Storyboarding Essentials

Storyboards are more than design documents — they're powerful learning roadmaps. Many people see storyboards as just a collection of visuals. But they’re actually your secret weapon for designing impactful learning experiences. Here’s how to make storyboards that truly drive learning: 1️⃣ Align with objectives   → Don't just list topics.   → Match each slide to specific outcomes. 2️⃣ Know your audience → 2020: One-size-fits-all content. → 2025: Personalized learning paths. 3️⃣ Structure for success   → Break content into digestible chunks.   → Use consistent templates across modules. 4️⃣ Detail each slide   → Include visuals, text, interactions.   → Leave nothing to interpretation. 5️⃣ Visualize the journey   → Show how learners navigate the content.   → Use flowcharts to map decision points. 6️⃣ Plan for engagement   → Static slides are dead.   → Design interactions that spark thinking. 7️⃣ Integrate accessibility   → It's not an afterthought.   → Plan for diverse needs from the start. 8️⃣ Embed assessments   → Sprinkle in knowledge checks.   → Reinforce learning at every step. 9️⃣ Collaborate and iterate   → Involve SMEs, designers, developers early.   → Refine based on real-time feedback. 🔟 Version control is crucial   → Label clearly (v1.0, v1.1, v2.0).   → Track changes meticulously. Storyboards aren't just about layout. They're about crafting experiences. Master this approach: → Boost engagement → Improve retention → Generate tangible results What's your storyboarding strategy?

💡 Storyboard vs user story: when and how to use 🍎 Storyboard Storyboarding involves creating a sequence of illustrations that represent how users interact with a product. It's like creating a comic strip that narrates the user's journey, showing each step they take to achieve a goal. When to use: ✔ Early stages of product development: Storyboarding is ideal during the initial phases of project planning and design when you need to visualize the future interaction with a product. ✔ Complex interactions: Good for projects involving intricate UIs or complex workflows. ✔ Team brainstorming: Storyboarding is useful in team settings when discussing potential user scenarios. How to use: ✔ Identify key scenarios: Determine the primary use cases or user journeys that need visualization. ✔ Sketch scenes: Draw or create scenes depicting each step of the user journey. This can be done with pen & paper, whiteboards, or in Sketch or Figma. ✔ Add details: Include necessary details such as user actions, system responses, and contextual info. Always keep the user’s perspective in mind. Consider their goals, motivations, and challenges. ✔ Keep it simple: Focus on clarity and simplicity. Avoid overloading scenes with too much detail. ✔ Use annotations: Add notes or annotations to provide additional context or explain specific interactions. ✔ Be open to changes and revisions: Storyboards are a tool for exploration and communication, not final designs. 🍏 User story User stories are simple, concise descriptions of a product's functionality from the perspective of an end user. They help bridge the gap between stakeholders and development teams by focusing on user needs and desired business outcomes. User story format: As a [type of user], I want [action] so that [benefit]. As a fitness enthusiast, I want to track my daily workouts so that I can monitor my progress over time. When to Use: ✔ Throughout the dev cycle: User stories are used consistently throughout the development process to define product requirements from the user’s perspective. ✔ Backlog prioritization: To help prioritize features and development tasks based on user needs and business value. How to use: ✔ Create user stories: Write user stories in the format provided above. ✔ Define clear acceptance criteria to specify what needs to be done for the story to be considered complete. This helps ensure the feature meets user expectations. ✔ Prioritize stories: Organize the user stories based on priority, user needs, and business value. Prioritize stories that deliver the most significant user & business impact first. ✔ Plan & implement: Use user stories to plan sprints, assign tasks to team members, and track progress. 🔨 Tools: ✔ Storyboard toolkit from IBM https://lnkd.in/daanNx6q ✔ Storyboard mix-and-match library (by Lucian Popovici)  https://lnkd.in/dsHt-eNR #UX #design

As a B2B creator myself, I always start by storyboarding my content. Visually outlining all the elements—shots, graphics, scripts—makes filming much smoother later. I used to jump into recording, but taking that extra planning time (usually only 30-60 minutes) pays off tremendously in better quality and fewer do-overs. Now, my average project time is down 30%, and I can reuse templates across videos. The post I'm sharing (🔗⬇️) outlines a few easy storyboard formats that organize your ideas visually: ➤ two-column scripts ➤ whiteboards ➤ video canvases I tend to whiteboard first to nail down the concepts, then document them in my Video Script Maker™. Another pro tip: If possible, build your storyboards right in your editing platform, I usually do this in Ecamm (h/t Ecamm Network, LLC). That way, you transition seamlessly from organizing to filming, as everything is right there. Storyboarding was a game changer for my process, and I've been teaching all of my clients how to do the same. If you want to improve video results and efficiency, I highly recommend checking out the post and trying it yourself! Do you have any pro tips to share? #b2bcreator #videomarketing #videocoach

It's not until you see your name cited in an older article that it dons on you that you've been talking about the benefits of storyboarding for 12 years. "...Similar to supporting students in acquiring academic writing skills, guidance in producing a successful video assignment is helpful (RRU Library, 2015). Storyboarding is likely the simplest and most important support structure for video assignments (Kay, 2014; Lim et al., 2009; Marks & Thomas, 2014; Thorn, 2011)." I realize some people do not value the storyboarding process, but if we can remember that it is a process and not one single tool, template, or model, the storyboarding process has more benefits than not. Storyboarding is a design map of instructions that guide development. One analogy is like a recipe for a cake. Someone designed the recipe (instructional designer). That person or someone else will bake the cake (developer). The storyboard, the recipe in this analogy, included all the necessary instructions, preparation, ingredients (assets), and estimated time to complete. Assuming the person baking the cake is not the same person who designed the recipe, that person would source all the ingredients (photos, graphics, audio, etc.) before assembly. Not following the recipe (storyboard), errors are likely to occur in development or may result in a less-than-desired outcome. Another analogy is like an architect's blueprint. The architect (instructional designer) designs the building. The contractor (developer) reads the blueprint to build the building. The key to this analogy is that a well-designed blueprint does not require the architect to be on-site to explain how to read their design to the contractor. In a perfect world (that does not exist), a well-designed storyboard would be agnostic to any development method (e.g., tools), and any developer would not need to ask the designer for clarification. To achieve that perfect world is a process in practice. Start somewhere, refine, adjust, tweak, and create a storyboarding process that fits in "your" world and workplace environment. I can safely promise that adopting this mindset in your storyboarding efforts will save oodles of time! #learninganddevelopment #elearning #storyboarding