The story mapping approach feels similar to needfinding and empathy mapping, as taught in CS 147 and as part of the design process. Similar to story mapping’s outline using sticky notes, empathy mapping was a similar dump of sticky notes, more focused on things the interviewee said or did during the interview. We then would extrapolate based on those observations and try to understand what they thought or felt (in addition to what they said themselves), unfolding the layers behind the experiences that they shared. Tracing through their story and finding points that we could draw from it is similar to story mapping.
However, story mapping is much more rooted in combining different personas in pursuit of an idea that might help different kinds of people. In the example with Gary and Mad Mimi, the process involved identifying key personas that he thought would like to interact with his idea, and explaining how they might do so in a story. In explaining the story, it helped generate specific details while also cementing the larger picture of why he wanted the idea to happen in the first place.
Needfinding and empathy mapping could certainly connect to story mapping, but it would likely take place before story mapping. Those processes can help craft early personas that could be used in story mapping, while also helping to identify key pain points and potential problems to try to solve. They are more targeted towards finding the value and intent behind an idea, while story mapping helps shape those ideas realistically into the lives of potential users.
