Today in class we looked into the process of storyboarding and putting together sitemaps, as well as why these are so helpful when it comes to designing.

Storyboards

Storyboarding in an IXD context is similar to the storyboard an animator or filmmaker might put together to visually tell a story. A storyboard doesn’t need to be overly detailed—its job is to communicate the flow, the interactions, and how a user moves from one step to the next.

They are important for a few reasons:

• Visualising User Journeys: Storyboards help designers step into the user’s shoes, identifying potential pain points and areas where the experience might break down.
• Communicating Ideas: They’re a simple but effective way to share your vision with teammates, clients, or stakeholders, especially when words aren’t enough to convey complex interactions.
• Refining Flows Early: It’s way easier (and faster) to adjust ideas at this stage than to change a prototype or live design later.

For example, if you’re designing an app for booking cinema tickets, a storyboard could map out the user journey: browsing films, choosing seats, making payment, and receiving a confirmation. Seeing the process laid out visually makes it easier to spot unnecessary steps or areas where users might get confused.

Extra Research

While researching storyboarding, I came across a few tips that are especially helpful for IXD:

1. Keep It Simple: Stick figures or rough sketches work perfectly. The focus should be on user actions and the environment, not the artistic quality.
2. Include Context: Show where the user is (e.g., on a train, at home) and how external factors might influence their behaviour.
3. Focus on Key Screens: Not every single detail needs to be storyboarded—highlight critical moments in the journey where decisions or interactions happen.
4. Collaborate Early: Sharing storyboards with your team early in the process helps align everyone on the overall vision.

I also discovered that digital tools like Figma, Miro, and Adobe XD are excellent for creating storyboards collaboratively, especially if working remotely. While traditional pen-and-paper sketches are great for quick brainstorming, these tools allow for cleaner visuals and easier sharing. We did this in class today.

Our storyboarding exercise got us thinking about the potential users for our autonomous vehicles. We used a Miro board with lots of icons to put together a storyboard featuring the AV, including at least one character and a complete narrative. My team’s approach wasn’t overly realistic, but we focused on how the AV would be called for via an app on your phone.

This exercise was a really enjoyable start to class and helped me understand how and why we use storyboards when designing a product.

Site Maps