Overview
The 7 Scenes
© ux.movie
Our goal is to empower creators, artists, and engineers with something truly novel to bring to the world. We love assisting visionaries in sharing their ideas and inventions.
In an age of information overload, standing out requires storytelling that resonates on a deeper human level. UX Movie offers a framework for crafting sticky brand narratives that spark curiosity and compel action.
When people first encounter a product, their expectations are shaped by their current status quo. We designed UX Movie to reframe expectations so innovations can break through the noise and earn the attention they deserve.
UX Movie draws an analogy between movies and products. Just as trailers set expectations that collide with the actual viewing experience to form a movie's reputation, marketing materials shape expectations of a product that then collide with its real-life use to form the product's reputation.
By seeing products through the lens of cinematic storytelling, UX Movie provides a framework for crafting experiences that forge an emotional bond and immerse users in a compelling narrative. This sticky storytelling helps innovations stand out and compels audiences to engage more deeply.
Yes and no. This isn't about technical UX design. It's about leveraging the science of storytelling to create user experiences that resonate emotionally and marketing narratives that attract and convert.
UX Movie is designed for the post-COVID world where attention spans are shorter but the need to differentiate is a strategic imperative. Whether you are a founder, marketer, designer, or innovator, this framework equips you with a refreshing approach to storytelling in the age of AI.
Competition for mindshare is fiercer than ever. Breaking through demands strategic storytelling that taps into universal human needs for understanding, achievement, and meaning. UX Movie delivers memorable narratives that help you stand out from the insane amount of noise online, align your team around a brighter future, and draw audiences in so they become invested in your vision.
By combining analogies, archetypes, and narrative frameworks, UX Movie creates engaging brand stories optimized to:
Let's dive into the cognitive science behind sticky stories, explore a step-by-step process for crafting compelling narratives, and unpack the 7 key scenes that form the foundation.
UX Movie will guide you through a storytelling process designed for startups, brands, products and services in the age of AI. Let's start at the beginning, with the power of analogies.
Studies show analogies boost learning by linking new concepts to prior knowledge. In fact, analogies have been scientifically proven to build neural pathways that boost comprehension, memory, and problem-solving.
Analogies stick in our minds precisely because they relate the unfamiliar to the familiar. Do you remember the Krebs cycle from Biology class? Maybe just vaguely. What if comparing it to a revolving door could have made the concepts stick? That's what Linda Holyoak and Paul Thagard found. In their study, students learned about the complex Krebs cycle, a key biochemical process. One group got the typical textbook lecture. Another group was given a simple analogy: a revolving door.
The analogy group? These students demonstrated far better comprehension. In their mind’s eye, the Krebs cycle was a revolving door, with each step processing a molecule before spitting it back out transformed. By linking the obscure concept to a familiar scene, the revolving door analogy helped them integrate and retain the information. Holyoak and Thagard's research shows the power of using analogies to illuminate difficult concepts.
But not all analogies are created equal. Vague or convoluted comparisons can confuse rather than enlighten. The most effective analogies feel familiar and trigger an "aha!" moment of insight.
This is why movies make excellent analogies. As cultural touchstones, they provide a shared frame of reference. Asking "Were there snakes on that plane?" conjures vivid memories that quickly convey danger and drama.
Storytelling builds on this evolutionary advantage by engaging emotion and imagination to help ideas resonate. A compelling story acts like a simulation that transports audiences into a meaningful narrative about their own lives—and their own future. Seeing their future self doesn't make the space time continuum collapse. It makes a story stick.
Forget heuristics and jargon. Tap into pop culture analogies that resonate.
Beyond simply using moviemaking as analogy for UX Design, using references to beloved movies powerfully engages our brains. They provide familiar snapshots that illuminate concepts. What better encapsulates core values than the Force in Star Wars?
Great movies also draw us into relatable journeys, aligning with hopes, fears and desires. We can use that storytelling power. Map the customer’s hero’s adventure through your brand’s narrative. Chart their transformation from flaws to fulfillment.
In the end, clever movie analogies beat dry theory. They conjure vivid memories that crystallize ideas instantly. And let's be honest - they’re way more fun than textbooks. As Ferris Bueller said, “Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.”
Bueller’s antics aside, the UX Movie framework utilizes this resonance with the familiar by mapping your brand story onto the dramatic arc of a movie. This structure has been refined over decades (by an entire movie making industry) to immerse audiences in a transformative emotional experience. So, why not learn from their successes (and their failures)?
Movies, much like UX, are an experiential medium that tap into universal human emotions and narratives. The connections between UX and movies go deeper than you might think:
Key Takeaways:
Let’s examine a case study for TidyHome, our made-up application designed to assist users with home organization and decluttering.
In the forthcoming seven scenes, observe how each fulfills a unique role in crafting the story's progression. The introduction paints a picture of the common reality, followed by the emergence of a wish for transformation as frustrations become apparent. The narrative progresses by building expectation around TidyHome as the remedy, culminating in an uplifting conclusion where the advantages of the product become reality.
Keep an eye on how each scene:
We'll explore how this seven-scene structure effectively conveys the benefits of TidyHome, weaving all the storytelling elements into a compelling narrative.
Scene 1: The Status Quo John wakes up to a messy apartment. Dirty dishes pile up in the sink, clothes are strewn across the floor, and dust coats every surface. This chaos has become John's normal. He's too busy with work and other obligations to regularly clean.
Scene 2: The Situation John's friend Sarah comes over unexpectedly. John feels embarrassed by the mess but invites her in. As Sarah looks around the cluttered space, John realizes he can no longer tolerate living this way.
Scene 3: The Gap John surveys the disorder in his home. He envisions an organized, tidy space but doesn't know where to start. The gap between his messy reality and an ideal home seems daunting.
Scene 4: The Last Straw John researches professional organizers and cleaning services but finds them too expensive. He craves a simple, affordable solution to get his home clean and decluttered. The desire builds.
Scene 5: The New Way John discovers TidyHome, an app that offers customized cleaning checklists, scheduling tools, and decluttering recommendations powered by AI. It breaks down cleaning tasks into bite sized pieces that can fit into his hectic days. Finally, an easy way to organize his home with his busy schedule.
Scene 6: The Bridge With his finger hovering over the download button, John weighs sticking with his chaotic status quo or trying TidyHome. He decides to commit to a cleaner future.
Scene 7: The Brighter Future TidyHome has transformed John's home. Surveying his now organized and clutter-free apartment, he smiles. Order is his new normal, thanks to TidyHome.
Each scene in this storyboarding framework plays an important role in positioning a product or service as the solution to a customer's problem:
Scene 1 establishes the status quo, which helps the audience relate based on shared experiences and paints a vivid picture of the "before." This scene sets up the need for change.
Scene 2 disrupts the status quo with a pivotal moment that reveals the pain points of the current state. The audience connects emotionally.
Scene 3 spotlights the gap between the reality in Scene 1 and the aspirations of the audience. This gap is the opportunity for a solution.
Scene 4 taps into the mounting frustration as the problem escalates. The "last straw" makes the audience eager for relief.
Scene 5 enters the product as the "new way" that promises to bridge the gap outlined earlier. It offers hope.
Scene 6 creates dramatic tension around the adoption decision. Will the audience change or stay stuck? This scene emphasizes the product's importance.
Scene 7 provides cathartic resolution, landing in a brighter future transformed by the product. The contrast depicts its benefits.
Together, these scenes take the audience on a journey that builds desire for the product, highlights its value, and aims to convert interest into adoption. For product teams, this framework can be a powerful way to connect with users' needs and present their offering as the ideal solution.
How The Hero Story Unfolds (The Vision)
In the movie of _________ (your idea/brand), your audience/users are _________ (description of audience). Let's call them _________ (nickname for audience).
Currently, _________ (audience nickname) are stuck believing _________ (false assumption or unhelpful mindset). They still do things _________ (inefficient or unimproved way).
_________ (audience nickname) don't realize that _________ (your idea) could guide them to _________ (aspirational outcome). They overlook how _________ (your idea) gives them _________ (superpower or key benefit).
Because of this blindspot, _________ (audience nickname) can only dream of _________ (relief from pain points) in their ideal future.
That is, until _________ (pivotal moment or encounter with your idea). _________ (audience nickname) recognize they must _________ (take action or overcome challenge) to achieve _________ (aspirational outcome).
_________ (your idea) can deliver this like nothing else because it _________ (key differentiator or belief).
There’s an obvious reason for _________ (audience nickname) to get on board - _________ (core benefit of your idea).
The first step is simple. All it takes is _________ (easy action to get started). This begins the journey to _________ (aspirational outcome).
Fill in the blanks above to outline the core narrative arc and frame the vision for your idea's transformative potential. Use this as a starting point, then refine over time. The goal is to establish an engaging before-after story focused on your audience's growth.
How The Hero Story Unfolds (The Vision)
In the movie of "The Uncluttered Life", your audience/users are busy city-dwellers overwhelmed by the chaos of their everyday lives. Let's call them "The Overwhelmed".
Currently, The Overwhelmed are stuck believing that a tidy home requires time and money they don't have. They still do things the old-fashioned way, with sporadic cleaning and no real system.
The Overwhelmed don't realize that TidyHome could guide them to a serene and streamlined living space. They overlook how TidyHome gives them the superpower of personalized organization.
Because of this blindspot, The Overwhelmed can only dream of coming home to a peaceful, clean environment in their ideal future.
That is, until they stumble upon an ad for TidyHome during a particularly frustrating day. The Overwhelmed recognize they must embrace change and use smart tools to achieve their aspirations of order and calm.
TidyHome can deliver this like nothing else because it utilizes AI to create a custom solution for every lifestyle.
There’s an obvious reason for The Overwhelmed to get on board - the core benefit of gaining control over their living space effortlessly.
The first step is simple. All it takes is downloading TidyHome and inputting their schedule. This begins the journey to an uncluttered life of ease and efficiency.
Using this narrative, TidyHome can market itself not just as an app, but as a catalyst for change that aligns with the desires and struggles of its target users. It weaves the product into their story as a tool that empowers them to overcome their challenges and achieve a desired outcome. It’s important that each marketing effort, like website copy, ad campaigns, and product demos, reinforce this narrative to build a strong, relatable brand identity.