Knowledge Exchange and Impact Activity
The Design Society
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Storytelling is essential in design, shaping communication and user experience. Yet, research on storytelling pedagogy remains fragmented and limited in scope, raising questions about its integration into design education to better prepare students for industry demands. Design research calls for greater transparency around the theories and models supporting storytelling, driven by industry shifts from product focus to product experience and storytelling as strategic practice. This paper examines guiding principles for storytelling through a five-year study of 46 student projects with John Lewis and Partners. Projects selected for publication featured stronger storytelling elements like analogy, action-driven narratives, and creative product naming.
Chapter in: Formative Assessment and Feedback in Post-Digital Learning Environments
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An Online Peer Assessment Tool for Embedding Authentic Feedback Literacy contributes to a volume on formative assessment and feedback in post-digital learning environments. We present a structured approach to online peer assessment tailored to the distinct challenges of creative disciplines, where subjectivity often complicates evaluation. By embedding authentic disciplinary experiences, our method supports the development of meaningful feedback literacy. It promotes student engagement, reflection, and agency, encouraging learners to take greater ownership of their educational journey while navigating the complexities of critique and assessment within creative fields.
The Design Society
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This paper presents a research-backed video feedback model designed specifically for product design education, where traditional feedback methods often fall short. Grounded in a robust framework of Realism, Cognitive and Affective Challenge, Evaluative Judgment, and Enacting Feedback, the approach is translated into practical, high-impact features: empathetic, discursive language; clear alignment with assessment criteria; direct visual references to student work; and actionable next steps. Successfully delivered to final-year product design students, the exercise was met with strong engagement and positive feedback. Backed by both quantitative and qualitative data, this model offers a compelling, scalable solution for delivering authentic, meaningful feedback in creative disciplines.
International Association for Design Research
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In my research, I’ve found that building trust in co-design relies on demonstrating ability, integrity, and benevolence. One key way this trust forms is through storytelling between designers and collaborators. I studied eight cases across organisations like IDEO, the NHS, Unilever, and others, analysing interviews with stakeholders. The findings show that real-life stories demonstrate compassion, fostering trust in ability and benevolence. Novel storytelling methods build trust in integrity by meeting expectations for innovation. Humour in stories reveals character, enhancing trust in benevolence. I present these insights as a model to make co-design, a usually instinctive process, more intentional and strategic.
The Design Journal
LinkThis paper explores the evolving intersection of design and storytelling, proposing a shift in focus toward understanding how storytelling approaches influence outcomes in design pitches. Drawing on a literature review, four key impacts - ‘Delivering Understanding’, ‘Demonstrating Value’, ‘Stimulating Critique’, and ‘Encouraging Holistic Thinking’ - guided semi-structured interviews with professionals from Unilever and Accenture. Insights from over fifty design pitches were thematically analysed, revealing strong links between these impacts and specific storytelling strategies, including ‘Acknowledging Cultural Perspectives’, ‘Embracing Diversity’, ‘Detailing Concept Development’, and using ‘Imagery and Analogy’. Findings are synthesised in a practical framework: Design Pitch Storytelling: The Impact-Approach Framework.
Dr David Anthony Parkinson, FHEA
david.a.parkinson@northumbria.ac.uk
I’m an academic specialising in storytelling’s role in new product development (NPD), with over a decade of research into how narrative drives early-stage innovation. My work led to a widely recognised framework and card-based tool that helps NPD teams apply storytelling strategically. At Northumbria University, I embed these insights into the BA (Hons) Product Design curriculum. I have also led postgraduate research in the Department of Design, Arts and Creative Industries for a three year period. Currently, I’m collaborating with industry to develop a digital version of my tool, championing storytelling as a powerful methodology for driving creativity and innovation in design.
Explore the galleries to the left to learn more about my key research endeavors.
Education
Northumbria University
PhD, 2014
Storytelling at the Design Pitch: Relating Approach to Impact
Northumbria University
MA Multidisciplinary Design Innovation, 2009
Distinction
Northumbria University
BA (Hons) Design for Industry, 2008
1st Class Honours
Doncaster Art College
Dip AD, Art and Design
The McAuley High School
4 A-Levels, 2003
A in Art and Design Technology
The McAuley High School
10 GCSEs, 2001
A* in Art and Design Technology
AQA top five in the country award for Design Technology
Employment Northumbria University
Academic, Full-time, Sep 2013-Present
PhD Student, Full-time, Sep 2010-July 2014
Industrial Liaison, Full-time, Mar 2010-Jul 2011
Newcastle upon Tyne, UK
Industrial Designer
Unilever, Part-time, May 2007-Sep 2013
Service Designer
Options UK, Full-time, Jul 2009-Nov 2009
London, UK
Motion Graphic Designer
Greenlight Television, Part-time, May 2007-Sep2007
Isle of Man, UK
Web Animation Designer
Freedom Travel, Part-time, May 2007-Sep 2007
Isle of Man, UK
Industrial Designer
Intex Toy Manufacturer, Full-time, May 2006-Sep2006
Hong Kong, China
Publications
Journal Articles
Bawab, H., Conti, M. & Parkinson, D. (2026). Graphical perspective representation for sketching complex 3D objects that flow around a circle: A systematised review and proposed guidelines. The Design Journal, pp. 1–25 (E-pub ahead of print).
Parkinson, D. & Warwick, L. (2017). Stimulating thinking at the design pitch: Storytelling approach and impact. The Design Journal, 20(Suppl. 1), pp. S4509–S4518.
Book Chapters
Parkinson, D. A. & Parker, M. E. (2025). An online peer assessment tool for embedding authentic feedback literacy in students studying creative subjects. In: Elkington, S. & Irons, A. (eds.), Formative Assessment and Feedback in Post-Digital Environments: Disciplinary Case Studies in Higher Education. London: Routledge, pp. 91–98.
Parkinson, D. (2017). How does storytelling unlock the potentialities of communities; the design-client relationship. In: Bertolotti, E. et al. (eds.), Pearl Diver: The Designer as Storyteller. Milano, pp. 136–143.
Conference Proceedings (Peer-Reviewed)
Parkinson, D. (2025). Towards a storytelling pedagogy for design. In: Bohemia, E., Buck, L. & Grierson, H. (eds.), Proceedings of the 27th International Conference on Engineering and Product Design Education (E&PDE 2025). Glasgow: The Design Society, pp. 1–6.
Parkinson, D. & Forsyth, A. (2024). Authentic video feedback for product design students. In: Kim, J. et al. (eds.), Proceedings of the 26th International Conference on Engineering and Product Design Education (E&PDE 2024). Glasgow: The Design Society, pp. 25–30.
Parker, M. & Parkinson, D. (2022). Embedding authentic feedback literacy in design students: A new model for peer assessment. In: Proceedings of DRS 2022, Bilbao: Design Research Society, pp. 1–15.
Parkinson, D. & Warwick, L. (2020). Establishing trust through storytelling: A model for co-design. In: Evans, M., Shaw, A. & Na, J. (eds.), IASDR 2019 Conference Proceedings: Design Revolutions (Vol. 3: People). Manchester: Manchester Metropolitan University Press, pp. 315–325.
Hewitt, I., Parkinson, D. & Hilton, K. (2017). Animation as a creative tool: Insights into the complex. In: Proceedings of the 5th IASDR World Conference, Cincinnati, USA, 31 Oct–3 Nov. https://doi.org/10.7945/C20Q2C
Parkinson, D. (2016). Engaging design pitches: Storytelling approaches and their impacts. In: Proceedings of the Cumulus Conference, Milan.
Parkinson, D. & Bohemia, E. (2012). Designer storytelling. In: Buck, L. et al. (eds.), Proceedings of the 14th International Conference on Engineering and Product Design Education (E&PDE 2012). Glasgow: The Design Society, pp. 742–747.
Parkinson, D., Bohemia, E., Yee, J. & Smith, N. (2012). Design process and organisational strategy: A storytelling perspective. In: Proceedings of DRS 2012, Bangkok, Vol. 3, pp. 1444–1453.
Parkinson, D. & Bohemia, E. (2012). Developing the design storytelling impact-approach framework. In: Proceedings of the Design Management Institute (DMI) International Research Conference, Boston.
Other Publications
Taylor, L. & Parkinson, D. (2012). The creak of the back gate: Playwriting techniques in a service design concept. Touchpoint, 4(2), pp. 38–41.
Grants
Innovate UK, ICURe Explore (TMF), 2026
Market Exploration, £35,000
Nym: An AI Storytelling Tool for Product Development
Innovate UK, ICURe Discover (TMF), 2026
Market Discovery, £2,500
Nym: An AI Storytelling Tool for Product Development
UK Shared Prosperity Fund, Northern Accelerator, 2025
Proof of Concept Grant for £30,000
Commercialisation of Nym: An AI Storytelling Tool for Product Development
Media
The Audience Connection by Casual, Episode 11 - Guest, 2025
Why good ideas Fail: The Science of Storytelling
Available at: https://www.casualfilms.com/the-audience-connection-podcast-episode-11