SMARTinez Tech
In the depth of a freezing night, a lone figure staggered along a desolate road, her quest driven by sheer desperation. The cold gnawed at her, tears streaming down as the bitter chill bit into her flesh. Yet, her gaze remained locked on a distant beacon of hope—faint lights wavering in the murky darkness. With her right arm held high as if in reverent offering, a solitary bar of cell signal flickered to life, a glimmer of hope in the relentless gloom. With numb fingers, she shed her glove, her movements swift and sure as she deftly navigated through her lifeline—her phone. There, amidst the shadow and ice, Uber's icon became her savior. As the app sprung to life, securing her a ride against all odds, it wasn't just a ride she had summoned—it was her deliverance from the icy embrace of the night.
Did you know that our brains are storytelling machines, hardwired to remember tales over trivial facts? Our fascination with storytelling has been evident since pre-historic times, where the earliest cave paintings told stories of the hunt. Since the dawn of man, stories have been used to pass down knowledge and culture through generations, and through thousands of years of cultural evolution, our brain’s propensity to engage with information and connect with people are inextricably linked to storytelling.
If one wishes to become a product management virtuoso, it is not enough to simply understand technical details about your product and some metrics about your demographic. One must become an author for your product’s narrative, and understand how that narrative interweaves with your audience’s story.
In traditional product management, a good manager will solve for the 5 ‘Ws’ in their product. The Who, What, When, Where, and Why. The why is analogous to the problem being solved by the product. In the storytelling framework of product management, the problem is the plot of your product’s story. Let’s take an example from our anecdote from earlier:
While most use cases for a product won’t be as dramatic as the one depicted in the opening story, the need for the Uber app was conveyed using a narrative conflict. Told simply, the weary traveler was cold and wished to quit walking and booked an Uber the second she was within cell range.
Much like understanding the “Why?” of a product is critical to validating its viability in the market, using the narrative framework, understanding the “plot” of the product, the setting, and the circumstances of the user are the first steps to creating a product that truly solves a problem. This product will be what overcomes the narrative conflict and ultimately saves the day.
Every compelling story has a hero at its core, whether that hero is an individual, a team, or even an inanimate object. The hero embarks on a journey, faces challenges, and undergoes transformation. In order to effectively craft the tale of your product, you must effectively identify the hero. This can be either the product itself, or the user. We will explore Both options.
In this scenario you are telling the story through the eyes of your product. This valiant product answers the call to adventure when presented with the challenge the user is trying to overcome. An example of this can be found in Apple Watch’s heart-monitoring features saving the lives of those wearing the watch.
In this scenario the product serves as an ally or supporting character that helps the hero (user) overcome their challenges and achieve their goals. An example is having a sneaker be the reason someone jumps higher and wins a game of basketball. If lack of knowledge on a subject matter is the conflict, Google Search can be the supporting character granting access to a wealth of information that makes our hero the smartest person in the galaxy.
As product managers, even if we do not use a full narrative framework, we still chronicle a user’s journey in terms of user stories.
Depending on who the hero is in your narrative, you must identify the journey they will embark on with this product.
The classic Hero’s Journey, also known as the Monomyth, is a narrative framework popularized by Joseph Campbell in his book “The Hero with a Thousand Faces”. A clear example of strict adherence to this framework is the original Star Wars movie “A New Hope”. The elements of the Hero’s Journey can be broken down into three main phases:
This framework has been adapted and used in countless stories, myths, and narratives across cultures and time periods. It serves as a powerful template for storytelling, providing a structured yet flexible approach that resonates with the human experience of growth, challenge, and transformation and can easily be adapted to tell the product’s story.
In order to communicate the value of the journey, you must highlight the transformation the hero undergoes. There are several ways of approaching this and will vary depending on who the hero of your story is.
If the hero of your story is the product itself, a transformation will focus on what the product contributed to the end user, or society as a whole. If the user is the hero, the transformation will be evident in the user's newfound abilities, knowledge better health, improved focus, or other benefits. This could look like the following:
Amid the chaos of life, Calm emerged as my bastion of tranquility, transforming restless nights into a haven of relaxation. This newfound serenity sharpened my focus, enriching both my personal life and professional endeavors with a clarity once thought lost. Calm redefined my days and nights.
In a world where sleep evaded me and focus waned, I embarked on a quest for balance. Through the guiding light of the Calm app, I mastered the art of tranquility, reclaiming the night's rest and day's clarity. As the architect of my own serenity, I emerged victorious, wielding calmness as my newfound strength in life's endless battles.
In a realm clouded by the mysteries of math and science, Brilliant emerged as a luminous guide, illuminating the path to knowledge. Its wisdom transformed the daunting into the attainable, empowering minds to unlock the secrets of technology and engineering with ease and wonder.
Armed with curiosity and the power of Brilliant, I embarked on a journey through the vast landscapes of math, science, and technology. Each lesson conquered was a dragon slain, each concept mastered a kingdom gained, as I transformed into the ruler of my intellectual destiny.
Now that we’ve identified the plot, who the hero of our story is as well as what their transformative journey has been, let’s dive deeper into constructing the story arc.
Every product has a narrative, from mundane ones to the most novel products. Take toothpaste for example:
“In the age-old saga of humanity's relentless struggle against the twin scourges of cavities and tooth decay, Crest has emerged as a valiant champion on the frontlines. With shield and sword drawn against the creeping shadows of dental despair, Crest stands as a first line of defense, turning the tide and carving a legacy of triumph in the annals of oral health.”
While these examples are very theatrical and dramatic, I use this exaggerated tone to illustrate the narrative points. For every product, use a tone that resonates with the intended audience and the brand voice.
Understanding the full narrative of your product not only helps craft good marketing material, but also helps you as the product manager understand your product on a deeper level. Considering our earlier discussion that humans remember stories better the individual facts, you are more likely to make more informed decisions about product-development, marketing, and user experience design.
Understanding the user’s journey will also aid in customer relations and user interviews. Being able to fully relate to a user through empathy will yield informative qualitative data from them and will help you improve your products even further.
As we navigate the landscape of modern product management, the tales we've explored illuminate the profound connection between storytelling and the creation of legendary products. The narratives of the Calm and Brilliant apps—whether casting the product as the hero or the user as the protagonist of their own saga—demonstrate not just the power of a well-told story, but the transformative impact it can have on both the product and its users.
In the age where products vie for attention in an ever-crowded marketplace, those that succeed in weaving a compelling narrative are the ones that stand out, not merely as tools or services, but as integral chapters in the lives of their users. They are remembered, cherished, and shared, transcending the boundaries of mere utility to become legends in their own right.
To my fellow product managers, the call to adventure is clear: embrace the art of storytelling, for it is in the crafting of these epic narratives that we not only engage our users but also imbue our products with a soul. As we forge ahead, let us remember that our products are not just solutions but stories waiting to be told, heroes waiting to be celebrated. In this narrative-driven approach lies the key to transforming the ordinary into the extraordinary, ensuring that our creations not only occupy a space in the market but secure a place in the hearts and minds of those they serve.
So, as you embark on your next product journey, ask not just what your product does, but what story it tells. For in the end, it is the stories we tell that define us, our products, and the legacy we leave behind in the annals of innovation and imagination.
Dialogues: The Science and Power of Storytelling
Uri Hasson (Princeton) 1: How we communicate information across brains
Uri Hasson (Princeton) 2: Storytelling and Memories: How the Act of Storytelling Shapes our Minds
The Neuroscience of Storytelling
