Story Design

The Creative Way to Innovate

Today's leaders are under pressure to innovate–or else. Trouble is, they never learned how. Story Design fixes that.

It's the only book that shows you how to design for the future using expertise you already have–narrative intelligence.

“Fusing expertise from documentary storytelling and design science, Story Design is a valuable resource for innovation practitioners, corporate strategists, change agents and any organization or group struggling to change trajectory in a dynamic and uncertain environment.”
–Lara Lee, President, Orchard Supply Hardware (division of Lowe’s Companies, Inc.)

Narrative intelligence is today’s untapped superpower; it’s the fuel that drives our creative and analytical engines. We use it constantly, to make sense of and shape our world. It’s what enables us to imagine new services, analyze experiences, predict customer behavior, test theories, map business model canvases–and much more.

In this practical playbook, Denise Withers shares tools from her thirty-five years of work as a filmmaker, consultant and academic to help you go beyond storytelling and learn how to use story design to create everything from sneakers to strategy. Drawing on real world examples, she shows you how to:

• discover and develop fresh ideas
• create and test breakthrough solutions
• plan and lead innovation ventures.

Narrative intelligence isn’t new. Neither is design. But no one has combined them before to reveal their hidden potential. Whether you’re an entrepreneur running a start-up or a world leader tackling system change, Story Design can help you develop the creativity and design thinking capacity you need to innovate on demand.

----

"Finally. A fresh take on design-driven innovation that is simple, practical and human." –Lara Lee, President, Orchard Supply Hardware (division of Lowe’s Companies, Inc.)

"Behind every great product is a great narrative. In the enjoyable and accessible Story Design, Denise Withers shows how stories work and how to use that knowledge to boost your business.” –Jake Knapp, New York Times bestselling author of “Sprint”.

“Story Design provides a template for innovating by design that helps us forge ahead with confidence in our methods—even when the outcome is uncertain.” –Whitney Johnson, Thinkers50, critically acclaimed author of "Disrupt Yourself"

"While the need for innovation in all areas of human endeavor is undisputed, the ‘how to’ of innovation still remains a mystery to most. Story Design provides a useful guidebook for the innovation process by tapping into the human ability to understand and create stories.” –Anthony Wolf, Vice President of Product Development and Innovation, Canadian Tire Corporation

“Denise Withers shows you how to stay inspired and inspire others, with practical tools and tips to design for real change.” –Jerry Koh, Director of Systems Innovation & MaRS Solutions Lab, MaRS Discovery District

----
Denise Withers launched her story career thirty-five years ago as a white-water filmmaker. After getting her feet thoroughly wet, she landed her first television gig–then spent the next twenty years writing and directing documentaries for Discovery Channel. Ninety stories, eight awards and five continents later, she left the media to earn a Master of Science in design and start her own story studio. Since then, Denise has used story design to lead innovation in health, education and economic development across the Americas. She has worked for 100+ clients from industry, government, academia and not-for-profits. For fun, she races outrigger canoes, hikes with her dogs and starts campfires in the rain. www.denisewithers.com