Abstract:
This paper seeks to explain the creative project created to apply design thinking
techniques to narrative constructs by exploring several published articles and other works that
explain the field of design thinking, as well as materials that help better the understanding of
storytelling. These are then applied to the data collected as part of the creative project for the
purpose of determining if the application was successful. Following several studies from the
origins of the design thinking concept as described in Simon (1969), to more current publications
like that of Conklin, Basadur, & VanPatter (2007), which speak to the field's applications to other
industries, a method of combining the two fields can be derived. To do so, this paper examines
the theories presented in Brown (2009) as well as complimentary works such as Kelly, & Littman
(2005) and Stewart (2010) to increase the knowledge of how design thinking can be applied to
the art of narrative environment construction, an ever-expanding form of storytelling. It then
covers the process of applying the design approach to digital storytelling. The creative project
uses a combination of game elements married with design concepts, as well as cross-platform
media to construct a trans-medial narrative-based environment. This environment was facilitated
by the physical space of the game as well as an online environment derived from the website
designed for the game. The data was then reviewed to see what results design thinking methods
applied to the environment held.
