Your Journey: From Case Studies to Captivating Stories
Standing out from the crowd means sharing your unique perspective rather than imitating others.
I have always been fascinated by stories—books, comics, video games, movies, you name it. I even tried to write a short book once, but I'm unsure if I’ll ever return to it.
It’s only natural that I associate case studies with storytelling. The thing is, until very recently, I hadn’t needed to write one. Believe it or not, it took me over eleven years of my career to write a case study, so by the time I had to do it, I approached it just like any UX problem.
I researched frameworks and best practices, spoke with at least a dozen designers about what differentiates a good from a great case study, created a prototype, and tested it with other people to iterate until it felt right.
There was nothing special about this process; I just wanted to tell an excellent story. But as with anything else in my career, I enjoy making sense of the mess and sharing my findings with the world to replicate and help them in their process. But to tell this story about telling stories correctly, I’ll have to go back a few years in my career.
Why case studies and storytelling?
Like most young designers, when I initially learned about frameworks and methodologies, I thought they were the missing piece I was looking for to ensure that projects were successful every. Single. Time.
Well, let’s say the joke writes itself.
Let’s fast-forward to +80 projects later. If you asked me if that has ever worked, I’d say no. Why? Well, it depends. As I like to tell other aspiring designers at the beginning of their journeys, every project, team, and problem is different, even if you're in the same problem space or using the same toolkit.
So why are we so fixated on forcing case studies to fit into rigid molds? What happens if we do that in storytelling? You end up with extremely frustrated audiences and merciless critics, like what happened with The Force Awakens and its predictive story.
Focus on the why
Let’s talk about a fighting scene. This might seem out of place, but bear with me for just a little bit.
There’s nothing fancy about a fighting scene, right? There are thousands out there that can feed into the taste of virtually anyone. What about a fighting scene in a sci-fi movie? Well, it’s kind of expected already that sci-fi movies will contain fighting scenes, so still nothing new. What if the actors performed their own stunts? It has been done before many times as well.
Let’s add practical effects into the mix. Ok, how complex? It was a rotating hallway set, with a camera suspended in the middle but also locked onto the rotating floor, and Joseph Gordon Levitt making his own fighting stunts. If you have seen the movie already, you must have caught the reference halfway through. We’re talking about the hallway dream fighting scene from Inception, a film by Christopher Nolan.
Now that makes the fighting scene more interesting, doesn’t it? It’s not what, it’s the how.
Does it mean that Christopher Nolan is the best director out there? No, but there’s a niche for his films that values the quality and process he pours into his work that makes him unique. As if that wasn’t enough, I just recently discovered that he doesn’t have any formal film education or degree in filmmaking. Mic-drop!
The CGI from the early 2000s used to be considered impressive back then, but now we take it for granted and easily jump to criticize the seemingly low quality effects of contemporary movies. If it’s now perceived as too impressive to be real, it becomes too much, like a superlative that makes you skeptical about the ad you’re watching and trying to nudge you into buying something you don’t need.
“There are usually two different goals in a visual effects movie. One is to fool the audience into seeing something seamless, and that’s how I try to use it. The other is to impress the audience with the amount of money spent on the spectacle of the visual effect, and that, I have no interest in."
— Christopher Nolan
It’s the combination of techniques, narrative, and the ethos behind these decisions that makes him unique.
It’s not the what, it’s the how, but most importantly the why.
Why is this problem relevant?
Why did you use these research methods?
Why were these trade offs necessary to complete the project?
You get the drill.
Use your own voice to tell your unique story
Back to our main topic, case studies are everywhere, but if you want to stand out from the crowd you have to tell your own story that explains why you took the decisions you took along the way. It will make the audience, in this case the hiring managers, better understand your journey and way of thinking.
“This is not actually a story about a project. It’s a story about you, using the project as evidence of how you work and how you think.”
Dan Mall describes it as shooting your shot. Ryan Rumsey explains how your unique leadership storytelling depends on positioning yourself in a way that’s true to you. But one of my favorite takes on this point, comes from Julie Zhuo and what she describes as the “Venn Diagram of Competencies and Interests”, leveraging this clever Venn diagram of a duck to deliver the message:
Let’s use my own context as an example.
I’m sure there are thousands of software designers with background in Graphic Design. There are also thousands of designers out there far more expert than me with Design Systems. I bet millions have taken products from zero to one, many of which have done projects in fast paced environments. On top of that, is almost table stakes that senior designers will be comfortable navigating ambiguous problems and we could make a club with those that enjoy entertainment.
If we analyze each group separately, I doubt I would get to make it at the top of the list. However, if we combine all of these unique skills and context, you can get unique story, like the way I led the Design System initiative at Reelgood to convey entertainment.
Aside from lending the classic SCR storytelling framework as a high level structure and providing key information as an introduction, this case study started as just a simple story, but it was my version of it.
Epilogue
But Laura, you promised that it could be replicated, this feels highly unpractical! Well, I never intended to provide a framework or a step by step guide to crafting a case study, those were my anti goals. If anything, it’s closer to a mindset.
Write case studies that tell your own version of the story: Your journey, the obstacles you overcame, and the decisions you made along the way.
And as a last example:
If your search for “how to write UX case studies” on Google, there are 31.6M results about the topic, but I used my unique voice to blend it with storytelling, cinematography, and even Taylor Swift references alongside with quotes from design leaders. I haven’t done the search query but I’m almost sure it’ll be hard to find another Venn diagram with all of these ingredients in the mix.
If I could write yet another article about design case studies and make it uniquely me, you can do the same with your case study.
Learning shortcuts
How to make a great case study by Jonas Downey
Leveraging storytelling to tell your unique story, from a hiring manager perspective.
Shoot Your Shot by Dan Mall
Just like Stephen Curry, aim to shoot the shot you've practiced hundreds of times to increase the probabilities of scoring.Stand out in a crowded job market and refine your leadership portfolio by Ryan Rumsey
Telling your own story, from the angle of leadership.Candidates, Companies, and the Matchmaking Problem by Julie Zhuo
Instead of checking every item on the list, use the combination of your skills that makes you unique.The case study factory by UX Collective
A comprehensive analysis on the current problem with UX case studies and practical tips to stand out.How to Write a UX Case Study to Showcase Your Skills, Experience, & Process by Sarah Doody
A high-level structure to use as a guideline for your next case study.
It's always more fun to learn with others than doing it alone, so don't hesitate to reach out on Threads @laurieesc if you want to continue the conversation. If this article has been helpful, share it with a friend!
Over and out,
Laura ✌️