Chapter 16 - Storyboard Prototyping

Abstract

Publisher Summary Storyboards are a narrative prototype. They narrate a scenario illustrating how the use cases and functional requirements are played out in the context of a user's actual tasks. Storyboards are most often created early in the software-design process. A storyboard is also used to help software teams flesh out the convergence of ideas early to assure that everyone on the team is on the same page. Storyboards create a great artifact for a shared understanding of what the goals of the software should be and what the software should do. Storyboards allow stakeholders who are less involved in the design process to get up to speed by providing a common understanding of the domain and the initial software design. Storyboards can be as simple or complex as they are required. They can be used to narrate a single user session that comprises only a few screens—such as a quick e-commerce purchase—or they can be used to string together related use cases to understand how they work together—such as in the fulfillment system for the e-commerce purchase that must incorporate use cases from accounting, supply chain, and customer relation management. A storyboard can evolve and grow as the users' understanding of the product grows. A storyboard can begin as just a text narrative and then can become enriched with dialogue, screen visualizations, or videos. A storyboard can start out as the main prototype early in the software-creation process, and, if used correctly, can fade into the background as other prototype methods are used later. However, a storyboard will always remain a trusted friend, guiding the software makers and keeping them focused on the software's context of use.