We all know about a site's design and content.What about its "narrative voice"?

[McMurphy]

Interesting article.

http://www.alistapart.com/stories/storytelling/

...and what do you think? Does Flashkit has a "narrative voice"?

McMurphy

[HTTP403]

hey that's a good idea.

Flashkit has a sounds loop and a sfx section

but not a VOICE SECTION

I'd be interesting to make one

[8minus8]

thanks McMurphy.
that was a great article. that's interesting. the other day i had my family come visit me. my sister wanted to use my computer. she said 'your text is so small' i said 'you can change the resolution. go to my control strip and change it there, or you can also go to my control pan...' she cuts me off. 'huh?' she says that alot when i start talking to her about what i do - computer wise . that was the short example. i totally agree with what cloninger had to say. that's what bugs me about jakob neilsen. he gets so caught up with usability he ignores the point the web started, to communicate, exchange ideas. storytelling...that's a great concept. i could never understand what my mechanic said until i started paying attention...i also had help from my car - it kept on breaking down. the point is not only as designers we have to communicate the idea with content but also visually - to imprint it in the users mind. flash allows us to do that now - the same could be said about dhtml. i thought the last paragraph brought up excellent points.

Well, one solution is to begin exploring all the things the web can do that other media can't do. Hint: The web is interactive. Hint: Web narratives need not be linear. Hint: Web narratives need not be predominantly text-based. (They need not even be predominantly graphics-based.) Hint: the web can incorporate several media at once. Hint: Different media (audio, video) effect people different ways. Hint: Surfing is by its very nature an intimate experience. Only one person at a time can click a mouse, whereas several people at a time can watch a television or a movie screen. Hint: The more power a user has to control the narrative himself, the more a user will "own" that narrative.

he says it better than i can. as for flashkit....it has its voice through its community. fk is a highly content driven site, it's dependent on information and navigation. but it sets up its interface so even the basic user can figure it out. the fact that fk is growing everyday has to say something about their site.

as designers we need to speak in the same language as the novice, dazzle them but make sure they leave with what they were searching for. that's a daunting task. i guess you learn from experience.
thanks again for the link.
bookmarked.


check out http://www.once-upon-a-forest.com/ visual storytelling.

[McMurphy]

Glad you enjoyed the article 8minus8.I read it and felt like a small new world opened in front of me."How could we miss that?" I asked my self and knowing about this 3rd element now makes this entire occupation a whole lot interesting for me.I guess since I also write short stories and articles, the notion that there is a much stronger link between the 2 forms of communication is thrilling.

I must tell you I read the article twice and I'm about to read it again.My mind isn't use to the non-dichotomy thinking I guess

As for the forest,its one of my all time favorites and everlasting inspiration.I even placed it in my "inspiration" sites --> http://www.mcmurphy.co.il

Hope we'll get a chance to exchange more thoughts and design philosophy ideas

c ya,

McMurphy

[puresin]

good morning,

i get myself a cigarette before i answer this...

ok, now....

first of all: bookmarked. not only because of this article,
but the others on this page as well.

i'm a fan of those essays, they help to get your mind
away from all the little or major problems you face when
working for clients and having those endless discussions
about usability, design approaches and ci's.

they don't 100% replace a good discussion with designers
by coffee and cigarette, but come close.

the story telling design part:

let me say something very fundamental first;
i devide the web (or the work i do concerning the web) into
infotainment and entertainment sites.

concerning the infotainment, there's no opportunity for
story telling or suchlike. the demands on those sites are
clear and easy access to information, which every time is
a new challenge by its own. everybody who ever made a
1000 sites webpage with 3000 products + information
knows what i mean...
those are the bigger part of a webdesigners work.
unfortunelately...

the other ones are those we all enjoy:
entertaining websites (for movies, artists...) with some
content but a high narrative value.

i think every designer knows those significant steps in his/
her carrier when something changes (usually his/her mind).

first we try to make it look good, after that we try to
give it usability, then we mix this together...

at this point we're able to create sites that are 'better'
than most others. but what about the 'narrative voice'?

ever tried to tell a story? ever tried to make a webpage
that draws the user into a fascinating world, something
that doesn't have much in common with the internet like
we all know it.

this is something i wanted to do for some months now.
in art school we learn storyboarding. this is exactly
what it is about. you have to be author, regisseur, camera
man and actor in one person.

there are some computer games that function like that.
(i don't have to time for them, but once and then i have a
look).

der bauer (www.derbauer.de) is a approach to this.

well, i'd have much more to say to this, but i won't pollute
flashkit...

[flynet]

McMurphy
I like the sites you list in your site.

And about "voice",i think it is a good idea for fk.

[dumb-dumb]

i disagree with the argument that said "infotainment" websites (catalogs, basically) cannot or should not have a narrative. i get what you're saying, but i'd like to add this...

i think of narrative/story-telling not as *story:beginning-middle-end*, but rather a dialog between the site/catalog/product and the user. take www.barneys.com, for example. that site definitely has a narrative that says to the user: you are experiencing something unique, let it draw you in. its success in drawing you in is open to debate, but regardless, it is inarguably creating an experience and presenting it to you.

think of any catalog you've ever used and enjoyed using.
two (non-web) examples:

Crutchfield - although i'm not crazy about their website, i've always liked their catalog because it was welcoming in a way that demystified car audio equipement (for me, when i was 16|circa '96). in every section there would be a two page write-up of how to look at the different specs and which ones were the most important. it told me, "hey, man, this stuff's easy... just read our little tips on what to look for when you're buying, look at the items a bit, and then have the confidence to buy something."

Klutz - when i was little (8-12|circa '90) i LOVED this catalog. they presented there products in such a fun way that i was always asking my mom to order stuff out of it for holidays and such. i'll tell you right now that, with a few notable exceptions, most of the stuff i got went in the closet after being used once or twice. i had more fun experiencing the catalog than actually using the products! i loved all the stories about the grown-ups using the "icky poo" around the office. if the grown-ups could have that much fun...

it's the storytelling of these that made me continue to go back to them and spend money (or mom's money, heh). i would argue the same concerning flashkit as well. the content is shaped in an easily accesible manner, but there is a depth to it arranged in an interesting manner with a specific attitude (narrative) that makes me come back repeatedly. there's still forums that i've never even been to!

in conclusion to this lOOOOng essay, i think that when the narrative/story-telling aspect of anything meant to engage an audience is ignored or not focused on as an integral aspect, it will be extremely challenging to make it interesting and engaging.

thoughts?

rant|pal|www.dumb-dumb.com

[dumb-dumb]

PS i'd just like to say that that article is dope cuz it makes a reference to Dumb And Dumber... sweeeeet...

|pal|www.dumb-dumb.com