Whenever I discuss design, I have always insisted that “design” has little or nothing to do with “art”. Design is about purposefully creating a framework to deliver solutions that provide utility, function and most importantly significance. Companies like Apple, BMW, Whole Food Stores and Target are proving that design drives innovation; innovation powers brand development; brand builds loyalty; and loyalty results in profits. Can being design oriented really change the face of your company? In business we do a great job learning and teaching the tools for optimizing our results (how to build), but not a lot of time exploring the tools that will help us understand the experience we should be creating (what we should build).  My goal with this presentation was to explore the area beyond marketing messages, advertising, PR and social media that will help you create a company that has a strong core which then extends out to a clearly articulated identity and culture with well-regarded products and/or services. When that happens you can move your company and customers beyond their surface perceptions of your company.

“Our need for consistency is stronger than just about any other intrinsic need we have. People will behave in a manner that is consistent with their previously existing self-concept, even when this behavior is unrewarding to them otherwise. – Prescott Lecky

Note: If you haven’t seen the movie, reading beyond this point does have spoilers.

If you believe Lecky’s theory that self-consistency is a primary motivating force in human behavior, then “inception” is an attempt to plant an idea that is inconsistent with someone’s current self-concept or reality and made me look at the movie from this perspective:

Cobb and his wife Mal are attempting to explore deeper planes of dreaming, only Cobb becomes trapped when the kick that is intended to wake them only wakes Mal. Mal attempts to perform an inception to get him to see that he is not in reality, but, it doesn’t work and is further complicated by Cobb’s attempt to perform an inception on her where one wasn’t needed. The Mal we see through the movie is a combination of the real Mal and Cobb’s projections of her. Since Mal’s inception has failed and Cobb believes he gave Mal an inception that was so strong she killed herself, he thinks each time he sees her is a projection.

This scenario hinges on a statement made midway through the movie – “It’s not what you know, it’s what you believe”. The outcome of the spinning totem isn’t important, only whether or not Cobb believes he is experiencing reality. The totem is Cobb’s representation of a confused inception.

In Cobb’s dream, Saito hired Cobb and friends to plant an idea in Fischer’s mind. They succeed, and in the end Cobb returns to his kids in what he believes to be reality.” The outcome of the spinning totem didn’t determine this. Cobb is still dreaming but the slight falter indicates that the totem is going to stop spinning because he believes that he is home. This is consistent with the belief that he rid himself of the guilt about his wife. In fact we can’t be sure if Cobb and his wife every really had children at all.

A more complicated scenario is that Mal has been pulling him through all the lower level and knows that if he succeeds with the Saito mission and returns home in this reality he will be trapped forever.

Of course Cobb could be back in reality – but there are a lot of little things like the children being in the exact clothing and position he left them; and the tidy wrap-up, that can only be explained in a dream world. It also holds true that maybe Cobb was more comfortable with a “dream reality”" where his wife was dead than a more rewarding truth where she was alive.

The great thing about this movie is that it leave the door open for a lot of interpretations and questions.

P.S. Yes, this movie did remind me of Shutter Island only lots better and not as predictable.

People really do take themselves and their lives way too seriously. So much so, that we occasionally miss out on the rare bright moments that inspire us to do greater things.

Sometimes it means taking a moment to laugh with a co-worker, or actually notice the sparkle in a child’s eye when they learn something new, and sometimes it means just stopping and looking at what’s going on in the world long enough to see how many amazing things happen everyday.

That’s why events like TEDxHouston inspire me so.

It’s rare that I leave an event with so many ideas that I have to stop the car to jot down new ideas that pop into my head. That happened three times Saturday evening. After letting ideas about worthiness, sustainability, creative technique, design and urban growth synthesize for about 36 hours, one thing that all the speakers touched on directly or indirectly continues to resonant with me. It can be summed up with a simple question:

What is it that keeps people from reaching their full potential?

Think about it for just a moment and you will probably come up with a common list of “usual suspects” – Lack of education, lack of financial resources, lack of support, unexpected personal obstacles.

Those seem reasonable right? If I asked this question to 10 people, 9 would come up with this list while ignoring what is probably the biggest factor. FUDs . FUDs (fear, uncertainty and doubts) have the potential to stop us dead in our tracks.

Fear of failure, rejection, ridicule, the unknown or mediocrity keeps us from pursuing activities or goals that might otherwise bring us success or joy.

You’re Not Perfect But You Are Worthy

Our fear of mediocrity most often manifests itself as perfectionism. Perfectionism is probably the ultimately form of taking yourself to seriously. Think about the things we pursue: perfect job, perfect home, perfect kids, perfect bank account, perfect body… I get stressed out just thinking about it. According to speaker Brene Brown we even impose this perfectionism on babies:

As parent we think we’re supposed to look at our babies and say ‘you’re perfect, and I’m going to do everything I can to keep you this way’, when what we should be saying is’you’re imperfect, but you are worthy of love and belonging and I will do everything I can to make sure you know this.” – Brene Brown

Perfectionism is not an asset. We spend lifetimes is pursuit of perfection not realizing that it doesn’t produce a healthy self image or awareness.

It’s OK to fail, or be less than perfect – it doesn’t make you worth less from a human standpoint.

Don’t Let The Facade Fool You

Perfectionism prevents us from just going for it and figuring out how to get better over time. Speaker Dan Phillips says, “If failure will destroy you, you will find success hard to find.”

Even though his talk was primarily about commercial and consumer waste, he also gave a powerful example of how perfectionism manifests itself among home builders and buyers by taking Maslow’s triangle and putting last things first.

Modern culture has taught us that it is so important to keep this facade that we will do things that are not in our best interest.

I put my own twist on this, but the point is the same.  Sometimes the same mechanisms that drive us to create great things are the same that cause us to make superficial choices.

Mark Johnson of Hometta drove this point home further by challenging us to reboot our value system, seek out authenticity and “be more interested in impressing their kids than impressing friends/neighbors.”

Embrace The Messiness: It’s OK To Be Uncertain

Dr. David Eagleman closed the conference with a talk on uncertainty – a state that most people are uncomfortable with. In fact when we’re not being perfectionist, we are probably attempting to codify and clarify every part of our lives so nothing unexpected, unknown or unprovable messes up the perfect picture that we set up. Dr. Eagleman used a quote from Voltaire that was especially powerful for me “Doubt is an uncomfortable position, but certainty is an absurd position.”

I would even argue that in some ways certainty is the enemy of creativity.

People have difficulty with creativity simply because we live in a world that in many ways demands uniformity, linearity and certainty. Creativity & discovery are inherently risky. If you are OK with breaking away from the norm and as choreographer Dominic Walsh put it, “trusting in the abstract without really knowing why you’re doing it” the truth will reveal itself.

P.S. Brene Brown’s quote “Stories are data with soul” really rang true for me because despite it’s resugerence in modern culture people still ignore the power of a well told story.

You can fuel interest in your story by adding tension

What’s the point of a story without a challenge? Challenges create tension and tension makes people want to stay tuned into your story. Without some type of challenge you story won’t be that interesting because there is no motive, intention or desire upon which to build the story. Traditional conflict in stories comes from six sources:

• Manly vs. Man (an relational conflict with another person)
• Man vs. Himself (an internal conflict with yourself)
• Man vs. Society (a social conflict against a group of people)
• Man vs. Nature (a external conflict between what is natural and what is material)
• Man vs. Machine (A conflict with the paranormal or technology)
• Man vs. Fate (an internal or external conflict with the supernatural)

This story can go in a lot of directions. Particularly since we still don’t know whether the boy or girl is the main character. The point is we added resistance.

Questions to ask:

• What is the character trying to achieve?
• What are they seeking an answer to?
• What can you do to add tension?
• Why is the tension there?
• What needs to be done to remove the tension?
• What will stand in the way of removing the obstacle(s).

Add more tension by adding opposition

Most stories have a protagonist (your main character or “hero”). To really raise the tension add an antagonist (the opponent). The main purpose of the antagonist is to stand in the way of the protagonist while they pursue their intentions. The cool thing about the antagonist is that it can be a person, place or thing. It can be internal or external to the main character – as long as it creates a conflict.

Questions to ask:

• Who is the “challenger”?
• Is the opposition internal, external or both?
• Why is this opposition important to the development of the character?
• What steps will the hero take to overcome the opposition?
• Is the opposition a rival or is the hero an underdog?

Tension grows as opposition increases

Simply introducing an antagonist isn’t enough if you want to create an interesting story. Overcoming the challenges presented by the antagonist shouldn’t be easy. They should either change the character of the protagonist or reveal some factors that guide the direction of the story.  It  is also a great way to add twists to give the story variety. The best story will move beyond the beginning tensions like “the girl said no” and explore the story beyond the resistance that got ot going.

Questions to ask:

• Can you use an embarrassing situation to rise the tension?
• How do you demonstrate that the character is changing?

Make change the point of your story

Make sure that the events of the story cause a material change in the circumstances or your main character. Meaningful stories change things or people in meaningful ways. Ask yourself not only what the sequence of events are, but also how those events will change your character.

Questions to ask:

• Did the main character experience some type of change?
• Did the protagonist change?
• Did the main character find out that nothing really needed to change?

The biggest lesson we can take from these two directors is that stories shouldn’t be just a string of events mashed together. The result of properly using basic elements like plot, character, throughlines, setting and mythic structure is a story that the audience can connect with on a deep subconscious level.

A good story draws inspiration from the past to engage audiences

Good stories don’t just happen. An audience really connects with your story when the plot, characters and other elements fade together to create a unified narrative. This idea of “unification” was first discuss in Aristotle’s Poetics. In it, Aristotle says that a good story is unified and focuses on an extended action with a beginning, middle and end.

Over the centuries Aristotle’s basic definition of story has evolved and now, some stories are character driven (the character moves the story forward because of their choices) while others are plot driven (the action moves the story forward and the characters react), however all good stories still have a hero (“your main character”) and some type of mission(“journey” or “challenge”) that the hero must complete. Why? Because it still works and audiences are still drawn to story structures they can connect with.

A good business story has good flow and makes a point

How many times have you watched a movie only to say to yourself, “What was the point of that?” That shouldn’t happen.  Great stories don’t stall, sputter or leave the audience wondering what happened. The sequence of events should make sense and assist with the development and movement of the story. You keep stories moving with what Victoria Lynn Schmidt calls a dramatic through line. A through line helps answers “what’s the point?”. There are 5 basic throughlines that you can use.

• The main character succeeds (through courage, ingenuity, special skill, special weapon)
• The main character fails  (through circumstances, weakness, obsession)
• The main character abandons the goal
• The main character’s goal is undefined
• The audience creates the goal

Notice that I said that the through line helps answer the question. Your story still needs structure to make the journey toward answering that question seamless.

A good business story use a familiar structure to capture attention

The structure you choose helps ties the pieces of your story together seamlessly. Whether you realize it or not, stories that succeed do so because they evolve according the audiences expectation of unity (beginning, middle and end). There are lots of story structures that you could use, but I recommend the ones that are commonly understood archetypes across all cultures and can be applied easily in a business setting (e.g. they present universally understood ideas).

• Traditional – The traditional 3 act structure has a beginning, middle and end. The key to using this structure in a business setting is a well defined inciting event, protagonist and climax. Those elements will drive your story.
• The Hero’s Quest – The quest is probably the most commonly understood structure. A hero faces a challenge and sets out to overcome the challenge. The driving force in this structure is the pursuit of the goal whether it is tangible or intangible.
• The Search – The search is about man’s search for meaning. It differs from the hero’s quest in that the goal in these stories is always a character’s search for the discovery of something fundamental about who they are or who they will become.
• Stranger In A Strange Land – This is a story of change. The hero is put into a new situation. Maybe they don’t know the local ‘rules’ or customs. Everything seems unfamiliar. The character spends the majority of the story getting accustomed to their new surroundings or circumstances. In most cases the hero learns in the end that the ‘strange land’ wasn’t that strange after all.
• Boy Meets Girl (Romance) – This one is simple – boy meets girl, boys falls in love…but then what? Since stories need tension to move forward the “but then what…” part is really what drives this type of story. What roadblocks, conflicts, or obstacles stand in the way of the two lovers in the story? The key to remember in constructing these stories is love is hard to find and if you do find it, it’s hard to keep.
• Coming Of Age (Transformation) – A coming of age story is ultimately about the change, transformation or maturation of  the character. In this type of story the character has to re-learn comfort as they near maturity. That character may change significantly during the course of the story or simple figure out they somehow knew the answers all along. The experiences they gain drive the story.

Good stories connect to the audience with good character development

You always want your audience to be emotionally engaged in any story you present. The best way to make sure that happens is by creating well rounded characters. The audience needs to be able to identify with the characters because it is through them that the audience relates to the story. Look at the following example:

When I graduated from college I thought I was on top of the world. I had been in the top 10% of my high school class, done well in college, and was one of only a few college students that had been hired by the consulting firm I was working for. I hadn’t experienced a lot of work failure at that point in my life, so I felt pretty good about how I was progressing.

In this segment from the story I used in the introduction, I was the character. My goal was to give enough detail about who I was at the time to allow the audience to identify with the ‘character’ in the story. Don’t spare the detail here. Use as much detail as needed to draw your audience in.

Good stories use a vivid setting to their advantage

A story must have a location or setting to orient the audience. It sets the place, time and circumstances of the story, and helps the audience gain the context needed to understand where you are coming from. As with creating your characters, don’t spare the detail when defining the location.

—–

Again, using stories takes practice. At the end of the day if you want them to work you have to think about what people really care about. Instead of asking “what do I want to present?” ask yourself “what can I do to help them relate to the message I have?” In every case focusing on our need for connection will be more successful.

Take a moment and think back to the last time you read a book that you simply couldn’t put down? How did you feel? Do you remember the story? The characters? Now think about a time you were inspired to work hard or keep going after reading an autobiography or success story? That feeling of exhilaration and energy you felt is the result of a powerful story. In a business context, leaders can use these types of stories to educate, engage, inspire and encourage employees. You know your story hit the mark when it helps your audience connect the dots between the rational and emotional in situations where they might not otherwise be engaged or interested.

To illustrate this, before you watch the clip below let me present the facts of the scene:

• 4 junior high aged boys are traveling across their county to see something interesting
• They come to a railroad bridge that spans a large canyon with a river below
• They decide to cross despite the possibility of danger
• Two of the boys narrowly miss being run off the tracks when a train does come through

Big difference right? The scene presents the story on a level that is hard to reach with simple facts. Something else to note: The context of this scene in the movie doesn’t affect its meaning because the scene presents what is called a universal truth story. Universal truth stories are used to communicate widely understood values, beliefs or situations that are understood regardless of race, ethnicity, religious beliefs or gender. Ultimately this is what you want to achieve when you pick a business story.

We’ve all experienced loss, fear, doubt, change, and complexity. Sometimes it’s easier to put those experiences in perspective when we see them through the eyes of a character in a story. Your stories should make it easy for the audience to empathize with what happens to the characters based on their own life experiences.

There is however a problem with all this. We have been taught in school and business that facts rather than narrative should drive our decision process. Most people don’t keep track of situations, stories and anecdotes that they can use later to explain work issues or problems. Here are some reasons why it’s important to start using meaningful stories in your work:

Stories help people cope with change

Change is an inevitable part of work life. Whether good or bad most change brings some level of discomfort to the workplace because the unknowns of change are perceived as bad. When things change a story can help people understand that change doesn’t always mean doom and/or loss. By relating to their fears, uncertainties, confusion and anger you can help your audience craft a new more positive version of their stories (more on the bad stories we create later). When crafting a story about change don’t just ask what happened. Ask yourself “what will make people understand the change?“, “how did change affect the character in the story?“, “how can I illustrate that the change wasn’t the end of the world?”

Stories get rid of the FUDs

Fear, uncertainty and doubt (FUDs) controls the average person more than they will admit. Fear of failure, rejection, ridicule or the unknown keeps many people from pursuing things they would likely find success in. When we feel afraid our instinctual reaction is to run or fight. We naturally want to do whatever it takes to preserve our sense of ‘safety’. A story in these situations can help people to fight their natural instincts by presenting a character who overcomes their fear without suffering a great loss. Many times the characters in these stories are far better off after facing down their fear.

Stories help make the complex simple

If you look at one of my presentations you will see I am not a fan of the ‘stuffed data’ slide. I learned a long time ago that the majority of people simply tune you out when you drone on about data item after data item. We live in a complex world that has taught us to incorrectly rely heavily on facts and figures when communicating meaning in the modern workplace. The rule of thumb here? No one cares about your facts and figures as much as you do. Throw them out in favor of a story that explains what those numbers mean and why that meaning is important. A simple, memorable universal truth story about a person who solves a problem by taking a certain course of action will always serve you better.

Stories persuade where facts can’t

We live in a world where the best storytellers get what they want. They understand that the stories we hear and tell daily influence us on a very deep level. They also know that relying solely on organizational, product or technical knowledge isn’t enough in today’s complex business environments. When faced with an opportunity to persuade, if you can’t make it meaningful for your audience, what you talk about doesn’t make much difference. Stories will work because when compared with other persuasion methods, they allow your audience to come to the desired conclusion on their own.

Stories produce mental images

Visual communication is a fundamental part of human history. Indigenous cultures used images to communicate and record history. You see it in primitive cave painting, the hieroglyphics of Egypt and the notes and sketches of such great thinkers as Leonardo Da Vinci. This tradition has helped shape language, history and and culture around the world. On top of that, a full 80% of our brain is dedicated to visual processing. If you can find a way to activate your audience’s imagination and create a strong mental image, the impact of your story will be multiplied. Visual imagery can help capture ideas and significantly improve the ability to learn and comprehend a subject. Start using visual words like imagine, think, picture, or when was the last time. Now that you have read that look at the first line of this post again.

So the next time you have to give a speech or presentation remember the benefit of using a strong narrative to get your point across. P.S. Check out Lessons From The Emporium for another universal truth story.

When it comes to communicating an important message, people really don’t care about the facts. They care about the things that touch, move and inspire them. Facts just can’t do that.

Stories have been used since the beginning of time to share knowledge, human history, and ideas. Sure they contain facts, but that’s not what makes them work. Stories work where facts don’t because humans don’t always make rational decisions. We generally make decisions based on emotion, and then look for the facts that support those decisions.

If you want to communicate powerful messages in business, there are two things to keep in mind. First, you should use stories to craft engaging and personal experiences that relate to the overall point you are trying to make. Second, don’t rely only on facts. Remember, facts matter most when the audience is rationalizing a decision that has already been made on an emotional level.

What do you do when facts don’t matter

Even though we are exposed to stories every day, learning to tell them isn’t easy. While we are comfortable with the role that stories play in television, film and writing, we don’t always understand the power of storytelling in business.

I was recently working with a client on how they can communicate their story, when I was reminded of an instance when I used a story to connect a business idea with the needs and desires of the audience.

….

In 2004, about a year after I had moved back to Houston I was asked to speak to a group of students about career development. There were about 20 students in the room, and I had been fielding a variety of questions on resumes and interviewing when one of them asked, “As a manager what are some things that you believe matter most to you?” It was a good question that I hadn’t expected anyone to ask. I knew that my answer would include two things “employees are appreciating assets” and “and don’t profess values you don’t really have”, but saying those would create an instant crisis of credibility. This group of students was at the University of Houston, right smack in the heart of Enron country. There was even the possibility that there was a student or two who had family members that had been affected by the scandal. There was little possibility that I could say anything about “values” combines with “value your employees” without their eyes glazing over. After a few seconds of thinking I told them the following story:

When I graduated from college I thoughtI was on top of the world. I had been in the top 10% of my high school class, done well in college, and was one of only a few college students that had been hired by the consulting firm I was working for. I hadn’t experienced a lot of work failure at that point in my life, so I felt pretty good about how I was progressing. Then it happened. I made a costly mistake. It wasn’t one of those ‘oh snap you deleted the database or lost a bazillion dollars’ mistakes, but it was big enough to be noticeable. When my manager called me to talk about it, I was pretty nervous. Would I be fired? Would I be taken off the project? I fully expected some yelling, lots of teeth gnashing and maybe even a a statement like “bone headed move” thrown in. What happened not only surprised me but totally affected the way I felt about managing and leadership. He started by saying ‘Today, was educational for both of us…’, he said, ‘That was a pretty big mess up you made today, but I’m not going to scream and yell about it. I have always believed that employees are appreciating assets, that you can make both positive and negative investments in. Yelling or chastising would be a negative investment at this point. You made a mistake, you know that, and I know you understand how to process it to avoid a similar problem. The best thing I can do is throughly explain why it’s a mistake, the impact it has on the company and your co-workers, and then give you the freedom to make it again.’ Yep, he said that and I looked at him with the same puzzled look you have right now. He was giving me the freedom to mess up again so that I wouldn’t fear taking the risks necessary to excel in the position. Then I remembered the first day I met him when he said “I have a few beliefs that I live by, the biggest is that I will invest in employees because they are a more important factor in company success than most people give credit for. Plus smart, confident, employees make for better results all around.” I guess he really did believe that. That story sums up two things I think are important…

Take a moment and think about what you just read. It was a story about telling stories. Annette Simmons would call this a “Values In Action” story. Regardless of the type of story, it serves two purposes. It communicates on a level that most adults can understand and it gets you to stop evaluating “facts” and ask questions like “what happened next?” or “does this apply to me?” I wanted you to participate, so I had to draw you into the experience. Storytelling is fundamentally a collaboration between the teller and the listener. It helps you to connect with the message on a very personal level.

Over the next few days I will be sharing some of my thoughts on storytelling in training, business and presenting. I want to cover:

• Part II: Why storytelling is important in business
• Part III: The elements of story structure
• Part IV: Adding tension to make your stories more interesting
• Breaking down an existing presentation
• Some really good storytelling resources & inspiration

Until then, what are some of the best business stories you have heard?

• Design is not an event – I think we all agreed that design as decoration or a single stop in the product development process doesn’t make sense. My opinion is that the “facade” view of design will only yield artifacts instead of the meaning that consumers desire.
• Being unique requires risk – If you want to be radically different than the competition, you shouldn’t do the same things that they do and expect a radically different result. Side note here: Most companies have really  really unremarkable plans.  My favorite unremarkable plan is “meet customer expectations”. The problem with meeting customer expectations is that today, those expectations are really low to begin with. What good would meeting those expectations do? A better goal here would be to “delight our customers”. Good design can do that.
• Design helps solve wicked problems – In his book The Designful Company Marty Neumeier describes a wicked problem as a puzzle so persistent, pervasive, or slippery that it can seem unsolvable. Design can help with these types of problems because in many cases solving design problems requires that we throw out everything we know. It could mean looking at things from a different angle or asking ‘naive’ questions. Whatever approach you take, wicked problems can’t be solved by using the same linear thinking that created them.
• Design is more than styling – Design is really about process, people and ideas driven by a desire to innovate – not aesthetics. While we do care about the way things look, it’s really “the soul” of the product that drives our behavior.
• Design extends beyond the product or web site – Good design is often visible in the actions and responses of employees. Watch the differences between employees in a design thinking  company and a non-design thinking company. There is a HUGE difference.
• Don’t try and optimize innovation - Traditionally driven companies  will focus on costs, trying to figure out how to optimize innovation before it happens. It doesn’t make sense to over analysis an innovation that doesn’t exist yet.  A design thinking company focuses on vision and creativity. They will also embrace the corresponding risk, excitement and satisfaction that comes with it.
• Don’t try to be something you’re not – It’s really important to have a really solid understanding of who your are. You can’t be successful by “adding on” or “copying” the  outward appearance of other  companies.
• Use research to inform the design process – It was interesting hearing about the process Mattel goes through to test, develop and market new toys. I think the biggest thing I took away from this point is that research should be used to inform the design process instead of being used to define what should be designed.
• Learn to communicate and ask questions – The #1 tool in the design thinkers toolbox is the ability to create clarity from soft focus. That means communicating and creating stories.
• Design can help tell richer brand stories – You can use story in design to engage the audience, create emotional responses, or create a richer context for learning something new. Stories make experiences personal for the audience. What story does this commercial tell and what emotions does this commercial evoke.
• It’s OK to play – You have to have down time to incubate ideas. It’s OK to play and have fun while you are doing that.
• Michael Shore has the coolest job ever – OK, so that wasn’t a point from the panel, but who wouldn’t want “gets to play with Hot Wheels” as a part of their job description?

P.S. I completely forgot that I had some notes on becoming design oriented that I wanted to share with the audience.

If you were there let me know if I missed anything. We really should have recorded the session.

I have recently been studying influence and persuasion a lot myself and wanted to hear more about what inspired Stephen to create this workshop and the new card deck that he has been working on for several months. Here are his answers:

Question: What inspired you to create The Art & Science of Seductive Interactions?
Stephen: I was working on two projects– one being a technology startup, the other a media focused software application (along the lines of Boxee). With both projects I noticed something: while there was a great experience being offered once you started using the tool, most people didn’t stick around that long! Either because of initial assumptions or confusion, people would leave before they knew was was being offered. It’s a universal problem–how do you get people to spend more than a few minutes with your site? I came back to a small handful of applications that did a great job of getting me up and going, through a mix of convenience, but also playful and (what I describe as) “seductive” interactions. I started cataloging these examples and looking for explanations, from various texts and research, as to why these experiences are so engaging. It was this search for explanations that led to the creation of the Mental Notes card deck.

Question: How did this lead to the creation of Mental Notes?
Stephen: I’m a big fan of method cards: The Creative Whack Pack, IDEO’s method cards, Eno’s oblique strategies, the Thinkpack and others are all on my bookshelf. That, and I think I’m a sucker for cards of all kinds– I guess it’s my “collecting” nature! Anyway, I’ve had an idea for a different kind of deck for several years, one that has broader application than Web sites. But, in preparing the Seductive Interactions presentation, I started collecting all these ideas and principles, from various sources: psychology texts, certainly, but also books on behavioral economics, storytelling, cognitive science, game mechanics, social design and so on. Since these ideas– many of them being things we can observe just by watching other people–have been given proper names by researchers, it was easy to capture each on it’s own card. From there, it was easy to map ideas (represented on these cards) back to the great Web experiences I was deconstructing….

If you live in the Houston area and have an interest in user experience and design I would highly recommend attending this workshop.

When King Lear dies in Act V, do you know what Shakespeare has written? He’s written “He dies.” That’s all, nothing more. No fanfare, no metaphor, no brilliant final words. The culmination of the most influential work of dramatic literature is “He dies.” It takes Shakespeare, a genius, to come up with “He dies.” And yet every time I read those two words, I find myself overwhelmed with dysphoria. And I know it’s only natural to be sad, but not because of the words “He dies.” but because of the life we saw prior to the words.
I’ve lived all five of my acts, Mahoney, and I am not asking you to be happy that I must go. I’m only asking that you turn the page, continue reading… and let the next story begin. And if anyone asks what became of me, you relate my life in all its wonder, and end it with a simple and modest “He died.”