Design StoryBoards

Purpose

Design StoryBoards helps groups detail and communicate a new initiative, strategy, or change by creating a visual step-by-step narrative. By drawing a sequence of scenes rather than writing bullet points, participants surface assumptions, reveal gaps, and build shared understanding of how an idea will unfold in practice. Use it when a group has a promising concept but needs to make it tangible and test it for completeness.

At a glance

• Group size: 6–30 people
• Duration: 45 minutes
• Difficulty: Intermediate
• Facilitation style: Semi-structured
• Setting: Indoor

How to run

1. Define the initiative (5 min): Clarify what the group is storyboarding (e.g., a new product launch, a process change).
2. Individual sketching (10 min): Each person draws 5–7 scenes showing the key steps from start to end. Stick figures are perfect — no art skill needed.
3. Small-group sharing (15 min): In groups of 3–4, each person presents their storyboard. The group identifies common scenes, missing steps, and critical moments.
4. Group storyboard (10 min): Each small group synthesises a combined storyboard on a large sheet, resolving differences.
5. Gallery walk and feedback (5 min): Groups circulate and annotate each other's storyboards with questions and suggestions.

Materials needed

• Large paper sheets (A2 or flip chart)
• Markers in multiple colours
• Sticky notes for feedback
• Timer

Pitfalls & common mistakes

• Spending too long on drawing quality — emphasise rough and fast over beautiful.
• Storyboarding too abstractly — push for concrete scenes with specific actors and actions.
• Skipping the gallery walk — cross-group feedback reveals blind spots.

Inclusion & accessibility

• Drawing-based methods level the playing field for people who struggle with verbal articulation.
• Provide templates with pre-drawn frames to reduce blank-page anxiety.
• For people with visual impairments, pair them with a narrator who describes the scenes.

Variations

• Digital storyboard: Use collaborative tools (Miro, FigJam) for remote groups.
• Reverse storyboard: Start from the desired end state and work backwards.
• Customer storyboard: Map the story from the customer's perspective rather than the organisation's.

When NOT to use this

Avoid Design StoryBoards when the initiative is still too vague for step-by-step sequencing — use a method like Wicked Questions or Purpose-to-Practice first to clarify the foundations.

Source & further reading

Developed by Henri Lipmanowicz and Keith McCandless as part of Liberating Structures. See liberatingstructures.com.