Today I have been making a storyboard, and taking about how I make them.

šŸ§µ So here is a thread about how I make storyboards...

Please let me know if you have quicker ways / tools to try.
Start ā€˜Why is this the right thing to make?ā€™

My team is making a lot of process maps, user story maps and project plans. But nothing with a human face on.

I think a good storytelling tool brings people back to who we are making this new service for, inside and out.
I think it could look a little like this; a human/emotion layer on top of the steps and stages outlined already in the other maps.

But, Iā€™ll need to try it to see how it works.
On scrappy post-itā€™s, I plot out each of the steps Iā€™d like to be part of the story.

I move them around as I think of ones in between.

I plotted them on A4s because I have lots of A4.
Then I add in more scrappy post itā€™s for the people who will be involved.

I counted 19 different people for this service.

For some, I note their role, as a reference point.
19 different people is a lot for a storyboard. But, itā€™s needed to show the breadth of the service.

So, I need to think about drawing 19 visually different people.
I think about age, race, hair, glasses, beards, head scarves, outfits for staff vs citizens etc
I start with some rough (very rough) sketches to get some people out on paper.

Some are from the stories we use in project teams all the time.
Some inspired by research personas.
Some actual staff members (so they see themselves doing their future roles)
I like to draw with pencil and pen on paper.

Partly because I like to see a rough pencil drawing under a neat inky line,

Partly because Iā€™ve never gotten the hang of drawing on a tablet.

If I had, there would be far fewer steps to list!
This is what I used today.
Plus my floor to lay the images out on.

I have a stack of A4. I took a packet home on the last day in the office šŸ˜³ because I knew life with no printer would mean more drawing.
I like a mechanical pencil, for the sharpness of line.

I use a thin pen to go over the whole drawing. And a thick pen for the outer lines.

Tippex mouse for any pen mistakes (as my digital editing time is minimum)
I like to draw on A5 cut sheets. I find keeping the size available small helps keep the drawings light in their detail.

When they are going to be quick to look through, and on top of more information, they canā€™t contain much themselves.
Plus, as Iā€™m going to photograph them, I want a white background.

Putting an A5 drawing on an A4 sheet for a photo means I can easily crop out my desktop (as in, the top of my desk)
So, Iā€™m ready to start drawing.

I start in pencil.
And go over in pen once Iā€™ve done a whole section.
Designing digital services, I find we draw the screens a lot.

Storyboards are great for drawing the moments in a persons life when they use that screen. Those are the things to emphasise.

I added in expressions, lanyards and types of devices
In about 3.5 hours I :
- I made 14 drawings
- penned them
- Photographed them
- Slack-messaged them to myself (quickest way off phone and onto laptop)
- Placed them into a miroboard (of course!)
- cropped them.
You can follow @kirsty_joan.
Tip: mention @twtextapp on a Twitter thread with the keyword ā€œunrollā€ to get a link to it.

Latest Threads Unrolled: