Stories Are Made to Be Experienced

“We are, as a species, addicted to story. Even when the body goes to sleep, the mind stays up all night, telling itself stories.” - Jonathan Gottschall

[[!Humans are hardwired for story]]. Spanning time and place, culture and language, stories are central to how the mind works. In the same way the brain detects patterns in visual or audio stimuli, identifying a face amongst abstract shapes, the imagination sees patterns of information and fashions them into a story.

[[!Storytelling is our native language]]. Every experience becomes a story in our minds. So I design for the story.

Whether recognising when you are a supporting actor in someone's heroic journey, like enterprise software, or crafting unique, story-driven experiences that transform how you see reality like The Arcadia Report, I design stories made to be experienced because [[!A good story is good design]].

Want more story-goodness? I dive into all things storytelling, experience design, and culture-shaping in Mightier Than the Sword: The Power of Storytelling in the Experience Economy.

“User experience doesn't happen on a screen; it happens in the mind” - John Whalen, Design for How People Think"