Storytelling

Challenge & Selection

I decided to use storytelling for better understanding of a problem, so to identify a  better solution. Stories generate questions and questions expand the breadth and  depth of stories, leading to lots of innovative thoughts and ideas. Storytelling  becomes an important tool for feedback, which is the basis of the iterative process of  prototyping that lead to solutions. Stories and prototypes are intertwined, explaining  and repositioning experiences through a multitude of potential interpretations, which  allow researchers to test new solutions before committing exclusively to a particular  policy, program, or service. I used this method, because it appropriates for our goals.

Application

Another campaign that resonates with me is Volkswagen's Fun Theory, specifically  their Piano Stairs one. Again, it feels very human and candid. But I particularly like  the question they pose in the beginning: “Can we get more people to choose the  stairs by making it fun to do?” The piano staircase is a very tangible prototype, and  throughout the video, you can see how the passers-by prefer it over the escalator.  And while the campaign itself has little to do with VW’s cars, the “Fun Theory” does  give the brand a boost for human-ness and wit. I have already applied design  thinking methodology to understand elements that lead to success in higher  education among first generation and low-income students. Listening to and  empathizing with their needs, I gained enormous insights into the types of support  services and mentoring first gens feel will help them navigate the academic and  social challenges they face from the time they complete high school throughout  college. Anxiety and bewilderment are patterns of behavior I found among first  generation low-income students when they share stories about their first encounter  with campus culture. Many feel like outsiders, confused by the academy’s social and  academic expectations.

The social isolation, low self-confidence, and academic paralysis generated by these  feelings seem to melt away among first generation/low-income students who study  abroad. Why? What happens when they and their middle- and upper-middle class  peers travel to countries and experience unfamiliar cultures and languages? Reports  document changes in behavior among first generation/low-income students: an  increase in confidence, self-efficacy, openness, perceptual acuity, resilience —  general effectiveness in cross-cultural situations.

Are these trends anecdotal or are we really on to something? Does study abroad  add value to the college experience of first generation/low-income students in ways  that are fundamentally different from their middle- and upper-middle class peers? I  will interview first generation/low-income students who have studied abroad and

capture their stories. I believe that listening with empathy is the first step toward  explaining these unexplained transformations.

Insight & Approach

Design thinking is a methodology for solving problems that focuses on asking  questions and listening, with empathy, to the needs of individuals and groups.  Storytelling is an “essential human activity” for sharing experiences, explaining  values, and deciding on solutions through vivid verbal and visual accounts. Can  design thinking and storytelling contribute to the research on first generation/low- income students? I believe so and want to share some thoughts that combine these  two approaches.

Storytelling helps explain the interconnections among people in situations and  settings, teaching broad lessons that engage real human beings. Listening engages  people; and  empathy is an essential and fundamental component in the process.

