Panelist Timothy Parcell spoke Tuesday at SXSW on the topic of experience design. He gave six lessons to the audience through the metaphor of graphic novel artwork and development.

The first two lessons were in brand and design. Parcell said a logo or brand image “has to have a set of values behind it.” It can’t just be a nice image. He also said that an image can say a lot to a person, so its design is important. “You have to get the details right.”

The third lesson was in stories and themes. Simply put, “Tell a great story.” It needs to be simple and it should meet the needs of its audience. Closely related was the fourth area, audience. Parcell stated that it’s important to involve the audience in experience design. “It’s about being a participant, not a spectator.” That’s how you make people true believers.

The final two lessons were in scalability and continuity. It’s important to create scalable design, but changing to scale up can be colorful, fast and even violent. With continuity, Parcell encouraged evolving instead of starting from scratch. To do this well, you have to “ask ‘What can I do where?'” and know the medium(s) you’re working with.

Overall, the comic book comparisons didn’t help me understand the content, but if you’re really into the history of graphic novels, this would have been a fun way to learn about experience design concepts.