ATD Blog
Thu Aug 13 2015
Because everyone can do it differently, there are many definitions of storyboarding. These are from Wikipedia:
"The process of visual thinking and planning allows a group of people to brainstorm together, placing their ideas on storyboards and then arranging the storyboards on the wall. This fosters more ideas and generates consensus inside the group."
"Graphic organizers such as a series of illustrations or images displayed in sequence for the purpose of previsualizing a motion picture, animation, motion graphic, or interactive media sequence, including website interactivity."
Both of those definitions are a mouthful! Let’s see if we can use them to create an easier-to-digest definition. In the first definition, let’s pull out “the process of visual thinking and planning,” and in the second let’s pull out “images displayed in sequence.” Now let’s put them together for a simple definition: “the process of visual thinking and planning displayed in sequence.” Easy enough for e-learning, right?
We’ll spend many hours putting together a storyboard and going through a few review cycles with our clients to get final approval. When we release the first version of the e-learning project, however, the same person or team who approved the project will now have countless changes and ideas. Why? Because there was no visual storyboard to accompany the instructional storyboard, which would have allowed them to physically see what the project would look like and how learners would navigate it.
Again, the art of storyboarding means there is no right or wrong way to do it. However, at a minimum, there should be two documents: one for instructional design and one for visual design. It doesn’t matter if you storyboard the instructional or the visual design of a project first. Remember, it’s a process, not a rule. If you work solo, you may do these simultaneously. If you work on a team, one person may be assigned to write the instruction, while others are responsible for the visual layout. In either case, it is imperative that everyone is in sync with the overall design.
The best analogy for using storyboarding as a tool is a blueprint for a house. Imagine you’re a contractor building a new house and you have the best carpenter, bricklayer, roofer, painters, and so on. You choose the location and have a general idea of what you want it to look like. You start building the foundation, putting up walls, adding a roof, and completing all the details that go into building a house. Then you realize you have an exterior door on the second floor that leads nowhere, a sink installed in a bedroom, and a fireplace with no chimney. How did this happen? If you answered that there were no blueprints for this house, then you are correct.
Now, apply this analogy to an e-learning project for which you have great content, graphic artists, and developers, yet no storyboard. Your e-learning project is bound to have dead ends, endless loops, or a poor visual design. The storyboard is your blueprint. It has all the details and boundaries to keep the project organized and on schedule.
One more note about the art of storyboarding: The meaning of the word art here does not refer to being artistic, but rather the style in which you go about the process. For instance, think of the phrase “the art of cooking.” You can be trained at a prestigious culinary school and understand the science behind the ingredients, but the real art is in blending the flavors and the presentation of the food. The art of storyboarding is the same: you’re blending all the content, assets, instruction, and navigation in a logical, easy-to-understand document or set of documents. The storyboard is a working blueprint, as well as a way to record the overall project for future maintenance.
Whatever your design process, before starting your next e-learning project, consider grabbing a piece of graph paper and a pencil. Put yourself in the shoes of the learner and design the flow of the instruction in a visual context. That simple sketch will be the first step in mapping out your e-learning project.
To learn more about how to effectively storyboard your e-learning courses, join me for ATD's "Essentials of Storyboarding for E-Learning" online course.
You've Reached ATD Member-only Content
Become an ATD member to continue
Already a member?Sign In
More from ATD