Basic knowledge: Narrative strategy in plot design

Strategy | design

Although find Shan Tianfang to broadcast the weather forecast is only a sketch in the bridge section, but, if really to say storytelling way, the "weather forecast", "world events" as a story, said "Arabian Nights." The boring news and reports are bound to have higher ratings. "Tell the story", is not a gimmick, but from the ancient Shino, the Ming and Qing dynasties, to Shadow, Peking Opera, to vernacular novels, civilized drama, and then to movies, TV dramas. Human beings, as if born to other people's stories curious, born willing to enter the role, in the story of others shed their tears.

Story, has become a human understanding of the world a way.

In the field of product design, in order to understand the needs of users, "plot design" to assume the role of storytelling. The story here is not for the plot of fun to attract attention, but to find out what the user will encounter the situation, solve the problem. Describe the task in a descriptive way, "plot" the task, and explore the needs of the users. In other words, storytelling becomes the most natural way for people to explain what they do or how to do it, and it is easy for the parties to understand. The focus of such stories is usually the goal that users want to achieve.

Imagine you today as a product designer to interview a new customer, he is responsible for the company's staff data collation. When you walk into his office, the head of green and you are attentive, and then talk about his work: "All the company's staff information in our HR department." Because there will be new hires every Tuesday, we will receive a lot of new employee information on that day. I am responsible for checking whether the information is complete. Before we process this data, we need to check our employees ' work experience and academic credentials before we enter the computer. On the basis of this preliminary examination, I will transfer these application forms to Lao Lu, who is responsible for inputting the data into the computer and submitting it to ...

Although this customer does not specifically describe how to use the software or what kind of equipment to complete the task, but through his description, we can easily know the staff data collection, collation, submission and other workflow. If this narrative is more specific, then we will be able to understand more and more clearly how the process inside the operation, flow and flow is how to connect. By understanding why users do this and what they want to achieve, we can focus on the user's activities.

In the story of the narrative, the designer "Avatar" for the user, experience users in the product use of the emotions, and then "from" and become a designer, from the user's perceptual recognition of the root causes of the problem and solutions.

Since storytelling is so important, what are the techniques to tell the story?

The writers ' friends in the film and television circles said they had only one rule to write the script-a man in trouble. There are two points in it. One, get into trouble. No one likes to see Snow White and Prince Charming 24 hours Happy happy life. Unless it is filming them to sleep, the toilet reality show, otherwise, too little "evil" can Chen. Must have some twists and turns, let Snow White was stepmother abused, let her lost in the forest, let her encounter big Gray wolf, let her eat poison Apple. When all the difficulties were "dissolved" by the Prince, then Prince Charming and the princess can live happily together. Another point of the screenwriter is "man". The protagonist of the story can be extraterrestrial, Mars visitors, can also be the Millennium Zombie, hundred years of snake essence, can not be human, but, there can be no "smell" and "human". There is no "smell" or "human nature" to explain the unreasonable story, is to fabricate.

In the field of product design, I think the principle of plot design can also be described as-a person in need. There is a need to accomplish a certain task, because to use a product, produce a series of AS. People--a role identity, for the product use of the largest range of people, targeted. Only the plot design of the target "user" is what we need.

So "design plot", in fact, the pupil's knowledge used on the line:

Provide the time and place for the story to take place and familiarize the reader with the circumstances in which the story takes place. For example, "Imagine today you as a product designer to interview a new customer, he is responsible for the company's staff data collation." ”

The role of the audience into the setting of the story, so that the plot and their own solidarity. For example, "Green and Lao Lu" mentioned above.

String together the events in the story into a plot . Because the plot is the way the story unfolds gradually. In a good story, the layers of the advancing plot can be decomposed into tasks in a step-by-step way.

Of course, to tell a good story, you can also design some light, sound, more fascinating.

In short: Plot design is a kind of use of the story and the audience interaction, creating imagination, emotion. A method of simulating problems and solving problems.

Design the Future storyline:

Gao Lei, a college English teacher, posted a part-time English translation on the internet two days ago. One day, he was driving home. The phone's cue message rang, and he pressed the play button on the car, and the text was read through the car's stereo: It was an American professor who needed help translating resumes in China. At the crossroads of the green light, he lit the front of the car touch screen, see the work of these days. The screen shows Wednesday afternoon is free time. He used his hand to drag the message into the Wednesday work arrangement notes. Back home, open the home laptop, the work schedule has been synchronized update, he used the computer to dial the other person's contact phone ... The world is a mobile phone, car, computer mix and catch the wind.