Create an AI-powered interactive story demo

  • 45 minutes

Objective:

Design a short interactive storytelling sequence that features AI-generated character portraits and dynamic dialogue using Microsoft Designer and Azure OpenAI Studio. This activity guides learners through the process of bringing a character to life visually and narratively, then connecting dialogue branches to interactive story choices.

Materials needed:

  • Laptop or desktop with internet access
  • Microsoft Designer access (for character portrait generation)
  • Azure OpenAI Studio access (for dialogue generation and testing)
  • Microsoft PowerPoint or Microsoft Sway (for building an interactive story presentation)

Part 1: Generate a character portrait with Microsoft Designer

  1. Develop a character concept

    • Write a short description of a fictional character (1–2 sentences). Include traits like age, appearance, mood, and setting.
      Example: "A weary knight in her 40s with a scar over one eye, wearing silver armor and standing at a cliff’s edge under a stormy sky."

  2. Open Microsoft Designer

    • Input your character description as a prompt.
    • Refine the prompt by adding style direction (for example, "in storybook illustration style" or "concept art style").
    • Choose your favorite portrait from the generated options.

  3. Download or save the image

    • Keep the portrait ready for integration into your story demo.

Part 2: Build a branching dialogue with Azure OpenAI Studio

  1. Open Azure OpenAI Studio (Chat Playground)

    • Set your system message to define the character’s role and tone.
      Example: "You're a noble knight speaking with humility and wisdom, responding to a traveler who seeks your advice."

  2. Generate dialogue responses

    • Provide user inputs that reflect branching paths (for example, "Why did you become a knight?" or "Will you help me on my quest?")
    • Use the model to generate different responses based on emotion, player alignment, or prior choices.

  3. Create a simple dialogue tree

    • Organize your prompt/response pairs into a visual or written format with 2–3 branches.

Part 3: Present an interactive demo with Microsoft PowerPoint or Sway

  1. Create a visual slide or story flow

    • Insert your character portrait into a slide or Sway card.
    • Display the dialogue tree as clickable buttons or linked text options.

  2. Add narrative context

    • Introduce the scene with 1–2 background slides/cards describing the setting and scenario.

  3. Enable interaction

    • Link each choice to a slide or card showing the corresponding AI-generated response.
    • Encourage viewers to explore different paths.

Expected outcome

Learners produce a short, interactive storytelling prototype that features an AI-generated character portrait and dialogue branches. This activity demonstrates how Microsoft tools can support world-building, character development, and non-linear narrative design in a seamless creative workflow.