“I’m retelling the hero myth in my own way, and you should feel free to do the same. Every storyteller bends the mythic pattern to his or her own purpose or the needs of a particular culture.”(pp. 7)
I appreciated it because to shows the value of studying the Hero’s Journey - it will enrich your own stories because your audience will be able to relate to the story and identify with the character. They will be able to personalize it and learn how to operate in the story of their own life. This quote was also helpful regarding the stories I’m trying to wright - user stories and scenarios. They will be more affective at informing the design of a product of I consider deeply what the user’s ordinary world is, what their new world is, what their inmost cave is, what their ordeal is…etc. Perhaps stakeholders and other people I might be trying to persuade of some design decision will be more compelled by a story that follows the Hero’s Journey.
“Movies are often built in three acts, which can be regarded as representing I )the hero's decision to act, 2 ) the action itself, and 3 ) the consequences of the action.”(pp. 12)
This is another helpful way to frame my user journeys. The action itself should be the user’s interaction with the product, service, or experience. Maybe it can be contrasted with a negative previous experience without the product. The consequences of the action should be positive results of the use of the product.
“Here the fortunes of the hero hit bottom in a direct confrontation with his greatest fear.”(pp. 14)
I imagine that in a user story, this is ‘The Ordeal’ is the moment when the effectiveness of the product is demonstrated because it gets the user through the ordeal. A user’s ordeal can be navigating a typically confusing website interface, reading a typically confusing instruction manual, or - here’s a common one - having to call customer service. My question is, how do you demonstrate what the user fears? Is there enough room in a user story to show negative past experiences?
