00;00;00;00 - 00;00;17;21 Speaker 1 You know that feeling when you're trying to explain something complex, maybe how someone navigates a tricky app feature or, just some convoluted internal process? Oh yeah. And it just feels like wading through molasses. Like the infos there, but getting a clear picture. Almost impossible. Totally. 00;00;17;28 - 00;00;20;25 Speaker 2 And that's exactly what we're tackling in this deep dive, right? 00;00;20;25 - 00;00;30;22 Speaker 1 We're zeroing in on storyboarding, which sounds simple, but it's this, surprisingly powerful way to make those foggy flows crystal clear. 00;00;30;23 - 00;00;37;01 Speaker 2 Exactly. And we've pulled together some really insightful material here. It looks at storyboarding from, well, pretty much every angle. 00;00;37;02 - 00;00;38;09 Speaker 1 Like it's history. 00;00;38;11 - 00;00;47;15 Speaker 2 Yeah, its origins, which are pretty fascinating how it's used now in UX and product design and crucially, why it's such a sharp tool for building better stuff for users. 00;00;47;15 - 00;00;50;21 Speaker 1 Okay, let's unpack this then. Sounds like our sources cover a lot of ground. 00;00;50;23 - 00;00;59;06 Speaker 2 They really do. We'll nail down the core idea, figure out where it fits best in the design journey. Look at the real strategic muscle it offers. 00;00;59;06 - 00;01;01;07 Speaker 1 And the results you can actually expect to see. 00;01;01;13 - 00;01;09;12 Speaker 2 Definitely. Plus the different types, how it works with other design methods. Maybe some potential, banana peels to avoid. Haha. 00;01;09;13 - 00;01;10;19 Speaker 1 Okay. Pitfalls. 00;01;10;20 - 00;01;18;26 Speaker 2 Right. Pitfalls, right. And some practical ways and tools to actually do it. We even have a great story about how it helped a project that was completely stuck. 00;01;18;29 - 00;01;20;02 Speaker 1 Oh, I want to hear that. 00;01;20;03 - 00;01;35;19 Speaker 2 Yeah, that's a good one. What's really interesting is how storyboarding acts like this, secret weapon against abstract ideas, you know? So it just instantly makes fuzzy concepts tangible. It brings the human element into the data. It's like a bridge for understanding. 00;01;35;21 - 00;01;41;10 Speaker 1 So our mission today give people a really sharp understanding of what storyboarding is. 00;01;41;10 - 00;01;50;19 Speaker 2 Exactly and why it's a skill that pays off. We want to show you how these visual stories can spark those moments. Way faster than digging through dense documents. 00;01;50;20 - 00;01;56;12 Speaker 1 Okay, let's cut to the chase them. What is storyboarding in plain English? When we talk UX and product design? 00;01;56;13 - 00;02;01;27 Speaker 2 Think of it like making a mini movie or maybe a comic strip. It's how someone uses your app or website. 00;02;01;29 - 00;02;03;09 Speaker 1 A visual sequence? Yeah. 00;02;03;12 - 00;02;10;21 Speaker 2 A visual sequence laid out step by step, showing how a user interacts with something to, you know, get something done, achieve a goal. 00;02;10;28 - 00;02;17;17 Speaker 1 Okay. So it's more than just making things look nice. What are the essential bits, the must haves for a useful storyboard? 00;02;17;18 - 00;02;26;18 Speaker 2 Good question. You absolutely need a specific scenario and this usually focuses on a particular user right off. Often one of your personas. 00;02;26;18 - 00;02;27;29 Speaker 1 Makes sense. The who? 00;02;28;01 - 00;02;37;29 Speaker 2 Exactly. Then you need the visuals. These can be super quick sketches, stick figures even, or photos, maybe more polished illustrations later on. They show the user at each key point. 00;02;37;29 - 00;02;38;27 Speaker 1 And captions. 00;02;38;27 - 00;02;47;04 Speaker 2 Crucial. Yes, each visual needs a short, punchy caption what's happening? What's the context? Maybe even what the user's thinking or feeling. Keep it brief, right? 00;02;47;04 - 00;02;52;22 Speaker 1 Got the components, but why visualize it? Why not just write out the steps? Seems faster. 00;02;52;24 - 00;02;58;02 Speaker 2 Well, our brains are just wired differently. We process visuals incredibly fast, much faster than text. 00;02;58;02 - 00;02;58;21 Speaker 1 Okay? 00;02;58;22 - 00;03;07;20 Speaker 2 And we remember them better. So storyboarding taps right into that. It's like a shortcut to understanding complex flows. Instead of reading steps and trying to piece it together mentally, you. 00;03;07;20 - 00;03;08;06 Speaker 1 Just see. 00;03;08;06 - 00;03;11;05 Speaker 2 It. Exactly. You see the whole thing laid out instantly makes more sense. 00;03;11;06 - 00;03;15;14 Speaker 1 Okay. Can you give us a super simple example? Make it concrete? Sure. 00;03;15;17 - 00;03;19;25 Speaker 2 Let's say someone wants to, order a pizza online. Simple scenario. 00;03;19;26 - 00;03;20;23 Speaker 1 Classic. 00;03;20;25 - 00;03;49;04 Speaker 2 A basic storyboard might just have three panels. Panel one user looking at a pizza site on their tablet. Maybe a thought bubble pizza night. Caption user browses options. Okay. Panel to close up on the screen. Pepperoni pizza added to cart. Caption slice pizza ads to order. Panel three happy user on the couch. Pizza box open tablet shows order confirmed caption enjoys pizza after successful order. 00;03;49;05 - 00;03;52;00 Speaker 1 Simple, clear tells a story I get it right. 00;03;52;00 - 00;03;53;12 Speaker 2 You instantly understand the flow. 00;03;53;13 - 00;04;02;10 Speaker 1 Okay that clicks. So thinking about the actual design process, where does storyboarding really shine? When should you grab that pen? Or, you know, open that app? 00;04;02;11 - 00;04;08;15 Speaker 2 It's surprisingly flexible, but yeah, it's particularly powerful at a few key points. One is right after your initial research. 00;04;08;17 - 00;04;11;22 Speaker 1 The discovery phase, after interviews, surveys, that kind of thing. 00;04;11;26 - 00;04;19;28 Speaker 2 Exactly. You get all this raw data. Storyboards can take those findings, user quotes, pain points, analytics and turn them into relatable stories. 00;04;20;00 - 00;04;23;12 Speaker 1 So it's sort of supercharges the data. 00;04;23;14 - 00;04;32;16 Speaker 2 It's a great way to put it. It makes the core themes jump out. Like if usability tests show people stumbling during sign up, you storyboard that struggle, makes it real. 00;04;32;16 - 00;04;34;21 Speaker 1 Makes the data human. Relatable? 00;04;34;21 - 00;04;40;27 Speaker 2 Precisely. It shows the impact on a real person. Then later, when you're brainstorming ideation phase. 00;04;40;29 - 00;04;42;11 Speaker 1 Throwing around feature ideas. 00;04;42;11 - 00;04;50;18 Speaker 2 Yeah, quick storyboard scribbles on a whiteboard even or gold. They let the team rapidly visualize how a new feature might actually work in a real scenario. 00;04;50;18 - 00;04;52;00 Speaker 1 Like many prototypes. 00;04;52;02 - 00;05;03;29 Speaker 2 Kind of ideal calls them quick, low resolution prototypes. That's the idea. Focus is on speed, exploring possibilities and not getting bogged down in pretty pictures. Low fidelity is key early on. 00;05;04;00 - 00;05;12;04 Speaker 1 Makes total sense. Fail fast but with pictures. Got it. What about when you have too many ideas? How does it help? Prioritize? 00;05;12;06 - 00;05;22;27 Speaker 2 Yeah, it becomes a great prioritization tool. Yeah. When you visually map out the whole user journey, you can often spot the really critical steps or where users are hitting roadblocks, like. 00;05;22;27 - 00;05;24;03 Speaker 1 Finding the bottlenecks. 00;05;24;03 - 00;05;36;01 Speaker 2 Exactly. Nielsen Norman Group had this example. Storyboarding a log in flow. The team realized clear progress. Feedback was way more important to users than, say, autofill. 00;05;36;05 - 00;05;37;04 Speaker 1 How they figure that out. 00;05;37;06 - 00;05;47;15 Speaker 2 Seeing the user's frustration visually in the storyboard like where am I in this process? Made the priority obvious. Seeing the whole flow gets everyone on the same page about what to build first. 00;05;47;17 - 00;05;54;10 Speaker 1 Interesting. So it helps make smarter decisions, not just visualize. What about later when you're actually building wireframes or prototypes? 00;05;54;10 - 00;06;02;02 Speaker 2 Still super useful. Storyboards help everyone keep the big picture of the user's actual journey in mind. Even when you're deep in the details of one. 00;06;02;02 - 00;06;03;22 Speaker 1 Screen, provides context. 00;06;03;23 - 00;06;13;02 Speaker 2 Crucial context. It reminds the team how all the pieces fit together from the user's point of view. Some tools even let you link storyboard panels to UI mockups like Indigo Studio. 00;06;13;03 - 00;06;13;20 Speaker 1 Oh, cool. 00;06;13;23 - 00;06;19;21 Speaker 2 Yeah, so if the UI changes, you can update the storyboard more easily. It keeps the design user centered as it gets more complex. 00;06;19;21 - 00;06;24;18 Speaker 1 And what about explaining things too, while people who aren't designers stakeholders? 00;06;24;19 - 00;06;37;17 Speaker 2 Oh, fantastic for that. They turn abstract UX stuff into something tangible for other departments. A simple comic strip of a user scenario builds empathy way faster than a spec doc shows. 00;06;37;17 - 00;06;38;10 Speaker 1 The why? 00;06;38;12 - 00;06;49;04 Speaker 2 Exactly. Instead of saying check out conversion is low. You show a visual of a frustrated user abandoning their cart. Much more powerful for explaining why a feature matters and how it's supposed to work. 00;06;49;12 - 00;06;59;16 Speaker 1 Okay, so it sounds like storyboarding packs some serious strategic punch. Let's dive deeper into those advantages. Why should teams really bother making this part of their workflow? 00;06;59;18 - 00;07;05;05 Speaker 2 Well, one of the biggest wins is just, dramatically better communication and alignment. It's huge. 00;07;05;06 - 00;07;05;28 Speaker 1 How so? 00;07;05;29 - 00;07;29;10 Speaker 2 When you visually tell the user story, everyone designers, devs, PMS, marketing, whoever can see the vision together. Visuals are just more memorable, right? They grab attention better than text. Yeah. The Interaction Design Foundation points out how they create this shared understanding makes it easier for everyone, even non-technical folks, to grasp. The intended experience really cuts through the ambiguity. 00;07;29;15 - 00;07;31;23 Speaker 1 A picture is worth a thousand meetings, media. 00;07;31;23 - 00;07;38;14 Speaker 2 Something like that. Absolutely. And another big thing it forces a user centered focus and builds empathy. 00;07;38;14 - 00;07;39;19 Speaker 1 How does it force it? 00;07;39;21 - 00;07;53;17 Speaker 2 By making the user the main character. You have to think from their perspective. You're designing their journey, considering their needs, their feelings. Seeing that visually, their potential frustrations, their successes. Makes it much more relatable for the whole team. 00;07;53;18 - 00;07;55;20 Speaker 1 Like a built in empathy generator? 00;07;55;21 - 00;08;04;29 Speaker 2 Exactly. The UX Institute knows how it helps. Even non designers empathize just by seeing what the user sees and goes through. It's like visually walking in their shoes. 00;08;05;05 - 00;08;06;28 Speaker 1 Okay. That's powerful. What else? 00;08;07;04 - 00;08;13;23 Speaker 2 Well, because it's relatively quick, especially early on with sketches. It allows for early problem discovery finding. 00;08;13;23 - 00;08;14;27 Speaker 1 Issues before coding. 00;08;14;27 - 00;08;30;18 Speaker 2 Right? You can essentially prototype flows with sketches before sinking tons of time and money into detailed designs or development. This visual check can reveal plot holes you know, or mis scenarios, things that would be costly to fix later. 00;08;30;19 - 00;08;33;26 Speaker 1 Saves time and money. Basically avoids dead ends. 00;08;33;26 - 00;08;42;21 Speaker 2 Definitely you explore ideas and gauge their potential much more effectively and related to the communication point. It really helps with stakeholder buying. 00;08;42;21 - 00;08;43;25 Speaker 1 Because it's visual. 00;08;44;02 - 00;08;54;10 Speaker 2 Yeah, a visual story is often way more persuasive than a list of requirements. When stakeholders can see the journey and understand the why behind a feature. It's easier to get their support. 00;08;54;12 - 00;08;56;12 Speaker 1 Any examples of companies doing that? 00;08;56;20 - 00;09;03;20 Speaker 2 Airbnb is famous for using storyboards as a key benchmark to keep everyone aligned on guest of host experiences across the whole company. 00;09;03;21 - 00;09;04;10 Speaker 1 Interesting. 00;09;04;11 - 00;09;16;29 Speaker 2 And finally, it helps with prioritization and vision by showing the user's context and unmet needs visually. Like that. Missing progress indicator example storyboards make a stronger case for why certain features are crucial. Keeps the vision user centered. 00;09;17;07 - 00;09;24;07 Speaker 1 Okay, so if teams actually use storyboarding effectively, what are the concrete results the tangible outcomes? 00;09;24;08 - 00;09;41;15 Speaker 2 Well first off much clearer shared understanding of the user flow. The storyboard acts as a visual reference point, reduces misunderstandings a lot a common language. Exactly. Everyone's looking at the same picture when they talk about features. Cuts down on confusion. Smooths out friction. 00;09;41;15 - 00;09;42;02 Speaker 1 What else? 00;09;42;05 - 00;09;53;02 Speaker 2 It actively helps find pain points and opportunities. Stepping through visually makes it easier to spot where users might hesitate, get confused, or hit a wall. Problems become visible. 00;09;53;09 - 00;09;55;01 Speaker 1 And that sparks ideas for fixes. 00;09;55;01 - 00;10;05;02 Speaker 2 Often, yes, and it helps align priorities. Seeing the whole journey laid out helps teams make better calls on which features deliver the most user value. Where to focus first. 00;10;05;09 - 00;10;08;09 Speaker 1 And what about the softer stuff like team empathy? Critical. 00;10;08;14 - 00;10;16;03 Speaker 2 A good storyboard really boosts empathy. Seeing a user's struggle visually, it's harder than reading a report line. It reminds everyone they're designing for real people. 00;10;16;08 - 00;10;16;28 Speaker 1 Is it human? 00;10;17;04 - 00;10;31;18 Speaker 2 Totally. And ultimately, that leads to better, more user centered design. You're more likely to build things that actually solve user problems and create a positive experience. Like Airbnb says, it makes user experience a company problem, not just a design team thing. 00;10;31;19 - 00;10;39;03 Speaker 1 Right. Okay, we're sold on the Y. Let's get practical with the how. What different types of storyboards are out there? Sounds like it's not just one thing. 00;10;39;04 - 00;10;46;25 Speaker 2 You're spot on. They come in different flavors. Yeah. The main differences are usually level of detail, visual style and maybe the narrative focus. 00;10;46;26 - 00;10;47;24 Speaker 1 Okay. Like detail. 00;10;47;24 - 00;10;55;10 Speaker 2 Level fidelity. Low fidelity versus high fidelity early on. Low fi sketches. Stick figure. Simple shapes are often perfect. 00;10;55;10 - 00;10;56;06 Speaker 1 Because they're fast. 00;10;56;06 - 00;11;06;07 Speaker 2 Fast, yes, but also the roughness is a feature. They look unfinished, so people give more honest feedback. They don't feel precious. You explore ideas without getting hung up on visuals. 00;11;06;07 - 00;11;07;05 Speaker 1 And high fidelity. 00;11;07;06 - 00;11;22;27 Speaker 2 More polished, detailed illustrations, often digital, take longer. Better for, say, client presentations or when you need that refined look. But remember, clarity always beats artistic skill. The choice depends on the purpose and the audience makes sense. 00;11;22;28 - 00;11;25;27 Speaker 1 Speed versus polish. What about visual styles? 00;11;25;27 - 00;11;35;11 Speaker 2 You see traditional storyboards, classic comic strip format, hand-drawn panels, captions still popular because it's fast. Flexible. Anyone can do. 00;11;35;11 - 00;11;36;09 Speaker 1 It. Pen and paper? 00;11;36;11 - 00;11;49;00 Speaker 2 Exactly. Then there are digital storyboards made with software. Can have color icons. Maybe basic animation. More polished look. Easy to reuse assets. Easy to share online. Good for presentations. 00;11;49;03 - 00;11;51;05 Speaker 1 And you mentioned thumbnail storyboards. 00;11;51;06 - 00;12;01;03 Speaker 2 Those are super quick. Really rough. Tiny sketches. Fantastic for rapid brainstorming. You can bang out dozens of ideas on one page. Pure idea generation. 00;12;01;03 - 00;12;08;21 Speaker 1 So traditional for speed. Digital for polished thumbnail for brainstorming. Got it. What about the story itself? Different narrative approaches. 00;12;08;22 - 00;12;16;01 Speaker 2 Some people distinguish between narrative storyboards telling a full story beginning, middle, and end, scenario based ones focused on a specific task. 00;12;16;01 - 00;12;17;10 Speaker 1 Like reset password. 00;12;17;15 - 00;12;38;05 Speaker 2 Exactly. But in UX they often blend. Most UX storyboards are built around a scenario, but they still tell a mini narrative of that interaction. You might use a purely narrative one in research, maybe to gauge reactions to a broader concept, but mostly the scenario draws the story in UX. You pick the style and detail that tells that story best. 00;12;38;07 - 00;12;45;12 Speaker 1 Okay, so storyboards don't live in a vacuum. How do they play nice with other UX tools? Journey. Maps. Wireframes. 00;12;45;12 - 00;12;52;22 Speaker 2 Crucial point. They work best when integrated. Take journey maps. They give you the big picture, right? All the user touchpoints, the emotional ups and downs. 00;12;52;22 - 00;12;54;10 Speaker 1 The 30,000ft view. 00;12;54;10 - 00;13;07;25 Speaker 2 Right. Storyboards. Then zoom in on specific critical moments within that journey. They add the visual details so the journey map might say user tries to check out, but the storyboard shows the user interacting with the screen, maybe hitting a confusing forum field feeling frustrated. 00;13;07;26 - 00;13;10;23 Speaker 1 So map is broad. Storyboard is focused and visual. 00;13;10;26 - 00;13;15;28 Speaker 2 Exactly. Journey maps are often broader, maybe more text heavy. Storyboards are graphical. 00;13;15;28 - 00;13;20;06 Speaker 1 Zoomed in. Okay, what about wireframes and prototypes? Where do storyboards fit there? 00;13;20;08 - 00;13;28;23 Speaker 2 They usually come before wireframes. The storyboard defines the flow. The Y wireframes detail the what? The screen layout the elements. 00;13;28;23 - 00;13;30;29 Speaker 1 So story first, then screen details. 00;13;30;29 - 00;13;46;27 Speaker 2 Generally, yeah, you might sketch the storyboard for a task flow, then create wireframes for each screen in that flow. And like we said, some tools link them helps ensure your detailed screens don't lose sight of the overall user journey and intent keeps you user centered. As you add fidelity. 00;13;47;00 - 00;13;49;25 Speaker 1 And personas and scenarios, they seem fundamental. 00;13;49;26 - 00;13;58;06 Speaker 2 Absolutely foundational storyboards must be rooted in your personas and scenarios. Often, the personas identified right on the storyboard panel along with the scenario. 00;13;58;07 - 00;13;59;24 Speaker 1 Persona is the main character. 00;13;59;25 - 00;14;12;26 Speaker 2 Exactly. Personas, the star scenarios, the plot they're navigating, the typical flow is right. The scenario, who? What goal, what context. Then visualize it as a storyboard. Ensures design is grounded in real user needs. 00;14;13;00 - 00;14;16;13 Speaker 1 Makes sense. And as you get closer to a working product, do they still have a role? 00;14;16;16 - 00;14;25;26 Speaker 2 Definitely. As you build prototypes, storyboards are a constant reminder of the intended narrative. You reference them to check if the prototype reflects the desired flow. 00;14;25;28 - 00;14;27;22 Speaker 1 Keep things on track, right? 00;14;27;25 - 00;14;39;22 Speaker 2 You can even tie prototype screens back to storyboard panels, and when presenting or testing, walking people through the storyboard first gives crucial context before they dive into the interactive prototype. 00;14;39;24 - 00;14;42;26 Speaker 1 Sets expectations useful for agile teams, too. 00;14;42;27 - 00;14;49;00 Speaker 2 Yeah, they can be like a visual table of contents for sprint features. A quick user centric summary of was being built. 00;14;49;02 - 00;14;54;21 Speaker 1 This all sounds incredibly useful, but surely there are ways to mess it up. Common traps or pitfalls? 00;14;54;21 - 00;15;06;09 Speaker 2 Oh for sure. Definitely pitfalls. One is getting the detail level wrong. Either too much overwhelming people or too little leaving out crucial context. Finding that sweet spot is key. 00;15;06;11 - 00;15;08;07 Speaker 1 Simplicity. But clarity. 00;15;08;10 - 00;15;20;19 Speaker 2 Right? Another big one. Forgetting the user. It's easy to drift into focusing on technical details or the designer's process. It has to stay focused on the user's experience, their perspective. Avoid jargon. Avoid assumptions. 00;15;20;19 - 00;15;22;23 Speaker 1 Keep it user centered. Got it. What else? 00;15;22;28 - 00;15;45;22 Speaker 2 Grounded in research. Don't just storyboard the happy path. Show the problems, the frustrations, the edge cases based on actual evidence. If you have it. If it's hypothetical, treat it like a hypothesis to test. Don't cherry pick exactly and keep them current designs. Evolve. Storyboard IDs need to be reviewed and updated, otherwise they become useless. Even misleading analog ones are especially vulnerable here. 00;15;45;28 - 00;15;47;14 Speaker 1 Static storyboards bat. 00;15;47;14 - 00;15;59;29 Speaker 2 Pretty much and be mindful of time. High fidelity ones can take a while. Use that level judiciously. Remember the value is in the thinking, the user focus. Not perfect art. Iddo emphasizes that. 00;15;59;29 - 00;16;01;08 Speaker 1 Thinking over artistry. 00;16;01;14 - 00;16;08;28 Speaker 2 Right? And finally, don't treat them as gospel. Get user feedback. Validate your assumptions. Iterate. They have the final word. 00;16;08;29 - 00;16;15;28 Speaker 1 Okay. Super helpful warning. So how do people actually do this? What are some recommended tools or methods to get started? 00;16;16;01 - 00;16;27;18 Speaker 2 Lots of options really. The simplest is analog pen and paper whiteboards, sticky notes templates can help keep things consistent. Great for quick sketching brainstorming. Collaborative sketch boarding sessions are really effective. 00;16;27;19 - 00;16;28;25 Speaker 1 Low tech, high speed? 00;16;28;27 - 00;16;39;00 Speaker 2 Exactly. Then you've got digital whiteboards. Miro or mural or even design tools like Figma PowerPoint. Great for remote teams. Easier editing, sharing. 00;16;39;00 - 00;16;40;07 Speaker 1 What about specialized tools? 00;16;40;08 - 00;16;50;19 Speaker 2 Yeah, there are dedicated storyboard apps like storyboard or boards. They often have asset libraries, panel grids, annotation tools. Some handle basic animation. Good for more polished outputs. 00;16;50;26 - 00;16;51;15 Speaker 1 If you need that. 00;16;51;15 - 00;17;03;22 Speaker 2 Polish. Right. And remember your main design tools XD. Figma sketch can absolutely be used for storyboarding to sequence your artboards. Some tools integrate storyboarding with prototyping more tightly. 00;17;03;22 - 00;17;06;18 Speaker 1 And methods like design sprints. 00;17;06;21 - 00;17;17;16 Speaker 2 Storyboarding is a core part of things like Google Ventures, design sprint, Eidos Human Centered Design Toolkit. These frameworks show you when and how to use it effectively in a structured process. 00;17;17;17 - 00;17;20;03 Speaker 1 So plenty of resources and examples out there. 00;17;20;05 - 00;17;24;18 Speaker 2 Tons. Templates from Nielsen Norman. Case studies. Looking at examples is a great way to learn. 00;17;24;19 - 00;17;27;23 Speaker 1 You mentioned a real world story earlier, the stalled project. 00;17;27;29 - 00;17;34;15 Speaker 2 Yes. Chris Mullin story. Yeah, really shows the impact. He joined a project stuck for months. Right? Yeah. Minimal progress. 00;17;34;18 - 00;17;35;27 Speaker 1 Yeah. What do you do? 00;17;36;00 - 00;17;43;09 Speaker 2 Super quick discovery. Brief focused interviews with key stakeholders. Just understanding their daily pains. Unmet needs. 00;17;43;10 - 00;17;44;08 Speaker 1 How quick? 00;17;44;11 - 00;17;54;20 Speaker 2 Less than a day. He synthesize the insights. Align them with business goals. And boom. Identified about a dozen potential future opportunities tied directly to those user frustrations. 00;17;54;21 - 00;17;57;01 Speaker 1 Wow. And then storyboard. 00;17;57;04 - 00;18;07;18 Speaker 2 Immediately. Simple storyboards for each potential feature. The goal. Help the whole team easily visualize, assess, and prioritize what would actually deliver value. 00;18;07;20 - 00;18;10;08 Speaker 1 So the storyboards were for the teams decision making. 00;18;10;09 - 00;18;21;26 Speaker 2 Exactly. He expected focused feedback, informed decisions, and finally a clear direction. After months of struggling just basic best practice really, but it made a huge difference. Sometimes the simple things work wonders. 00;18;21;28 - 00;18;28;20 Speaker 1 That's a fantastic example of cutting through the fog now storyboarding itself. It's been around a while. Right. Where did it actually start? 00;18;28;21 - 00;18;34;21 Speaker 2 Oh yeah, it has some history. The turn itself storyboard pretty literal story plus board was formalized back in the 1930s. 00;18;34;27 - 00;18;37;27 Speaker 1 Walt Disney Studios Disney makes sense for animation. 00;18;38;03 - 00;18;47;21 Speaker 2 Totally. For films like Three Little Pigs. They started pinning sequential drawings on boards to visualize scenes playing the pacing before animation. Hugely influential. 00;18;47;22 - 00;18;48;18 Speaker 1 So they invented it. 00;18;48;19 - 00;19;03;00 Speaker 2 They formalized the systematic approach that became the standard. It quickly spread to a live action film advertising. And now, as we've seen, way beyond entertainment into software, UX, service design, visualizing experiences and workflows. 00;19;03;01 - 00;19;09;00 Speaker 1 Cool. So can you trace that evolution? How did it get from Disney cartoons to UX design? Sure. 00;19;09;00 - 00;19;17;11 Speaker 2 So 30s to 50s film and animation. Purpose planned scenes, efficient storytelling. Reduce risk. Ghouls illustrated panels and. 00;19;17;11 - 00;19;18;00 Speaker 1 Advertising. 00;19;18;05 - 00;19;37;24 Speaker 2 50s to 70s ads and marketing. Pick it up. Purpose shifts to pitching concepts to clients. Selling ideas visually with emotion becomes more client facing than software. 80s and 90s software and HCI emerge. UX starts taking shape. Storyboard is used for things like paper prototypes. Visualizing screen transitions. Personas start appearing too, adding that user focus. 00;19;37;25 - 00;19;39;24 Speaker 1 When did it become mainstream UX? 00;19;39;28 - 00;20;06;15 Speaker 2 Really, the 2020 tens big influence from design thinking. Idle focus expands to end to end journeys. User emotions. Context. Huge emphasis on empathy, accessibility, digital tools take over from hand drawing. And now today, 20 tends to today. Core part of agile lean UX used broadly in service design. Customer experience, not just digital products integrated with other tools. Still fundamentally about visualizing problems. 00;20;06;20 - 00;20;08;06 Speaker 2 Communicating intent clearly. 00;20;08;09 - 00;20;10;12 Speaker 1 And Chris Mullins story fits right in. 00;20;10;12 - 00;20;22;27 Speaker 2 Perfectly shows its modern value. Aligning teams on user context. Making abstract ideas tangible. Encouraging collaboration. Enabling faster iteration. The core benefits haven't really changed, just the application and tools. 00;20;22;28 - 00;20;30;18 Speaker 1 Wow, quite the journey. Okay, let's wrap this up to really bring it all together for everyone listening, what's the absolute key takeaway storyboarding today? 00;20;30;22 - 00;20;39;19 Speaker 2 The core thing is this it's an incredibly powerful, really versatile visual way to deeply understand and clearly communicate user experiences. Simple as that. 00;20;39;20 - 00;20;41;10 Speaker 1 Powerful. Versatile. Visual. 00;20;41;15 - 00;20;58;09 Speaker 2 Right? It turns abstract ideas into something real. It builds shared understanding, fosters empathy across teams, and ultimately it leads to better products, more user centered products, and smarter decisions because it keeps the focus squarely on the user and their journey. 00;20;58;09 - 00;20;59;10 Speaker 1 And crucially. 00;20;59;10 - 00;21;05;00 Speaker 2 Crucially, it's about clarity and user focus, not about being a great artist. Anyone can do it effectively. 00;21;05;01 - 00;21;10;02 Speaker 1 Fantastic point. Okay, on that note, here's a little something for you, the listener, to chew on. 00;21;10;02 - 00;21;10;23 Speaker 2 Food for thought. 00;21;10;25 - 00;21;27;07 Speaker 1 Exactly. Think about some common flex process in your work, maybe even your personal life. What if you took just five minutes to visualize it as a super simple storyboard? A few panels, quick sketches, brief notes? Might it reveal some insight? Some area for improvement you hadn't seen before? 00;21;27;08 - 00;21;29;29 Speaker 2 Worth trying right? A quick mental experiment, definitely. 00;21;30;00 - 00;21;33;02 Speaker 1 And like you said, this deep dive really just scratches the surface. 00;21;33;02 - 00;21;42;27 Speaker 2 Absolutely. We definitely encourage you to look into the tools, the templates we mentioned. Think about how you might apply storyboarding to your own challenges. It's incredibly adaptable. 00;21;43;04 - 00;21;50;04 Speaker 1 Agreed. Well, here's to the power of visual thinking. And always, always keeping the user right at the heart of things.