The Multifaceted Purposes of Storytelling in User Experience Design Practice

Journal of Technical Writing and Communication Oct 2025

The Multifaceted Purposes of Storytelling in User Experience Design Practice

Emma J Rose ; Cynthia Putnam DePaul University ; Craig M MacDonald

Abstract

Storytelling is a key component of user experience (UX) design practice. However, while storytelling is universally acknowledged as important, what exactly is meant by storytelling is elastic. This elasticity makes it hard to explain and teach to emerging practitioners. In this research paper, we propose a data-derived definition to bring more understanding to the concept of storytelling in UX. The contribution of this work is a multifaceted definition of storytelling in UX that can be used as a heuristic to help make it more meaningful and understandable to students and early career professionals. We conclude by providing strategies to incorporate the storytelling heuristic into UX pedagogy.

Journal: Journal of Technical Writing and Communication
Published: 2025-10-15
DOI: 10.1177/00472816251384274
Open Access: Closed
Topics: multimodality technical communication multilingual writers

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