What I Learned From Creating a Storyboard

I have just completed a proposal and storyboard document for one of our modules. The proposal will guide the design of a digital learning resource that I will be developing later in the semester. In this post, I would like to look back on the process of designing the storyboard element of the report and talk about some of the things I learned from the experience.

For those who may be unaware, a storyboard is an outline of the content which will go on to form a programme of instruction. There are various methods of producing this guide, from specialist storyboarding software to more basic approaches like using PowerPoint or an image editor like MS Paint, Canva, etc.

I chose to create my storyboard using MS Paint, as I have always felt that the program offers quite a few useful features in an easy to learn interface. I have been using MS Paint for as long as I can recall, but even so, I learned new skills in the software while working on this assignment.

My design called for a chessboard pattern motif that appeared on each of the screens. Initially, I was intimidated by the prospect of having to draw each of these squares across a large area individually. However, as I experimented with different options,  I discovered the power of the Select tool. I had only ever used this function for simple dragging and dropping of pieces of images. This time, however, I was able to quickly duplicate the chessboard pattern by drawing two squares, selecting them, copying and pasting them, moving the duplicate into place, then repeating the process. This routine allowed me to exponentially increase the number of squares I could draw at one time. It may sound like an obvious feature, but it is one I had completely overlooked until now.

Another difficulty I have had with Paint in the past was accurately measuring the proportions of objects. Reading forums and tutorials led me to the useful Grid element of the program. This option was something I had never used before, and I found it to be invaluable in ensuring the objects I was drawing were sized correctly and lined up correctly on the canvas.

Aside from improving my abilities with the software, I also feel this project was helpful in other ways. It was an opportunity for me to put into the practice the lessons I learned from creating a storyboard for my summer project proposal at the start of the semester. I found that I was better equipped to plan the material which I want to include in my learning resource. Having received feedback on my summer project proposal, I feel I was better at gauging the amount of information required for each lesson and was better able to visualise how the content would fit together.

This assignment was the first on the course that drew heavily on what we have been studying in other modules, and was also the first project involving the creation of a very similar deliverable (i.e. the storyboard) to one we had previously submitted. It was interesting to see how elements from our other modules such as instructional design, writing style, design concepts, learning theories, etc., combined to strengthen the overall quality of the final proposal that I produced.

I think that looking ahead to the Master’s project, the experience of working on this assignment will have significantly reinforced the concepts and ideas we have covered on the programme to date.