Storyboards What Are They Good For?

Travis Johnson
Sep 5, 2018 · 3 min read

In this world of wordy fluff articles, clickbait information, and industry standards that only make sense to those in the industry, it has become more and more difficult for consumers and developers to communicate their ideas to one another. Why is that? Surely in this age of almost infinite information we would be able to get our ideas across. Well, frankly its more complicated than that, do to one simple fact, us humans have limited concentration. We usually are only able to focus on one thing at a time. Which is why when we want to get someone’s attention it has to be sort sweet and to the point. This my friends are where storyboards shine.

Let’s go Storyboarding

The first time I saw a storyboard was on a tour at Disneyland when I was younger, I found the whole concept to be very interesting. They took the story (I believe the tour showed an example from Mulan) and broke down each part into a rough sketch that help the animators, writers, and directs see the story how it was going to be. Nick Babich in his article Storyboarding in UX Design I think explains it best, “Storyboards allow them to build the world of the film before they actually build it.” What better way to show what you’re thinking then to build the world you are seeing.

A Story to Remember

Storyboards work so well at getting information across simply because, well, they are stories, and stories have the ability to convey messages and information the same way that our brains encode the world around us. Stories have a way of turning the dullest subjects and making them come to life. Take the ancient Greeks for example, they took the most mundane things like why sunflowers follow the sun and came up with the story of Clytie and her unrequited love for Apollo. Quick summary of Clytie’s story, she loved Apollo and would watch his chariot (the sun) cross the sky every day until eventually she died and there sprouted the first sunflower. Now this is just a simple story to answer a simple question but the fact that I remember it even though I heard that story once years ago (I don’t remember where I heard it, so I can’t give a reference, but you’re smart I’m sure you can find out more if you wish, *cough*cough* google) shows how powerful stories can be.

1000 Words = A Picture

We’ve all heard the adage “A pictures worth a thousand words” well, when it comes to storyboards that’s extremely true. People are inherently visual creatures, some of the top grossing industries are film and television. So, it would make sense that people would be more interested in seeing a visual representation of their ideas then to have someone try and explain it through words alone. You are able to add complex emotion with a couple dots and a line :), whereas writing the same emotion would take a couple sentences and even then, it might get misinterpreted.

Why Storyboard Digital Designs

So, if there is a way that we can quickly create a story that others will understand and help clear up our thoughts and show what we want to accomplish why wouldn’t we use that. Storyboards are a great way to help us visually see how a person might use a product or service. When storyboards are used correctly they can help everyone involved in a project have a clear understanding of what needs to be done and what is expected from the client, as well as a great why for the client to see what is being done with their investment.

Welcome to a place where words matter. On Medium, smart voices and original ideas take center stage - with no ads in sight. Watch
Follow all the topics you care about, and we’ll deliver the best stories for you to your homepage and inbox. Explore
Get unlimited access to the best stories on Medium — and support writers while you’re at it. Just $5/month. Upgrade