Freytag's Pyramid: Simplify Your Approach to Constructing Persuasive UX/UI Design Case Studies
In the realm of UX/UI design, crafting an effective case study is not just about presenting facts, but also about engaging readers and communicating the design process and its impact in a compelling manner. One way to achieve this is by applying Gustav Freytag's Pyramid structure, a classic dramatic arc that mirrors the narrative flow of traditional storytelling.
The structure consists of five parts: Exposition, Rising Action, Climax, Falling Action, and Resolution.
1. **Exposition (Introduction)** Begin by setting the stage, describing the project background, business context, users, and challenges faced. Explain the problem that the design aimed to solve, creating a baseline understanding for your readers.
2. **Rising Action** Detail the research, insights, and design decisions that build toward a solution. Show how user needs, constraints, and iterations shaped the evolving design, increasing the reader's interest and anticipation.
3. **Climax** Highlight the core design solution or key breakthrough that addressed the main problem. This is the peak of the study where the design impact or innovation is most evident.
4. **Falling Action** Describe the refinement, testing, and implementation stages following the climax, illustrating how feedback was incorporated and challenges overcome.
5. **Resolution (Denouement)** Wrap up with the results, user impact, lessons learned, and potential future improvements. Reflect on how the design achieved its goals or what could be improved next. If possible, include specific business outcomes such as app download numbers and ratings, or increases in a site's conversion rate.
By structuring your case study along these lines, you create a narrative arc that guides the reader through the problem-solving journey in an engaging and logical way, making both the design process and outcomes compelling and memorable.
For those interested in learning more about Freytag's Pyramid, Aristotle's 6 Elements of Drama, Design with Intent, and Visual Storytelling Tools, resources such as MasterClass's definition and Don Norman's course "Design for the 21st Century with Don Norman" are available.
In the 21st century, designers are encouraged to embrace failure and use these structures to craft compelling UX/UI case studies. After all, even if a project does not succeed as planned, it can still be effective if it demonstrates how the designer overcame constraints and challenges to produce the results.
- The project, grounded in the realm of UX design, was initiated within the context of a growing finance business, aiming to enhance user experience on its mobile app. The primary challenge: a dwindling user engagement rate and poor app ratings.
- Our design process embarked on user research, adopting design thinking, delving into interaction design techniques, and understanding the user's journey. This phase focused on uncovering invaluable insights that would form the bedrock of our proposed solution.
- The climax unfolded as we implemented an innovative UX design solution featuring a cleaner UI, simplified navigation, and personalized features tailored to users' preferences. This breakthrough design strategy not only addressed the initial problem but also aligned with the vision of the business.
- Following the implementation, we conduct A/B tests and gather user feedback through surveys and interviews. Our iterative design approach helped refine the product, ensuring a smooth user experience and overcoming numerous challenges along the way.
- In the resolution phase, the redesigned app saw a significant increase in user engagement and app store ratings. Lessons learned underscored the importance of user-centered design, and potential future improvements included expanding the app's capabilities to cater to emerging market trends in technology and business.
