Glossary
Storyboard
What is a storyboard?
A storyboard shows a sequence of events through illustrated panels and short captions. In UX design, it can show a person's goal, surroundings, actions, and interactions with a product or service.
What goes into it?
A scenario, visuals, and captions are the core components. Simple sketches can be enough. One storyboard might follow one path through an experience, while another explores an alternative. It need not show every branch of a flowchart.
How to make a UX storyboard
- Choose a person, goal, and situation.
- Break the experience into key moments, sketch one moment per panel, and add captions that explain actions or needed information.
- Review the sequence with the team, mark assumptions to test, and keep the revised version as a record of the idea.
Example
A commuter discovers a travel disruption, checks alternatives, buys a ticket, and finds the departure point. Each panel can show what the person does and what information they need at that moment.
Why it matters
A storyboard makes a proposed experience easier to discuss. It can also communicate observations from research. Be clear about which kind you are showing: a sequence you imagined is still an idea to test.