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From Journey to Narrative

Overview

Experience Notation provides a rich, structured representation of user journeys. With large language models (LLMs), you can convert these formal models into engaging narratives, first-person stories, or UX case studies.

This guide explains how to prompt LLMs to generate natural language outputs based on .expn journeys, maintaining fidelity to personas, context, and emotional tone.

Why Generate Narratives from .expn?

  • Translates structured design into human-readable form
  • Useful for stakeholders, usability reporting, or storytelling
  • Captures the lived experience from the perspective of defined personas
  • Helps explore emotional and behavioural impact

Prompt Strategy: Convert Journey to First-Person Story

Provide the LLM with a valid Experience Notation file and ask it to retell the journey from the perspective of one of the defined personas.

Example Prompt: Journey to Narrative

Below is an Experience Notation journey. Write a short first-person story from the point of view of the persona involved in the steps.

Experience Notation:

Persona: Returning Customer
  Traits: { loyalty=medium, patience=low }
  Experience: Wants a quick resolution after recent issues

Event: Reopen Account
  Step: Visit site
    User: Returning Customer
    Action: Opens the homepage
    UI-Element: Home

  Step: Enter credentials
    User: Returning Customer
    Action: Types username and password
    UI-Element: Login Form

  Step: Locked out
    User: Returning Customer
    Action: Encounters account lock message
    UI-Element: Modal Dialog

  Step: Contact support
    User: Returning Customer
    Action: Sends support request
    UI-Element: Contact Form

  Step: Receives email
    User: Returning Customer
    Action: Gets response with unlock link
    UI-Element: Email

Expected Output

"I just wanted to check my order status, but when I logged in, I was locked out. The warning popped up without explanation. I felt frustrated — I’ve had issues before. I used the support form, hoping someone would respond quickly. Thankfully, an email arrived not long after with a link. At least this time it worked."

Tips

  • Include only the relevant persona’s actions and traits
  • Maintain first-person voice and align tone with Experience: and Metrics: fields
  • Remove technical syntax from the prompt (e.g., block headers) if needed for more natural phrasing
  • Encourage storytelling that maps step-by-step onto the journey

Extended Use: Generate Summaries for Stakeholders

In addition to stories, you can prompt the model to generate:

  • Executive summaries of the journey
  • Persona-specific walkthroughs
  • Narrative UX case studies

Prompt Example: Generate an Empathy-Focused Summary

Here is an `.expn` journey. Summarise the user's experience with empathy, highlighting their emotional reactions at each step.

[Insert Experience Notation content here]

This concludes the AI & LLM Integration section. Return to the Tutorials to explore more foundational modelling examples.