In the world of digital interactions, every click, swipe, and action can impact how customers perceive a brand. Whether it is a website, mobile app, or social media campaign, creating user-friendly and engaging digital experiences involves thoughtful planning.

One powerful tool that can help to enhance storytelling is the storyboard method, which we have used in our courses at Haaga-Helia. In this blog post, we explore how storyboarding can be used to plan and visualise digital experiences, leading to more compelling and customer-centric solutions.

What is Storyboarding?

Storyboarding is a visual planning technique commonly used in filmmaking, animation, and digital media production. It involves creating a sequence of illustrated panels or frames that represent key scenes, interactions, and narratives. Each frame typically includes sketches or descriptions of characters, environments, actions, and dialogue, providing a visual roadmap for the development. (Vyond 11.1.2023)

Students who have studied design thinking and service design methods are familiar with storyboarding. Many have done it with paper and pen on a flipchart, but just as many have taken advantage of digital storyboarding. On our Digital Experience Design course, we familiarise students with Lab8’s storyboard canvas. Storyboarding can also be done online with the help of specialised storyboarding software, for example Boords.

Customer journey is the key to successful digital experiences

When designing a website, app, social media campaign or other digital experiences, students are advised to start with creating a customer journey map for their planned digital experience. This allows designers to grasp how customers interact with the product or service from initial awareness to post-purchase. By mapping out the various touchpoints and interactions a customer has with a digital product or service, pain points and opportunities for improvement can be identified. A better understanding of the customer journey helps in tailoring the digital experiences to meet specific user expectations, hopefully enhancing customer satisfaction and loyalty. (Miranda & Watts 7.8.2022; Walters n.a).

Mapping a customer journey involves sketching the main screens, interactions, and navigation paths. Storyboard frames outline the storyline, visuals, key messages and engagement with customers, for example in the form of CTAs (calls to action). It is vital to consider the customer journey across different channels to ensure consistency in tone, branding, and messaging. (Contentsquare 10.10.2023)

Benefits of Using Storyboarding in Digital Experience Design

There are several benefits of using storyboarding in digital experience design. First and foremost, it offers clarity by providing a visual representation of the customer experience. No matter what the format of digital experience is, storyboarding can help to create cohesive narratives, intuitive interactions, and engaging customer journeys that keep audiences captivated and drive positive business results.

Storyboarding also helps student designers to empathise with customers and consider their needs, preferences, behaviour and pain points throughout the digital experience. The visual form encourages students to undertake creative exploration and experimentation. It allows creators to brainstorm ideas, try out different visual styles, and innovate within the constraints of the project, leading to more imaginative and compelling outcomes.

By taking advantage of the power of storytelling in digital experience design, it is possible to elevate experiences from functional to unforgettable, leaving a lasting impact on customers.