You Should be Storyboarding

What is Storyboarding About?

In e-learning, a storyboard is a document or some other type of file that designers can use to describe their e-learning course. It is a layout, much like a blueprint, that organizes elements of the course including goals, navigation, audio, script, images, etc. It allows developers to have a clear picture and understanding of all aspects of their course before building it, and can be used as a communication tool with any stakeholders such as clients, SMEs, colleagues, etc. A script is often part of a storyboard but does not have to be, and is any written narration for the course. It is useful to include this in a storyboard if sharing with stakeholders or anyone else for approval because it may benefit you to receive feedback on its accuracy, relevancy, and content. Even if you’re not sharing it with anyone, writing out your script can also help ensure that you are practicing a conversational tone throughout your course. It also helps you plan and think through the learning process. 

That being said, there’s no reason you would have to always (or ever) create your own storyboard from scratch. Storyboard templates are visual tools that e-learning developers use to create, edit, organize and sequence their learning without having to build it from scratch. Templates are adaptable to unique needs and can speed up the process for storyboarding. 

What Templates Look Like

The awesome thing about templates is that there are all kinds of them, and they are easy to modify for your own needs. This also means that there are different kinds of templates for different projects and contexts.

In this visual storyboard below by Adam Beardslee, there are columns/boxes for the slide scenario, an overview of elements in your slide, asset links, script, and a placeholder for a visual slide preview. On the first page there is also a box to list project timeline milestones and how much time each will take or when you plan to have them completed. 

Based on the blocks that already exist in this template, I could see this template being used for semi-complex projects that need to be well fleshed out before building. There is room for descriptions of all media aspects that may be included in the course, as well as a spot for a preview of the potential screen/slide in the course. This might be useful if your stakeholder is a SME and cares a great deal about the specifics of your information. It may also be useful for someone who needs more visual mapping to organize and understand the information, which pertains to the developer and the stakeholder. Cannon & Harding describe a scenario where a stakeholder may be confused by text heavy storyboards and may need something that can incorporate graphics or examples to provide mental images for them. This template would work for that, but would also work if someone needed to include lots of little details as well.

Not every storyboard is good at delivering everything, so below I list the strengths and weaknesses that I see in this template:

Give it a go

Storyboarding may seem daunting and time consuming, but it could really be a time saver later on in a project. If you're thinking about putting a storyboard to good use or trying if for the first time like me, let me sum up the potential benefits for you: 

• • You are able to get stakeholder buy-in before trying to build a course

  • It is simple and quick to edit

  • It can serve as a backup for information if it is lost in an online authoring tool

  • You can put focus on the content of your course rather than the visual layout, functionality, or media elements

  • It allows you to think through complex topics

If you've got the time and you think your project is right for storyboarding, I'd say there's plenty of reasons to give it a go!