The role of storyboard in the design process: from analytical to communication tool

Storyboarding is a method that involves creating a visual narrative of a product or service, typically in the form of a series of illustrations or sketches arranged in a sequence. It is commonly used in fields such as film, animation, and advertising, but it can also be applied to product and service design. This contribution focuses on a practical experience with product, interior and visual communication designers to grow analytical, project and communication skills through the storyboard tool. The different phases of using the storyboard consist of an initial critical analysis of the existing products to study the modes and contexts of use. Then, having identified the critical factors, new ways of use are imagined that improve on the current ones, on which a new story is elaborated. Finally, the elaborated storyboards are used as a communication tool for the realised projects. The paper describes the activities, difficulties and results specific to each context and phase in which the storyboard is used. Using the storyboard as a design tool can enhance the designer's analytical, development and communication skills. Visualising a process (a product use, for example) through a story helps designers better understand and manipulate the complexity of the scenario in which they operate. Moreover, storyboarding can not only be used in the designing process, to get into a user and context perspective but also in the communicating stage, to better empathise with the audience. Thus, storyboarding can be a powerful design tool that can help designers to explore, iterate on, and communicate their ideas in a more visual, tangible and effective way.