This slideshare is adapted from a workshop Awkward Hug ran for the TFI Fellows. The Tribeca Film Fellows program is a 6 week program for NYC high school students age 16-18 who are media makers. We aimed to inspire them with examples of mobile storytelling; and encourage them to experiment and build.

1. MOBILE EXPERIENCES
what they can do for your story
This slideshare is adapted from a workshop run by
Awkward Hug for The Tribeca Film Fellows in April of 2012.

2. Mobile offers a unique storytelling opportunity.
As a tool, phones allow creators to design
experiences that are contextual to the user.

3. A N A T OM Y OF M OB ILE A S A T OOL
Think of your story as inputs and outputs; start by
thinking about user’s actions and desired reactions.
RSS/Social
RSS/Social
Outputs
Audio
Audio
Inputs
Photos
Photos
GPS location
Video
MOBILE
Video
Physicality
SMS
SMS
Time
Time

4. Example: With the Facebook app the inputs are
GPS location (checking in), photo, and video. These
enter the social network’s feed, which is the output.
RSS/Social
RSS/Social
Outputs
Audio
Audio
Inputs
Photos
Photos
GPS location
Video
MOBILE
Video
Physicality
SMS
SMS
Time
Time

5. R OLE OF M OB ILE IN ST OR Y
Tell a Story - Using mobile as the
primary platform for story delivery
Propel Story - Using mobile
as a platform among others
Extend Storyworld - A mobile experience
Role of Mobile in Story
that immerses the user in the storyworld
rather than injecting the user as a character.
Promote - Acts as “bonus”
material for a story’s audience

6. T H E U S E R S R O LE I N T H E S T O R Y
A user can play a variety of roles - the main
character, a character among many, a witness
along for a ride, or an empathetic bystander.
Immersed in Storyworld
Main Character
Relate
YOU
Character

7. case: TELL A STORY
Zombies, Run!

8. Z OM B IE S, R U N !
GPS Location
Audio
Time
Tell a Story Main Character

9. Z OM B IE S, R U N ! GPS Location
Audio
Time
Tell a Story Main Character
“Zombies, Run! is about making the
thrill of running even better with a
game and a story delivered through
your headphones. We’re making
running more fun, more exciting, and
more addictive for everyone... And
Zombies, Run! works anywhere - in a
park, along a beach, in the city, even
on treadmills!”
- Six to Start’s Promo Blurb

10. Gy
da
Ar
be
r
case: PROPEL
Red Cloud Rising

11. R E D C LOU D R ISIN G
SMS
Propel a Story Character

12. R E D C LOU D R ISIN G
SMS
Propel a Story Character
“‘Red Cloud Rising’ is theater outside
the theater. It unfolds like real life,
especially in the way we deal with
people these days, not just in person but
through phone calls, texts and e-mails.
But it is more personally engaging than
traditional theater. You can’t just sit
back and watch (or fall asleep) during
the performance...

13. R E D C LOU D R ISIN G
SMS
Propel a Story Character
In short, the main character in ‘Red Cloud Rising’ is you.”
- New York Times

14. La
nc
e W
eil
er
case: EXTEND
Pandemic 1.0

15. P A N D E M I C 1. 0
GPS Location
Physicality
Photos
Videos
Time
Extend Storyworld Neighbor

16. GPS location
P A N D E M I C 1. 0 Physicality
Photos
Videos
Extend Storyworld Neighbor Time
“A Storyworld experience.”
- Lance Weiler, creator
“unites film, mobile and online
technologies, props, social gaming,
and data visualization...”
– Sundance Film Festival program description.

17. GPS location
P A N D E M I C 1. 0 Physicality
Photos
Videos
Extend Storyworld Neighbor Time
50 phones were circulated throughout the festival in biohazard bags
with the hand cranks to charge them. When activated, the phones
presented a series of morality questions; they were then asked to
"shoot a photo with your eyes closed."
When the phones made their way back to Mission Control, users could
set them on the Microsoft Surface table located in the center of the room
to access the media on the phone.

18. case: PROMOTE
Pretty Little Liars

19. P R E T T Y LI T T LE LI A R S - S M S SMS
Promote Guest
Texts from Pretty Little Liars:
• Remind the audience to
watch; and
• Allow viewers to relate to
the characters

20. P R E T T Y LI T T LE LI A R S - A P P RSS/Social
Promote Guest
The Pretty Little Liars App:
• Viewers have easy access
to story info and;
• Can tout their loyalty by
playing the trivia game
with their friends

21. BUILDING MOBILE
EXPERIENCES
design + process

22. B A S IC M OB ILE /S T OR Y D E S IG N
How involved is your mobile app to your storytelling experience?
Tell a Story Propel Storyline Extend Storyworld Promote
How does your user fit into your story?
Main Character Character Neighbor Guest

23. B A S IC P R OD U C T ION P R OC E S S
• Figure out what you want your mobile
component to do, then explore the features
Design that would best accomplishes this goal
• Check out what other creators have done for
inspiration (always ask how it could have ben
done better)
Prototype Test
• Build a prototype that mimics the actions and
reactions; inputs and outputs (remember, your
prototype doesn’t have to be digital)
• Test, test, test.
• Refine, refine, refine.
Boom!

24. YOU R PR ODU CTION PR OCESS
ARE YOU A
PROGRAMMER?
NO YES
DO YOU KNOW A
PROGRAMMER?
NO YES

25. DO IT THE
HACK IT! TRADITIONAL
User Journey Design WAY
Wireframes
Feature List
Feature List + Stories
Resource Assessment
Prototype
Hack it Together Test
Test Iterate

26. U SE R J OU R N E Y + F E A T U R E LIST
• User Journey: Describe, in words and doodles, what the user will do with your
tool from the time they pick up the phone to the time they put it down
• Feature List: Use this to list each action and reaction... this is what you have to
build (keep it literal)
Example: connect to Facebook, take photos, upload photos, share photos...

27. T I P S F O R U S I N G O N LI N E T O O LS
File Naming
BAD
Good :)
• No Spaces
• No Caps
• Just Underscores
Convert YouTube and Vimeo Videos
to MP4 format fast at keepvid.com

28. 1¢
SM S / CALL-IN - TW ILIO
pe
rS
Twilio makes telling stories with calls and text messages
MS
easy and scaleable or
C all

29. FR
EE
M OB ILE SIT E - G OM O
(fo
GOMO is an easy to use tool that makes an already existing r 1y
site into a super slick looking mobile site.
ea
r)

30. Ki
A N D R OID & iOS A P P B U ILD E R - R E D F OU N D R Y
nd
of
Red Foundry allows you to build your app for free, but you F RE
have to pay to publish it to the iTunes store. E

31. Ki
A N D R OID & iOS A P P B U ILD E R - R E D F OU N D R Y
nd
of
Red Foundry has built software that simplifies the production F RE
process with widgets, or bits of code that already do things and E
can be customized.

32. A N D R OID & iOS A P P B U ILD E R - A P P S B A R FR
EE
FR
AppsBar is the only totally free app building and publishing EE
tool that requires no coding. The trade-off is a limited
FR
ability to customize the look of your app’s interface.
EE

33. A N D R OID & iOS A P P B U ILD E R - A P P S B A R
Be creative with what you have....
Push new content to
{
users with your blog!
RSS Feed
Dynamic
Real-Time Audio
Content
Social Media Feed
Real-Time Video
{
Real-Time Blogging
Photos
Videos Photo + Video Galleries
Static Social Media Pages
Images
Content
Audio Adventures
Audio
Surveys + Forms
Submitted forms are
Text emailed to the creator...

34. YOU R HOSTS
Julie
@awkward_hug Jim
@jimbabb

35. Ok peeps, go make something awesome!
Want to know more about us?
Email: hello@awkwardhug.com