustrated to not know sooner about which
tickets are eTickets and which are paper tickets.
Not sure my tickets will arrive in time.
• Stressed that I’m about to leave the country
and Rail Europe won’t answer the phone.
• Frustrated that Rail Europe won’t ship tickets
to Europe.
• Happy to receive my tickets in the mail!
• I am feeling vulnerable to be in an unknown place in
the middle of the night.
• Stressed that the train won’t arrive on time for my
connection.
• Meeting people who want to show us around is fun,
serendipitous, and special.
• Excited to share my vacation story with
my friends.
• A bit annoyed to be dealing with ticket refund
issues when I just got home.
View
maps
Arrange
travel
Blogs &
Travel sites
Plan with
interactive map
Review fares
Select pass(es)
Enter trips Confirm
itinerary
Delivery
options
Payment
options
Review &
confirm
Map itinerary
(finding pass)
Destination
pages
May call if
difficulties
occur
E-ticket Print
at Station
Web
raileurope.com
Wait for paper tickets to arriveResearch destinations, routes and products
Live chat for
questions
Activities, unexpected changes
Change
plans
Check ticket
status
Print e-tickets
at home
web/
apps
Look up
timetables
Plan/
confirm
activities
Web
Share
photos
Share
experience
(reviews)
Request
refunds
Follow-up on refunds for booking changes
Share experience
Buy additional
tickets
Look up
time tables
Opportunities
Guiding Principles
Customer Journey
RAIL EUROPE
THINKING
• What is the easiest way to get around Europe?
• Where do I want to go?
• How much time should I/we spend in each
place for site seeing and activities?
• I want to get the best price, but I’m willing to pay a
little more for first class.
• How much will my whole trip cost me? What are my
trade-offs?
• Are there other activities I can add to my plan?
• Do I have all the tickets, passes and reservations
I need in this booking so I don’t pay more
shipping?
• Rail Europe is not answering the phone. How
else can I get my question answered?
• Do I have everything I need?
• Rail Europe website was easy and friendly, but
when an issue came up, I couldn’t get help.
• What will I do if my tickets don’t arrive in time?
• I just figured we could grab a train but there are
not more trains. What can we do now?
• Am I on the right train? If not, what next?
• I want to make more travel plans. How do I
do that?
• Trying to return ticket I was not able to use. Not
sure if I’ll get a refund or not.
• People are going to love these photos!
• Next time, we will explore routes and availability
more carefully.
Communicate a clear value
proposition.
STAGE: Initial visit
Connect planning, shopping and
booking on the web.
STAGES: Planning, Shopping, Booking
Arm customers with information
for making decisions.
STAGES: Shopping, Booking
Improve the paper ticket
experience.
STAGES: Post-Booking, Travel, Post-Travel
Make your customers into better,
more savvy travelers.
STAGES: Global
Proactively help people deal
with change.
STAGES: Post-Booking, Traveling
Support people in creating their
own solutions.
STAGES: Global
Visualize the trip for planning
and booking.
STAGES: Planning, Shopping
Enable people to plan over time.
STAGES: Planning, Shopping
Engage in social media with
explicit purposes.
STAGES: Global
Communicate status clearly at
all times.
STAGES: Post-Booking, Post Travel
Accommodate planning and
booking in Europe too.
STAGE: Traveling
Aggregate shipping with a
reasonable timeline.
STAGE: Booking
Help people get the help they
need.
STAGES: Global
GLOBAL PLANNING, SHOPPING, BOOKING POST-BOOK, TRAVEL, POST-TRAVEL
Relevance of Rail Europe
Enjoyability
Helpfulness of Rail Europe
Relevance of Rail Europe
Enjoyability
Helpfulness of Rail Europe
Relevance of Rail Europe
Enjoyability
Helpfulness of Rail Europe
Relevance of Rail Europe
Enjoyability
Helpfulness of Rail Europe
Relevance of Rail Europe
Enjoyability
Helpfulness of Rail Europe
Mail tickets
for refund
Get stamp
for refund
The need to map
is greater than ever before
Source: http://adaptivepath.org/uploads/documents/RailEurope_AdaptivePath_CXMap_FINAL.pdf @annadahlstrom

59. @annadahlstrom
PR
OOH
INFLUENCERS
PRESS
TV ADS
WOM
WEBSITE
SOCIAL
SEARCH
IN STORE
EMAIL
EVENTS
PRINT ADS
ONLINE ADS
FRIENDS & FAMILY
SALES
Define the eco system
What’s the role for each?
Are they owned, earned or paid?
What’s the messaging for each?
Where do they drive to?
How are they connected?

60. The decor Map, define and design the environment in which
the experiences that we create take place
@annadahlstrom

61. Storytelling how to go from mechanics to architects
@annadahlstrom

62. @annadahlstrom
It comes back
to this
EXPLORE
DEFINE
MEASURE
IT’S ALL ABOUT ASKING AND
FINDING THE ANSWERS TO THE
SAME FUNDAMENTAL QUESTIONS

63. Data tells us everything & nothing
@annadahlstrom

64. There’s a big difference
between these two
https://www.flickr.com/photos/antmcneill/7824200774 http://www.boredpanda.com/funny-fake-book-covers-nyc-subway-prank-scott-rogowsky/

65. https://www.flickr.com/photos/atoach/6938869767
By having a deeper and
clearer understanding of users
and their context, we understand
specific users and their potential
actions better
@annadahlstrom

66. @annadahlstrom
But, it
requires this
UX DESIGNERS
CREATIVES
MARKETING & BUSINESS
PRODUCT OWNERS
CROs
DEVELOPERS

67. @annadahlstrom
It enables us to be more
clear and accurate from the start
USERS & ACTORS TYPICAL JOURNEYS THE ECO SYSTEM
THE CHARACTERS THE PLOT THE DECOR

68. “ 64% of women who shop
for apparell on their
smartphone agree that seeing
images of products in context
positievly influences their
purchase decision. ”
- Source: Think with Google
ASOS H&M
@annadahlstrom

69. The plot. Use dramaturgy to help define and
visualise the plot of the experiences that we design.
The characters. Identify and define all the different
characters (actors) that play a role in the experience
and what role they play and when.
The decor. Map, define and design the environment
in which the experiences that we create take place.
@annadahlstrom

70. www.flickr.com/photos/g-ratphotos/3404474275
“ Storytelling is at the heart of everything ”
- Steve Levitt
@annadahlstrom

71. www.flickr.com/photos/carlosfpardo/6791950592
Stories capture our imagination
& shows us something new
@annadahlstrom

72. www.flickr.com/photos/g-ratphotos/3404474275
“ Results repeatedly shows that our attitudes, fears, hopes,
and values are strongly influenced by story. In fact, fiction seems
to be more effective at changing beliefs than writing that is
specifically designed to persuade through argument and evidence."
Entering fictional worlds radically alters the way information is
processed. ”
- FastCompany, Why storytelling is the ultimate weapon
@annadahlstrom

73. Every story
takes us on a journey
Image via Shutterstock @annadahlstrom

74. @annadahlstrom
It all start with
Once upon a time...
www.flickr.com/photos/snugglepup/3317051065

75. @annadahlstromwww.flickr.com/photos/snugglepup/3317051065
Or maybe
Once upon a design...
www.flickr.com/photos/snugglepup/3317051065

76. www.flickr.com/photos/katerha/8435321969
Thank you.
Questions?
@annadahlstrom @uxfika
www.annadahlstrom.com
eepurl.com/bZxppz