Story+PD: Aspirational future press story

Part of a series at the intersection of Storytelling and Product Development.

I have found it helpful to envision the kind of article that one has been reading in Fast Company or Wired for years: We know how they go: the life of the founder/inventor before their breakthrough insight; the aha moment; the many trials and tribulations to get a working prototype; convincing someone to fund the idea; and on… to the game-changing success in the market. The story arc, with its ups and downs, will feel as familiar, almost formulaic, as a TED Talk but with details changed. Personally I feel it’s incredibly energizing to write it and play it back. But maybe that’s just my inner screenwriter talking. 

TIP: Take an innovation story, or one about vision, impact, or path to market, from almost any Wired or Fast Company published in the last 15 years. Cross out every identifying detail. Make it an outline. Write the story that you want to appear when your product’s success is profiled years from now. It’s going to include some setbacks. And step into it. Look at what you visualized. Ask: What would have to be true… What would need to happen… What would I need to do… to make this part of the story a reality? To bounce back?