Narrative and design

The following are quotes and notes from an article about:
"Humanizing design through narrative inquiry."
"The field of design has a long history of using narrative metaphorically - that is creating designs that tell a story..."
This article argues that:
"... narratives nurture responsivness on the part of the designer, encouraging them to:
1. shift their focus from the product to the person
2. embrace multiple veiwpoints outside their own"
The article also discusses the inportance of narrative:
"narratives or stories are more than mere child's play; they are a way of making sense of the world around us and our role in it."
storytelling "organizes raw experiences into memories, and gives meaning to human experience."
"stories allow designers to set goals that reach well beyond aesthetic intervention, to include the intangible, emotive design attributes that are often difficult to represent through more traditional methods."
Narrative used metaphorically, and used to inform the design process. A way of getting a deeper understanding of the context and individual for whom you're designing. My postcard research into the types of bags people use and the objects they carry in them has been a way for for me to do this. I now plan to feed this research, these stories, into my design process.

References:
Danko, S. Meneely, J. Portillo, M. 2006. 'Humanizing design through narrative inquiry'. In: Journal of Interior Design, 31 no 2.