Plot Character Theme Diction

Melody Décor Spectacle

Create a Compelling UX Case

Study with Aristotle’s 7
Elements of Storytelling
To create an engaging UX case study for your design portfolio, you must craft a story around your
design project. An effective way to plan your case study to tell a compelling story is to use
Aristotle’s 7 elements of storytelling. First published in his work Poetics (c. 335 BCE), the 7
elements are, ranked according to their importance:

1. Plot

2. Character

3. Theme

4. Diction

5. Melody

6. Décor

7. Spectacle

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Go through each of Aristotle’s 7 elements of storytelling before you create your UX case studies.
Let’s do that now!

1. Plot: The Story Your UX Case Studies and

Portfolio Tell
Aristotle regarded plot as the most important element, and for good reason. Plot is what happens
in a drama—for instance, a tragic plot tells the story of a hero’s downfall. A bad plot can spoil an
otherwise good drama—and the same is true of UX case studies. Your UX case studies, and by
extension your portfolio, should tell a relevant and compelling plot about yourself.

2. Character: Your Role and How You Work with

Others
In a drama, the main character serves the plot with the help of supporting characters. The main
character, according to Aristotle, should be good, appropriate and consistent. Good: That is, you
should showcase your craft in design. Appropriate: You should display a level of expertise that
makes sense. For instance, you cannot claim to have led a team of designers when you’re a junior
UX designer. Consistent: You should play a consistent design role throughout all UX case studies.

3. Theme: The Context of Your Project

Theme refers to the setting or context in a Greek drama. Just like in a drama, you have to set the
scene in your UX case studies.

Provide readers with your project’s context: your main goals, the obstacles you faced and your
motivations that explain why you took on the project. You’ll help your readers understand your
project better and create a compelling purpose around your case study.

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4. Diction: Your Tone of Voice

To Aristotle, diction (or dialogue) is the way the characters speak to each other. Audiences can tell
a lot about a character from that person’s tone of voice.

In the same way, your diction or writing style influences your UX case studies’ reading experience.
Master how to write effectively. Use plain English, avoid technical terms and choose a friendly but
professional tone of voice to help recruiters appreciate your UX case studies.

5. Melody: Rouse the Emotions of Your Reader

Actors often perform musical choruses in a Greek play. These choruses—or the melody—reflect the
average person’s emotional response to the characters’ actions.

In your UX case studies, melody relates to how you stir up the emotions of the reader. Your case
study is not a factual report, but a story to get a recruiter interested enough to meet you. Don’t be
afraid to let your emotions shine through in your UX case studies. Show your passion. Melody can
reinforce your case studies’ theme—your project goals and obstacles should be charged with
emotion, just like in real life.

6. Décor: The Look and Feel of Your UX Case

Studies
In plays, décor refers to stage design. In your UX case studies, it refers to the visual design of each.

Your portfolio is a designed product, so it should look and feel good. Use images of your works in
progress to tell your story. Make sure your portfolio has readable text. Your portfolio should be
usable, effective and pleasant.

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7. Spectacle: The Wow Factor

To Aristotle, the spectacle of a drama is least important. A story’s talking point, wow factor or plot
twist will let audiences remember it, but it alone will not make a good play.

Incorporate spectacle into your UX case studies if possible, but never do this at the expense of the
six other elements of your story. You can create a spectacle through an unexpected user insight, a
massively successful outcome or a thoughtful lesson learnt.

Checklist of Questions to Ask Yourself

We’ve prepared a worksheet that you can print out and fill in to make sure that you’ve properly
applied all 7 of Aristotle’s storytelling elements.

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Worksheet: Checklist of Questions to Ask Yourself

1. Plot: The Story of Your Case Studies
What plot do you want to tell? What’s your story—from a career perspective?

Do your UX case studies tell the same story about yourself, or do they contradict one another?
If they contradict one another, then angle them so they don’t or delete the case studies which
send mixed signals.

Yes (great!) No (work on changing your case studies)

Which past projects should you choose to tell the plot you want your recruiters to see?

1.
2.
3.

2. Character: Your Role and How You Work with OThers

What role do you play in the design process? Are you a UX generalist who covers the entire
design process, or a specialist such as a UI designer?

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Do you play the same role in all your UX case studies? If not, which case studies can you tweak
or remove so that you play a consistent role?

How does your “character” interact and work with other “characters”? Is there conflict or
harmony?

Who else should you include in your case study? Who are the important co-contributors (or
even leaders) you should acknowledge?

3. Theme: The Context of Your Project

What’s your main goal in the project?

What are your main obstacles that you had to overcome?

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Why did you take on the project? Why are you proud of it?

Remember to set the stage early—lay out your theme in the beginning of your UX case studies!

4. Diction: Your Tone of Voice

What is your tone of voice, and is it appropriate for a case study?

Can you avoid technical terms? If you need to include them in your case study, can you explain
them?

Which parts of your case study can you convert into bulleted or numbered lists?

Remember to triple check your case study for spelling and grammatical errors!

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5. Melody: Rouse the Emotions of Your Reader

How do you show not only your technical expertise but also your passion in design?

Can you insert a hook in your UX case studies to draw the reader in?

Remember to show your emotional journey throughout your projects, too!

6. Décor: The Look and Feel of Your UX Case Studies

Remember to take lots of photos and screenshots of your works in progress, so you can use
them in your UX case studies! If not, perhaps you can easily reconstruct some of the
processes.

Do your projects contain sensitive information?

Yes (get clearance to use them in your case study, or show only non-sensitive parts)

No (so far, so good)

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7. Spectacle: The Wow Factor

Does your project contain any unexpected “plot twists” that forced you to change direction? If
so, you could use this to create a sense of spectacle.

Did you achieve an impressive result? If you won an award, achieved commercial success or
generated great reviews, highlight it in your case study.

Did your project end in a relative failure or lukewarm response? If so, turn it into a learning
point. Earnest reflection can be a spectacle, too.

Do your elements of spectacle interfere with your story? For instance, will you withhold key
information just to deliver a “plot twist”?

Yes (remove the spectacle, so you can tell your story well!)

No (great!)

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Do you want to learn more?
Learn how to use this template to your best advantage in our online course How to Create a UX
Portfolio. Sign up for it today and learn how to create and improve your UX portfolio if you haven’t
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