#4. Engage your audience with non-linear storytelling
According to Aristotle, storytelling is a straightforward sequence of cause and effect. His three-act structure underlines this narrative aspect.
However, artists and directors have worked in many different ways to create non-linear stories that hook the reader or viewer.
The power of non-linear storytelling
When I’m asked to talk about the power of non-linear storytelling, two movies I usually mention are Prestige by Christopher Nolan and Donnie Darko by Richard Kelly.
Both of these movies use non-linear storytelling by twisting the timeline for different reasons.
Christopher Nolan creates mystery around the figures of two magicians, while Kelly's non-linear approach creates an intense and dramatic atmosphere.
(Be aware: the following image contains movie-spoilers!)
The narrative structure of Donnie Darko: Richard Kelly's non-linear approach creates an intense and dramatic atmosphere.
In Prestige, we are asked to solve a case as the story starts at the end, with one of the two magicians in jail for homicide. In Donnie Darko, we are on the edge of our seats watching the protagonist go through different, often hair-raising, scenes. Come the end, the audience is asked to connect the dots of the story (read about the 2+2 theory by Andrew Stanton) to make sense of it (and I can tell you that my friends and I all have different theories!)
Non-linear storytelling for digital products
In the digital world, we can build a page or a set of steps to move the user through a specific path. But the reality is that the interconnected digital world promotes non-linear navigation as an enthralling way to explore, keep the user intrigued, and eventually complete a task.
Let's analyse two ways to effectively use non-linear storytelling in our digital products, through illustrative examples.
Non-linear visual and spatial storytelling
The website Dolce Beauty presents the new perfumes from the Italian brand Dolce and Gabbana in a very unusual way. Connected to the brand and its roots, the user is invited to explore a beautifully designed map of Rome whilst ‘riding’ a Vespa.
To enhance the non-linear storytelling experience, the user is provided with different ways to navigate the map (through scrolling, with arrows) and adapt their navigation (by zooming in at key points).
Each of the four hotspots on the map can be discovered in a different sequence until they are all unlocked. The steps lead to four different outputs or actions (discover the perfumes, download an IG filter, or listen to their Spotify playlist) that can be followed. Once opened, the pages bring the user to a linear storytelling page that can be closed to return to the map at any time.
The website Dolce Beauty: each of the four hotspots on the map can be discovered in a different sequence until they are all unlocked.
The formula
Users can uncover different parts of a story by freely navigating its space. Usually, different tools or methods are provided to navigate the space to provide flexibility (for example, different viewports) and a consistent experience – especially when using different media.
Best suited for
VR/AR products or to explore infographics and maps.
Ideal to achieve
Immersive storytelling experiences
The inclusion of different outcomes
Product promotions and discovery
Don't use it when
We want the user to perform actions in order and/or achieve particular outcomes (in this case, it could be that we want the user to buy a specific perfume).
Avoid
Giving a hint of non-linear visual and spatial storytelling, when we actually mean to guide the user through a linear narrative, like this website and also this one.
Both sites give the impression that the user can navigate the space (due to their gamified appearance) but when we look closer, we see it is locked to follow a specific narrative structure.
Non-linear, community-driven storytelling
Working with not-for-profit organisations tends to set me off on a quest! I want to understand how the web can become a place where stories can be shared, in a way that the same audience is involved and each member’s contribution impacts others.
This non-linear technique is powerful, and widely used by many social platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok. But can we use it to create a different impact in society? To support a particular cause?
The website Give a Hand is a project that trains and makes better AI models to create new learning methods and real-time translation tools for Sign Language. Behind the website is the American Society for Deaf Children. So, by using the increasing interest in AI, the organisation uses non-linear, community-driven content to create a movement around a real problem.
Navigation-wise the website is linear, but the way the content is created and released is not, because it is influenced by other people's interactions with the website and their own content. I also noticed how, not having any control over the quality of the content submitted, all pictures use a blue and red filter that gives a consistent aesthetic without disrupting the overall look of the site.
The website Give a Hand AI: Navigation-wise the website is linear, but the way the content is created and released is not, because it is influenced by other people's interactions with the website and their own content.
The Formula
The user generates content and can contribute with their own stories or perspectives, creating a rich, multi-faceted narrative.
It is best suited for
Highly interactive products with social impact or platforms that promote artistic expression through a specific technology.
Ideal to achieve
Meaningful and authentic interactions with an audience
Sharing of different points of view around a specific theme
Placement of your brand as a supporter of a social cause
In Apps driven by user-created content
Don't use it
When the content can be controversial and can't be moderated, or when we wish to control the aesthetic look of the platform, which can be significantly altered by user-published content.
Avoid
Making people think that they can contribute to the content of the page, when in reality access is limited or behind account creation. Example: this AI-generated website for music that seems to help you personalise the content on the wheel by adding your own playlist, but is merely an entry point to the platform.
Takeaways
Non-linear storytelling is not for everyone and not for every project. This is why I have offered certain formulae to help you decide how and when to use them.
It is a technique that, by altering the way the audience navigates and interacts with a project, can help you craft engaging and impactful narratives that challenge user complacency.
It can be used to create suspense, or add drama and mystery exactly as it does in books and movies, leaving a lasting impression in the mind of the audience even after their interaction is concluded.
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