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How to Build an eLearning Content Storyboard That Is Actually Worth Your Time

One of the common questions about creating an eLearning course is whether you need a content storyboard and how to make one. For most people and courses, you don’t necessarily need a storyboard. In fact, traditional eLearning storyboards are not worth the time and effort you put into them.

But there is a type of content storyboard that is worth your time. We share our step-by-step process below. 

What eLearning Content Storyboard is Actually Worth Your Time? 

Step 1: Build an MVC (Minimal Viable Course)

The most important thing to keep in mind when you create a storyboard is that you want to build an MVC, which is a minimal viable course. This is important because traditional storyboards don’t do this. With an MVC, you will be defining your learners, specifically your perfect learner profiles (PLPs). We talk about MVC in our Free Masterclass you can watch to get a more in-depth view of this part of eLearning content storyboarding. 

Step 2: Consider Your LTS (Learner Transformation Statement)

Another thing that traditional storyboards don’t do is define an LTS, but this is something you need if you want an effective, useful storyboard. The learner transformation statement outlines your learners’ journeys from A to Z. So, it includes their starting point and the point they are at when they reach the end of the course.

Step 3: Create Milestones in the A-to-Z Journey

A natural part of creating your learner transformation statement is figuring out points A and Z, where your learners start and end. Break this down into milestones, which are the small steps that your learners take along the way. There should be about two to five milestones for each course. And within each milestone, you will have a few modules, which are subunits of the milestones.

Step 4: What That Looks Like on a Content Storyboard

So, what does all of the above look like on a content storyboard? It means that your storyboard will be fairly simple and very similar to any other document you use to plan your course.

Your storyboard will include the A-to-Z journey that your learners follow when taking the course. It will include those milestones along the way. It will also include your perfect learner profiles and learner transformation statement. But that’s it. It doesn’t need to include anything else.

If you want, you can add more details to your storyboard, but you don’t have to. We cover those additional details in our free masterclass if you want to learn more about them.

Conclusion

Traditional storyboards aren’t necessarily useful when creating eLearning courses. They are frequently not worth the time or effort you put into them and don’t add value. But there is a type of content storyboard that can be worth it.

The most useful, valuable storyboard for an eLearning course will be fairly straightforward and similar to a basic outline. You’ll start by focusing on creating a minimal viable course, then create a learner transformation statement that defines the starting and ending points of your learners. Finally, you’ll add milestones between points A and Z, possibly with modules to further break them down. This type of storyboard will serve as a strong outline and guide when creating your course.

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