Storytelling
The good story
December 12, 2023
Every story should start with a good introduction and end with an outro that leads to the next point. Between the intro and outro lies the most important part: the story itself. The story should have the right length, involve the senses, be consistent with the other stories, and be interactive.
Through dialogue with users, we have learned that they do not want to listen for too long at a time. Therefore, we recommend that each story is a maximum of 4 minutes long, including intro and outro.
We have also learned that most users prefer to walk or sit down while listening.
In a StoryHunt about H.C. Andersen, which takes place in Frederiksberg Garden, the user comes across some benches halfway through the tour. Here we encourage them to sit down like this:
If you need a break, feel free to sit on one of the benches in front of you while listening. Otherwise, just follow the path...
Good timing is required when the user needs to walk and listen. Learn more about sitting down or walking while listening.
We are sensory beings and are more easily absorbed in a story if our senses are activated. Therefore, we recommend actively involving the senses in your story.
For example, if you're telling something historical, you can describe what the place smelled like, what sounds were present, what people ate at that time, and how it tasted. This activates the user's various senses and anchors the story better. The more senses involved, the easier it is for the user to immerse themselves in the atmosphere and mood of what is being described.
When it comes to involving the senses, we also recommend that you use the surroundings in which the story takes place. Are there specific smells, sounds, or taste experiences present that you can include? If possible, we also recommend incorporating objects in the cityscape that exist in the story. It could be a statue or a building. Incorporating objects that the user can sense and that also exist in the story can contribute to a higher degree of immersion.
Make sure to have a consistent theme or a narrative that runs across the individual stories. The theme should create curiosity and interest. Narratives should be relevant, driven by tension, and include characters.
The red thread involves making choices. It can sometimes be tempting to include all facts, but here it's important that we stick to the story we want to tell. For example, if we have based our story on a person or a period, we should stick to it and avoid digressions. The history of the Town Hall might be interesting, but if we're telling about Dan Turèll, it's his relationship to the place that matters.
If the user wants to know everything about everything, Wikipedia is a better tool than StoryHunt.
The purpose of StoryHunt is to tell a coherent story that provides the user with knowledge and entertainment at the same time. A good tour leaves the user feeling that they have learned something while having fun.
A simple way to create a red thread is through chronology. Whether our story is about a period, a theme, a person, or something else, chronology can help users understand a development more intuitively. In other words, it often makes sense to start at the beginning and end at the end.
In a StoryHunt about Dan Turèll, we focus on the author's life and tell about his relationship to the surroundings. Despite including multiple narrators, angles, and periods, Dan Turèll is the red thread in the story from start to finish. We tell his story chronologically, giving the user an intuitive walkthrough that is easy to understand and remember.
Interactive elements can help activate and engage your users. Through StoryHunt Creator, you have the opportunity to make images pop up for the user at a specific point in the audio, which can support your storytelling. Learn how to use images with sound.
Another way to involve the user is through quizzes. You have the opportunity to add one quiz to each story. Learn how to create a good quiz.
When you have created a good story, it's time to lead to the next story through an outro. Learn how to create a good outro.
To get started with creating self-guided tours, we recommend these introductory articles.
Creating great tours is all about storytelling. Learn the basis from the articles below.
Learn about the different features that will enable you to create great tours - from using images to pop up during audio to advanced features like AI.
