{"id":80018,"date":"2022-09-27T13:12:00","date_gmt":"2022-09-27T17:12:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/?p=80018"},"modified":"2022-10-03T11:59:39","modified_gmt":"2022-10-03T15:59:39","slug":"prototype-storyboard","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/prototype-storyboard\/","title":{"rendered":"Design Sprint Prototype Storyboard: Why & How to Make One"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Why are prototype storyboards helpful for the design process? How do you make one for a design sprint workshop?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jake Knapp’s five-day Design Sprint method is an efficient way to design and test a product prototype in a team. According to him, storyboarding a prototype benefits the design process and is a crucial step to take towards the end of your sprint workshop.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Read on to learn why and how to make a prototype storyboard, according to Knapp’s Design Sprint method.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

Why Storyboard a Prototype?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Storyboards have a long history of use in visual storytelling, from comics and graphic novels to television and film. According to Sprint<\/em> authors Jake Knapp, John Zeratsky, and Brian Kowitz, storyboards can also be effective product design tools. Here are <\/em>three benefits of using prototype storyboards in the design process.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

  1. Because of its narrative nature, storyboarding connects your design to its real-world context<\/a>, including the people who will use it and the setting where it\u2019ll be used. This keeps the product connected to the customer\u2019s needs and interests. <\/li>
  2. Storyboarding allows you to create a visual<\/em> representation of your product, which is more effective than other forms of description. Images clearly communicate how the product works to people of different backgrounds and knowledge levels.<\/a><\/li>
  3. Storyboarding forces you to consider the sequence and flow of the customer\u2019s experience using your product<\/a>, keeping you aware of the bigger picture as you design each element.<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n

    Marty Cagan\u2019s Four Kinds of Prototypes<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

    Other creators of product development processes agree that you shouldn\u2019t waste time trying to build a complete product in the prototyping phase<\/a>. In his \u201cproduct discovery process<\/a>\u201d for tech entrepreneurs, Marty Cagan discusses four types of prototypes you can create<\/a> depending on the needs of your project. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    1. A prototype that provides live user data.<\/strong> This is a functional prototype that customers can test, so you can collect data on their experience. It\u2019s a less sophisticated version of your product, and it\u2019s good for testing high-risk ideas. This type of prototype is great for a sprint. <\/li>
    2. A prototype that appears to function automatically, but actually requires manual operation.<\/strong> In this case, an engineer performs functions on the back-end that a product claims to do automatically, giving the customer the illusion of function without having to spend time building complicated automated features. You can also build this type of prototype in your sprint. <\/li>
    3. A prototype that shows whether your product idea is feasible.<\/strong> This is especially relevant to engineers working on tech products who aren\u2019t sure whether they can write the code for their product idea. They can figure out whether it\u2019s possible by writing just enough code to know they can finish it. This type of prototype is typically created for the benefit of the engineers, so it likely wouldn\u2019t apply to a sprint.<\/li>
    4. A prototype that\u2019s a non-functional version of your product. <\/strong>This type is for the product development team<\/a> only, as it just offers a skeleton version of the product for the team\u2019s visual reference. You need to test the functions of your product with customers during your sprint, so you wouldn\u2019t use this type.<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n

      How to Make a Prototype Storyboard<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

      According to Jake Knapp’s Design Sprint<\/a> method, drawing a more extensive prototype storyboard of your product in use (10 to 15 panels on a whiteboard) should come after your team leader has selected a design, which should take place on day three of your sprint workshop. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

      Start by drawing the moment and the context in which the customer first engages with the product. For example, the first panel of the bookstore\u2019s storyboard could show a web search for the bookstore\u2019s website.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      Fill in the other panels with steps that a customer will have to go through to use your product from start to finish. As the authors say, you\u2019re telling the story of what you want to happen during Friday\u2019s tests with customers.<\/strong> For example, the middle panels of the bookstore\u2019s storyboard might include a drawing of each question prompt the customer will be asked before they receive their recommendations. They\u2019d depict the layout of each screen, the important text involved, any images included, and so on. The last few panels might depict the various recommendations the customer received, showing what the profile for each recommended book would look like. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

      Creating the Prototype<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

      Now, it\u2019s time to use the storyboard you created to build your prototype.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      Use the storyboard as a reminder of the prototype\u2019s components, a guide for its visual design, and a reference for how it\u2019s supposed to function when you test it later in the day. According to Knapp, Zeratsky, and Kowitz, your prototype should be sophisticated enough to create the illusion of a complete product, but not so complicated that you can\u2019t finish it.<\/strong> You can go back and add missing pieces later. For Friday\u2019s testing, all you have to do is create the features that will give you the information you need from the customers. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

      For example, instead of trying to build a recommendation tool that features every book in their inventory, the bookstore could create a tool that pulls recommendations from a list that has one or two books per genre. The customer would still receive a recommendation based on their choices, but the team wouldn\u2019t have to waste time inputting every title they have in stock. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

      Choose Your Roles and Start Building<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

      Before you begin building, divide responsibilities for the creation of the prototype. Knapp, Zeratsky, and Kowitz recommend filling the following roles.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n