ABSTRACT
In a world that is continually fighting for our engagement, designers are faced with the challenge of piercing through to the hearts and minds of their end users in order to provide the ultimate in user experience. Traditional storytelling is no longer enough and so experiences must stretch beyond the limits of the status quo—simply exiting through the gift shop is no longer enough. Rather, stories must take on a life of their own. This essay looks at examples from the themed attraction industry that have established new standards in creating a space for user agency and then explores what it looks like to establish a new way of making. “Storyliving: A Creative Process“ is a case study in what it means to apply user agency to the designer in a way that allows the interaction between artist and art to influence the creative process itself.
