I finally picked up a book that had been sitting on my shelf for ages—ended up reading it in one go. Storytelling by Ellen Lupton. Beautifully written, engaging, and oddly familiar. As I was going through it, something clicked - Cinderella's emotional journey - it felt like my folklore lectures back at university. Why haven't I connected the two is beyond me. The way stories shape understanding, guide emotions, and make complex ideas accessible... it’s exactly what UX should do too.
Storytelling is an ancient practice, deeply embedded in human culture. Long before written language, stories were passed down through oral traditions, shaping collective knowledge, morals, and social structures. Folklore, myths, and traditional narratives have not only entertained but also guided decision-making and problem-solving for generations. In the digital age, these principles remain just as relevant—especially in user experience (UX) design, where engagement, clarity, and emotional connection are paramount.
Storytelling as a Tool for Understanding
Folklore is more than just entertainment; it serves as a way to make sense of the world. Whether through fables that teach moral lessons or legends that preserve cultural identity, storytelling structures information in a way that is easy to understand and remember. After all, in many legends lies a small portion of historical factuality. Of course transformed and changed throughout time - every storyteller added something from them or misunderstood or what ever happed down the road - but the main act was often kept.
In UX design, storytelling plays a similar role. When designing a product or service, the goal is not just functionality but also emotional resonance. Designers must craft user journeys that make sense, resonate with emotions, and guide users intuitively—just as a well-told story does. And somewhere down the road the user will change the way they use the product, add something from themselves, miss-communicate it... but keep the main purpose (hopefully). It's like playing telephone, but with a digital product and thousands of users.
Narrative Structures in UX
Traditional storytelling often follows recognizable structures, such as the hero’s journey, which takes a character through trials and transformations before reaching resolution. UX design can mirror these structures by guiding users through a logical, engaging process:
The Beginning (Introduction): The user lands on a website or app, encountering the interface for the first time. Just as a story sets the stage, the design must provide clear context and intuitive navigation.
The Middle (Challenge & Exploration): The user engages with the interface, interacting with features, learning how to use the product, and overcoming small obstacles (e.g., filling out forms, making choices, adjusting settings). Effective UX ensures that this stage remains smooth and engaging rather than frustrating.
The End (Resolution & Reward): The user successfully completes their goal—whether making a purchase, finding information, or accomplishing a task. Like a good story, the experience should leave a lasting impression. In fairy tales, 'happily ever after' is a grand finale. In UX, sometimes it’s just a well-placed button that makes everything fall into place—no magic wand required.
Emotional Engagement and Trust
Folktales often evoke strong emotions, which make them memorable. They use archetypes (the wise elder, the trickster, the hero) that resonate across cultures. UX design similarly relies on emotional triggers—color psychology, micro-interactions, and tone of voice—to create a connection between users and the product.
For example, onboarding experiences can use elements of storytelling to create a sense of familiarity and trust. Apps like Duolingo use friendly, character-driven narratives to keep users engaged, just as oral traditions often use repeated motifs to reinforce lessons. Sometimes, I wonder if error messages are just modern-day dragons, guarding the digital castle.
The Power of Oral Traditions
Oral storytelling traditions prioritize clarity, repetition, and simplicity to ensure messages are understood and retained. UX designers can apply these principles by creating intuitive interfaces, avoiding information overload, and making user flows easy to follow.
Consider the way folktales often repeat key phrases (“Mirror, mirror on the wall…”). This repetition reinforces understanding and expectation. In UX, consistency in design elements (icons, buttons, interactions) provides similar cognitive reinforcement, making navigation more intuitive. Like a digital chorus, repeating the same visual tune.
Cultural Sensitivity and Inclusive Design
Folklore is deeply tied to cultural identity, and the way stories are told varies across regions. A UX approach that respects these different narratives leads to more inclusive design. Take storytelling structures, for example. Western narratives often follow a straight path—beginning, middle, end—while many Indigenous and Eastern traditions embrace a more cyclical approach, where events are interconnected and ongoing. Now, imagine forcing a linear story structure onto someone who naturally thinks in circles. It wouldn’t just feel unnatural—it would be a UX disaster.
Western storytelling is built on a clear cause-and-effect progression, and this mindset often carries over into digital design. We see it in step-by-step onboarding, structured checkout flows, and hierarchical website navigation. It’s straightforward and familiar—but not universal. In many Indigenous and Eastern traditions, time and events are seen as part of a continuous cycle rather than a straight path to an endpoint. These worldviews emphasize repetition, connection, and fluidity, shaping how people process information and interact with their surroundings—including digital interfaces.
This difference matters. A rigid, linear design might feel frustrating or counterintuitive to users who are used to a more interconnected way of thinking. They might expect to explore content freely rather than follow a set sequence. Even design elements like navigation structures, interaction patterns, and microcopy carry cultural assumptions that can either support or alienate different user groups. To design truly inclusive experiences, we need to step beyond our own cultural biases. That means researching different perspectives, working with local experts, and creating flexible interfaces that accommodate diverse ways of thinking. Instead of assuming a one-size-fits-all approach, we should design for both linear and non-linear exploration, allowing users to interact with content in ways that feel natural to them.
Designing Stories for Users
When UX designers infuse the magic of folklore and storytelling into their work, they create experiences that go beyond functionality—they become captivating, meaningful, and effortlessly intuitive. Stories invite users to connect with a product, understand its purpose, and navigate it with ease. Whether through narrative-driven designs, micro-interactions that evoke emotion, or interfaces shaped by cultural wisdom, storytelling is a powerful force in crafting user experiences. Just as timeless stories echo through generations, well-crafted UX—grounded in human-centered storytelling—ensures that digital products are not only lasting and accessible but also transformative.
