Top 5 Tips of a Successful Storyboard for eLearning Development

The practice of training has been fundamentally altered by technology. Since eLearning allows for anywhere, anytime learning, every organization is now using it. Every stage of course development is improved while creating an eLearning course, especially the process of creating a storyboard.

It is not overstated to say that strong storyboarding is the foundation of a successful eLearning course. An engaging storyboard that incorporates effective instructional design principles is produced by a trained instructional designer and acts as the “road map” for an online course that piques learners’ interest.

The creation of a storyboard by instructional designers must be precise and clear for clients, the production team, and editors to readily comprehend it. But how do storyboards appear? What components does it have? Let’s examine several parts of an eLearning storyboard design and a few things to bear in mind while creating a storyboard in this article.

Key Components of an eLearning Storyboard

Title Region: The names of the units, titles, modules, subjects, and subtopics are often found in this area.

Screen Number Area: Every screen in the course has a specific identification number. M1L3S1, for instance, stands for module1, lesson3, and screen1.

Visual Area: This area displays visuals, graphics, movies, and other media. If applicable, text can also be included here.

Audio Area: Included in this section are the audio script, audio synchronization notes, notes to the developer, the name of a music file, sound effects, etc.

Instructions Area: This section offers guidelines for screen limitations and interactivities or interactions. Activities can be offered in a wide range of genres.

Now that you are familiar with the essential components of an eLearning storyboard, let’s examine the aspects you would look for before approving a storyboard for your eLearning development team.

View the webinar recording to learn about the best ways for instructional designers to make the most of rapid eLearning.

Top 5 Tips for Successful eLearning Storyboard

1. Make Certain That All Screens Are Meticulously Numbered

The slide number, often known as the screen ID or identifier, is one of the most important components of your storyboard. To make it simple to identify the slides in the course, ensure that the screen ID is included on every screen. Screen IDs do not have to be included in your output. However, while creating a course, you could add or remove slides, and without a numbering system, it might be challenging to manually recall each slide. Screen IDs simplify and streamline your work during the review and edit phases.

2. Check That the Storyboard Follows the Visual Style Manual

Make sure the storyboard is consistent with the components, such as details, alignments, typographic details, captions, templates, and more, specified in the style guide to reduce production time and improve learner comprehension.

Your sub-heads, screen title, and main content must all adhere to a consistent style. Arial size 13 cannot be used for the first slide’s screen title and Calibri size 10 for the second slide as the design will be inconsistent.

3. Ensure That the Text Displayed on Screens Is Flawless and Consistent

When the storyboard is in English, make sure the language is used consistently. Retain the same tone of voice all through the course, for instance, if you are speaking US English. Similar to this, when employing acronyms, extend them first before utilizing them less frequently.

Additionally, be sure to proofread for any grammatical or spelling errors and to verify the standard of the language used. This will save the developer time by allowing them to quickly adapt the storyboard to the template for course development.

4. Make Sure to Include Remarks to the Developer: Match the Required Action

A storyboard will give the developer a variety of directions, including when or how to match sound with graphics, how to employ motion graphics, and also how navigation will operate on every screen. Ensure the activity needed matches up with all these instructions. For instance, in a gamified evaluation, if you require the scorecard to pop up after every third question the storyboard must indicate to the developer that score card should display once after the third question to prevent the developer from using it inappropriately.

Similarly, be sure their information is on the storyboard if you intend to use visuals like video clips or pictures in your eLearning course. Provide the developer with the precise file name and path if you’ve already chosen a video or a picture. The storyboard should inform the developer of the mood, tone, and setting of the desired visual if you want them to select a suitable picture.

5. Ensure Screen Types Are Mentioned Correctly

eLearning may use a variety of screen formats, including infographics, single-select, animation, click on picture, multiple-select, branching click on the picture, and branching. Regarding your course’s learning goals, every screen in your online course will be designed to fit a certain screen type. Let the developer know what kind of screen it is. They could select the proper templates with this information.

Parting Thoughts

An eLearning storyboard helps you by aesthetically arranging the information, assessments, and multimedia in the necessary structure and order. It aids in pre-visualizing your e-learning course. A storyboard serves as previsualization that helps you order the material in an online course in a manner that is uniform and includes valuable feedback. Check out our free eBook, “Instructional Design Strategies to Design Engaging eLearning Courses,” for more information on creating engaging eLearning courses.