A lot has been said about storytelling as a design technique. Stories can inspire. They can help a team understand context and intent. They can help everyone think from the perspective of your customers and users.
But what does that mean? Sit around the campfire terrifying each other with graphic descriptions of table-based web layouts or steal the show with a gripping tale of survival trapped for weeks in a vestibule by Norman doors? Um, no. It’s a lot more practical than that.
Part talk, part hands-on workshop, we’ll explore storyboards as a storytelling device for design. You’ll learn how to devise a storyboard to inspire a team and get them aligned to a common vision. You’ll also learn how you can leverage storyboards as part of your standard approach to product design. All UX designers should have storyboarding as part of their toolkit. By the way, you don’t have to be an artist to make effective storyboards. If you can google images, and copy and paste, you can build storyboards!
//About the speaker//
Paul Hong
Paul is Director of Design Strategy at ServiceNow, where he leads product design for the company’s ITOM, CMDB, & ITAM products (quite the alphabet soup; suffice it to say we help customers manage all aspects of their IT, software, and cloud infrastructure).
A long time resident of San Diego, Paul is former president of SDXD Meetup, was a founding board member of Design Forward Alliance, and has an unhealthy addiction to all forms of gummy candy (and IPAs).
4. Describes a sequence of actions and interactions
SEQUENTIAL
What Are They?
S T O R Y B O A R D S
Uses images to communicate
VISUAL
Images can convey context, arrangement, characters, and
action all at once
INFORMATION RICH
Prototypes the real thing before pursuing it further
“LIGHTWEIGHT”
5. Make a Storyboard
E X E R C I S E ( 5 - 1 0 M i n u t e s )
As shown by blue lines
FOLD INTO SIXTHS
Draw scenes to depict a typical experience with a product or
service
DRAW
Grocery store
Going to the gym
Downloading an app
IDEAS
8. Stories Hack Our Brains
S T O R I E S A R E P O W E R F U L
ATTENTION NARRATIVE TRANSPORT
We resonate with characters,
feel what they feel, and care
what happens
Hold our attention for
prolonged periods of time
Created by Adrien Coquetfrom the Noun Project
Created by hayatstudio10from the Noun Project
9. Attention
S T O R I E S A R E P O W E R F U L
FLEETING METABOLICALLY COSTLY
We use direct attention
sparingly most of the time
because it takes a lot of energy
to sustain
Like a spotlight, direct attention
can only focus narrowly on
something. If it’s not
interesting, we move on
quickly.
Created by Moxillafrom the Noun Project
Created by Nhorfrom the Noun Project
10. Narrative Transport
S T O R I E S A R E P O W E R F U L
EMOTIONAL RESONANCE
EMOTIONAL SIMULATION
To forecast whether a stranger
is aggressive or kind, dangerous
or safe, friend or foe.
We feel what they feel. We care.
We want to know what happens
to them
Created by Royyan Razkafrom the Noun Project
TRUST
We can form rapid relationships
with others to work together,
find friends, find love
Created by Andreas Vögelefrom the Noun Project
OXYTOCIN
Implicated in empathy,
bonding, kindness, love*
Created by LUTFI GANI AL ACHMADfrom the Noun Project
EMPATHY
13. Universal stories shapes as emotional journey maps
AI STUDY
Designer: Maya Eilam, www.mayaeilam.com
Sources: A Man without a Country and Palm Sunday by Kurt Vonnegut
EIGHT CLASSIC SHAPES
Emotional Shapes
Rags to Riches (rise)
S T O R Y P A T T E R N S
Riches to Rags (fall)
Man in a Hole (fall then rise)
Icarus (rise then fall)
Cinderella (rise then fall then rise)
Oedipus (fall then rise then fall)
The Atlantic.com: https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2016/07/the-
six-main-arcs-in-storytelling-identified-by-a-computer/490733/
14. (1904 – 1987)
Mythologist and writer
Joseph Campbell
Monomyth
S T O R Y P A T T E R N S
Source: Article by Francisco Inchauste for Smashing Magazine
https://www.smashingmagazine.com/2010/01/better-user-experience-
using-storytelling-part-one/
17. How We Do It
S T O R Y B O A R D S
BEGINNING
NARRATIVE
Exposition
MIDDLE END
1
Inciting
Incident
2
Key
Moment
3
Key
Moment
4
Climax
5
Denouement
6
1 2 3
4 5 6
STORYBOARD
18. How We Do It
S T O R Y B O A R D S
BEGINNING
Exposition
MIDDLE END
1
1
SET THE STAGE
Key players
Important context
Goodie, Baddie
19. How We Do It
S T O R Y B O A R D S
BEGINNING MIDDLE END
Inciting
Incident
2
2
INCIDENT
Problem
Need
Event
20. How We Do It
S T O R Y B O A R D S
BEGINNING MIDDLE END
Key
Moment
3
Key
Moment
4
Climax
5
3
4 5
KEY MOMENTS
Drive to ultimate value
Each builds on prior to Climax
21. How We Do It
S T O R Y B O A R D S
BEGINNING MIDDLE END
Denouement
6
6
Denouement
Problem solved
Happy camper
22. Make a Storyboard
E X E R C I S E ( 1 0 m i n u t e s )
As shown by blue lines
FOLD INTO SIXTHS
Think of the 6 points in the narrative structure. What will you
depict for each?
MAP OUT THE NARRATIVE
Try taking your original storyboard and thinking of how you
could make it a great experience
IDEAS
Depict each of the 6 points in the narrative in the
corresponding cells. Caption each cell.
DRAW THE STORYBOARD
BEGINNING
Exposition
MIDDLE END
1
Inciting
Incident
2
Key
Moment
3
Key
Moment
4
Climax
5
Denouement
6
1 2 3
4 5 6
24. Key Uses
S T O R Y B O A R D S
IDEATION ALIGNMENT
Get product management and
development/engineering on
common vision
Exploring and devising
solutions
Created by Aiden Iconsfrom the Noun Project
Created by Krisadafrom the Noun Project
Created by Adrien Coquetfrom the Noun Project
EMPATHY
Appreciate the human element:
people, context, and needs
PITCH
Concise elevator pitch for a
concept
Created by Adrien Coquetfrom the Noun Project
Created by Yugudesignfrom the Noun Project
VALIDATION
Validate direction with
customers and users
25. Denouement
S T O R Y B O A R D S
STORIES ARE POWERFUL
COMMON STORY PATTERNS
WORK STORYBOARDS INTO YOUR WORK
26. Q & A
PAUL HONG
Director of Design Strategy
ServiceNow
PaulHongUX
27. Attributions & Sources
Slide 3 (left to right, top down)
1. Storyboard from Walt Disney Animation “Alice In Wonderland”
2. ac4d.com by Chelsea Hostetter
3. https://www.researchgate.net/figure/An-Example-of-a-Storyboard_fig2_326287202
4. https://docs.idew.org/internet-of-things-project/iot-project-outline/3-5-create-storyboard-for-solution
5. https://elearnhub.org/what-is-a-storyboard/
6. Created by Nick Sung for Airbnb
Slide 4
https://www.storyboardthat.com/storyboards/rich_rosas/ux-storyboard
Slide 9
Spotlight by Moxilla from the Noun Project
vital sign by Nhor from the Noun Project
Slide 10
friendship by Royyan Razka from the Noun Project
stranger by Marie Van den Broeck from the Noun Project
trust by Andreas Vögele from the Noun Project
Slide 24
Idea by Aiden Icons from the Noun Project
Vision by Krisada from the Noun Project
Heart by Yugudesign from the Noun Project
validation by Adrien Coquet from the Noun Project
presentation by Adrien Coquet from the Noun Project
Attributions and sources for images not attributed on slides themselves
