Reflection – Storytelling

Challenge & Selection

As a UI/UX designer in a country where this field is still not known, part of my daily

life is to speak with clients who don’t understand exactly what I do and the importance of  it. I battled with myself for some time coming up with the simplest ways to explain my job  but people kept struggling to understand. I knew it was really important to find a way to  make people understand so that my work is more valued, and I could even start charging  more for what I do.

The Storytelling tool focuses on transmitting an idea by sharing experiences in the

form of a story so that, through verbal and vivid examples, people can understand better  what we mean by identifying themselves with the story as if they’re the protagonists  because of past events in their life.       Application

One day, while in lockdown, a friend of mine told me she’s starting to save money

to build a house with her husband and she was super excited about it. She was showing  me pictures of living rooms, bedrooms and kitchens to pick out the decoration she wanted  to have.   I started to dig deeper and asked her about their plans:

• Do they have a fixed budget?  • Where is their desired location?  • How many rooms will they build? Are they planning in having kids in the future? Is

her mom going to live with them? If that’s the case, have they thought that they  might want her room to be far away from theirs?

• How many levels do they want their house to have?

This is the moment when my light bulb turned on. My friend was going through what

my clients go through too: focusing on every little design detail before even knowing the  basic and primary aspects of the project. This problem only leads my clients into wasting  their time because they don’t understand the importance of doing things in a certain order.

I talked to my friend and explained that, although it’s fine if she looks at interior design

trends now and then, she should be focusing in the details that go behind all of the visual  aspect; the details that will guarantee her family to have a marvelous experience while  living in their future house. Of course, the interior design plays a big role too, but there will  be time to think about that later on.      The next day I had a meeting with a client and asked him this simple question:

“If you were planning on building a house, would you start by picking the perfect color for  your curtains and the material of the table or would you rather start by defining your  budget, desired location, and quantity of rooms and levels?”

Insight & Approach

My client immediately understood since apparently, he went through the same

process of building a house a couple of years ago, so he identified with the story right  away. Since that moment this is the way I explain my process and my job to my future  clients, and they realize my job has a reason and it is very valuable for the outcome of  their project.

I have been telling this story for some time now but with this course I understood

the importance behind it all. Now I know it might be best if I give my verbal example the  components an actual story should have. This way it would be easier for the people to  understand since everything runs smoothly and in a logical way.  Basic components of a story I should focus more on giving more of a detailed description:

• Characters  • Setting  • Plot (beginning, middle and end)  • Conflict  • Resolution


Reflection – Storytelling Challenge & Selection As a UI / UX designer in a country where this field is still not known , part of my daily life is to speak with clients who do n’t understand exactly what I do and the importance of it . I battled with myself for some time coming up with the simplest ways to explain my job but people kept struggling to understand . I knew it was really important to find a way to make people understand so that my work is more valued , and I could even start charging more for what I do . The Storytelling tool focuses on transmitting an idea by sharing experiences in the form of a story so that , through verbal and vivid examples , people can understand better what we mean by identifying themselves with the story as if they ’re the protagonists because of past events in their life . Application One day , while in lockdown , a friend of mine told me she ’s starting to save money to build a house with her husband and she was super excited about it . She was showing me pictures of living rooms , bedrooms and kitchens to pick out the decoration she wanted to have . I started to dig deeper and asked her about their plans : • Do they have a fixed budget ? • Where is their desired location ? • How many rooms will they build ? Are they planning in having kids in the future ? Is her mom going to live with them ? If that ’s the case , have they thought that they might want her room to be far away from theirs ? • How many levels do they want their house to have ? This is the moment when my light bulb turned on . My friend was going through what my clients go through too : focusing on every little design detail before even knowing the basic and primary aspects of the project . This problem only leads my clients into wasting their time because they do n’t understand the importance of doing things in a certain order . I talked to my friend and explained that , although it ’s fine if she looks at interior design trends now and then , she should be focusing in the details that go behind all of the visual aspect ; the details that will guarantee her family to have a marvelous experience while living in their future house . Of course , the interior design plays a big role too , but there will be time to think about that later on . The next day I had a meeting with a client and asked him this simple question : “ If you were planning on building a house , would you start by picking the perfect color for your curtains and the material of the table or would you rather start by defining your budget , desired location , and quantity of rooms and levels ? ” Insight & Approach My client immediately understood since apparently , he went through the same process of building a house a couple of years ago , so he identified with the story right away . Since that moment this is the way I explain my process and my job to my future clients , and they realize my job has a reason and it is very valuable for the outcome of their project . I have been telling this story for some time now but with this course I understood the importance behind it all . Now I know it might be best if I give my verbal example the components an actual story should have . This way it would be easier for the people to understand since everything runs smoothly and in a logical way . Basic components of a story I should focus more on giving more of a detailed description : • Characters • Setting • Plot ( beginning , middle and end ) • Conflict • Resolution