How can you design an e-learning storyboard?

1 Identify your goals and audience

Before you start sketching your storyboard, you need to have a clear idea of what you want to accomplish with your e-learning course and who will take it. Define your learning goals and outcomes, and align them with the business objectives and performance indicators. Then, analyze your target audience and their characteristics, needs, preferences, and challenges. This will help you tailor your storyboard to their level of knowledge, skills, motivation, and learning styles.

2 Choose your tools and format

Next, you need to decide what tools and format you will use to create and deliver your e-learning course. Depending on your budget, time, and resources, you can choose from a variety of software applications and platforms that offer different features and functions. For example, you can use PowerPoint, Word, or Excel to create simple storyboards, or you can use specialized tools like Storyline, Captivate, or Lectora to create interactive and multimedia-rich storyboards. You also need to consider the format of your e-learning course, such as linear, branching, adaptive, or gamified, and how it will affect your storyboard design.

3 Outline your content and structure

Once you have your tools and format ready, you can start outlining your content and structure for your e-learning course. This involves breaking down your learning goals and outcomes into manageable chunks of information and activities, and organizing them into a logical sequence and flow. You can use a table, a mind map, or a flowchart to outline your content and structure, and label each element with a title, a description, and a reference. This will help you visualize the scope and sequence of your e-learning course and identify any gaps or redundancies.

4 Add your media and interactions

The next step is to add your media and interactions to your storyboard, to make your e-learning course more engaging and interactive. Media refers to the audio, video, images, graphics, animations, or simulations that you will use to present your content and support your learning objectives. Interactions refer to the ways that your learners will interact with your content and media, such as clicking, dragging, dropping, typing, or answering questions. You can use icons, symbols, or sketches to indicate the type and placement of your media and interactions on your storyboard, and provide details on the source, format, and function of each element.

5 Write your text and feedback

The final step is to write your text and feedback for your e-learning course, to communicate your message and provide guidance and reinforcement to your learners. Text refers to the headlines, subheadings, captions, instructions, explanations, summaries, or scenarios that you will use to convey your content and objectives. Feedback refers to the responses, hints, tips, corrections, or praises that you will use to acknowledge your learners' actions and progress. You can use boxes, bubbles, or notes to write your text and feedback on your storyboard, and use clear, concise, and consistent language that matches your tone and voice.

6 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?