Storyboarding Workshop

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Storyboarding

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PRODUCT IDEAS?

ALEX COWAN

AlexanderCowan.com @cowanSF

Do you have a

product idea you

can use?

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PREP! CREATION A POSITIONING STATEMENT

For [target customer] who [statement of the need or opportunity], the [product name] is a [product category] that [statement of key benefit/ key reason to buy]. unlike [primary alternative], our product [statement of primary differentiation].

For [hiring managers] who [need to evaluate technical talent], [Enable Quiz] is a [talent assessment system] that [allows for quick and easy assessment of topical understanding in key engineering topics]. Unlike [formal certifications or ad hoc questions], our product [allows for

lightweight but consistent assessments of technical talent]. EXAMPLE

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STORYBOARDING: ORIGINS

copyright Fred Moore & Disney Pictures

ALEX COWAN

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Personas

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VENTURE DESIGN

X

What?

/

Tell me…? Who? How? Scale? Pivot? What if?

!

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VENTURE DESIGN

X

PROBLEM SCENARIOS & ALTERNATIVES What? PRODUCT & PROMOTION

/

CUSTOMER DISCOVERY & EXPERIMENTS Tell me…? PERSONAS Who? USER STORIES & PROTOTYPES How? Scale? Pivot? VALUE PROPOSITIONS & ASSUMPTIONS What if?

!

1) ENERGIZING PERSONAS AND PROBLEM SCENARIOS

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VENTURE DESIGN

X

What?

/

!

2) DEFINING CUSTOMER JOURNEYS

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VENTURE DESIGN

X

PROBLEM SCENARIOS & ALTERNATIVES What? PRODUCT & PROMOTION

/

CUSTOMER DISCOVERY & EXPERIMENTS Tell me…? PERSONAS Who? USER STORIES & PROTOTYPES How? Scale? Pivot? VALUE PROPOSITIONS & ASSUMPTIONS What if?

!

3) IMPROVING (EPIC) AGILE USER STORIES

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VENTURE DESIGN

X

What?

/

!

4) APPLYING THE ‘HOOK’ FRAMEWORK

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Empathy

Creativity

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Entry 1 Urinate as they go 2 Edges preferred 3 Speedy 4 PB > cheese 5

Empathy

DESIGN THINKING- APPLICATIONS

ALEX COWAN

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Check & Repair UV Validation Relevant Placement A Better Mouse Trap Powered by Better Bait

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Foundation in Design Thinking

DESIGN THINKING- PERSONAS

Personas

Problem Scenarios Alternatives

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DESIGN THINKING- PERSONAS

ALEX COWAN

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DESIGN THINKING- NEEDFINDING

ALEX COWAN

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DESIGN THINKING- NEEDFINDING

PROBLEM SCENARIO

X

What job(s) are you doing for the customer?

What existing need or behavior are you fulfilling?

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DESIGN THINKING- NEEDFINDING

ALEX COWAN AlexanderCowan.com @cowanSF ALTERNATIVE(S)

?

X

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DESIGN THINKING- NEEDFINDING

ALTERNATIVE(S)

?

X

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DESIGN THINKING- NEEDFINDING

ALEX COWAN

YOUR VALUE PROPOSITIONS

!

ALTERNATIVE(S)

?

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YOUR PRODUCT HYPOTHESIS

X

… and they have a certain PROBLEMS(S) …

?

… where they’re currently using certain ALTERNATIVE(S) … … and I have a VALUE

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ENABLE QUIZ: PROBLEM SCENARIOS

X

Helen the HR Manager

“It’s hard for me to screen on technical skill sets and I end up sending Frank unqualified

recruits.”

Frank the Functional Manager

“I have limited time and I don’t want to be a jerk. It’s hard to screen for all the relevant technical skill sets.”

PERSONA

PROBLEM SCENARIO

- Call references

- Take their word for it

- A few probing questions - Take their word for it

?

ALTERNATIVE(S)

!

VALUE

PROPOSITIONS

New ability for meaningful screening of technical

candidates, increasing % of successful hires and lowering Frank’s workload on recruiting.

Less time doing interviews, and better hires sooner.

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SKETCHING YOUR NARRATIVE

How does the problem scenario initiate?

How is the alternative executed?

How is the persona gratified?

REWARD ACTION

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SKETCHING YOUR NARRATIVE- BEFORE SCENARIO

The company creates a new, open position to fill.

Frank writes a job description.

Helen sources candidates.

Helen screens candidates and sends them to Frank. Frank interviews

candidates.

Frank & Helen decide & the candidate starts.

a lot of candidates to screen

source: adapted from Nir Eyal’s Hook Framework REWARD

ACTION TRIGGER

a lot of candidates to interview too many (mutually) bad

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SKETCHING YOUR NARRATIVE- BEFORE SCENARIO

Helen sources candidates.

Helen screens candidates and sends them to Frank. Frank interviews candidates. a lot of candidates to screen REWARD ACTION TRIGGER a lot of candidates to interview

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BEFORE

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SKETCHING YOUR NARRATIVE- AFTER SCENARIO

Helen & Frank create a quiz for the position. Helen sources

candidates.

Helen screens candidates and sends them to Frank.

fewer candidates to screen; simpler, better screening

REWARD ACTION

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SKETCHING YOUR NARRATIVE- AFTER SCENARIO

Helen & Frank create a quiz for the position. Helen sources

candidates.

Helen screens candidates and sends them to Frank. Frank interviews

candidates.

Frank & Helen decide & the candidate starts.

fewer candidates to screen; simpler, better screening

source: adapted from Nir Eyal’s Hook Framework

REWARD ACTION TRIGGER fewer candidates to interview better outcomes

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STORYBOARDING A PROBLEM SCENARIO

AFTER BEFORE

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ANATOMY OF THE STORYBOARDING SQUARES

}

1 Panel Storyboard Area Notes Area Optional notes here to supplement your storyboard

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EXERCISE: BEFORE AND AFTER BOARDS

Using the squares, create a before and then after storyboard- 3 panels each (10 min.)

BEFORE (using the Alternative)

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As

Presenter

As

Audience

BEFORE & AFTER

1) Who is/are the persona(s)? What do they care about?

2) Why the alternative?

3) What’s cool about the value prop.?

- Focus on the process; avoid editorial - Ask a lot of questions

- Think about it like an investor

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A

I

D

A

O

ttention

nterest

esire

ction

nboarding

How do they first

find out that you,

your proposition

exist?

How do you break

through the noise

floor?

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A

I

D

A

O

R

ttention

nterest

esire

ction

nboarding

etention

What is it that

engages them with

your proposition?

How will you

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A

I

D

A

O

ttention

nterest

esire

ction

nboarding

Are you connecting

with an important

problem scenario?

Is your VP better

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A

I

D

A

O

R

ttention

nterest

esire

ction

nboarding

etention

What is absolute

minimum set of

actions required by

the customer to

have you deliver on

their problem?

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A

I

D

A

O

ttention

nterest

esire

ction

nboarding

How do they

become a regular,

habitual user? How

will you know if

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A

I

D

A

O

R

ttention

nterest

esire

ction

nboarding

etention

How do you

deepen their

involvement?

Investment? How

do you get them

talking about it?

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STORYBOARDING AIDA(OR)

Thinks: I care about evaluating tech hires but I’m busy- I’ll take a quick look if I can.

Sees: A post on social media from a peer she regards well.

Feels: There’s a twinkling in the distance but I’m still firmly rooted in my to-do list in the present.

Does: Calls or emails her peer to hear about her experience.

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STORYBOARDING AIDA(OR)

Thinks: This sounds interesting- can I make it work here (at my company).

Sees: A clear proposition and

narrative on next steps towards a successful outcome (on the Enable Quiz site).

Feels: Initially suspect, her excitement about racking up a

meaningful win in an important area grows.

Does: Puts it on her to-do list as a set of items. Mentions it to

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STORYBOARDING AIDA(OR)

Thinks: I understand the proposition and I keep seeing wins for it here at work.

Sees: Situations where she really wishes she had a quiz to use instead of the

hodge podge she uses.

Feels: This could be one of her major wins for the year- exciting!

Does: Move Enable Quiz to the top of her list.

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STORYBOARDING AIDA(OR)

Thinks: I need Frank’s buy-in: they’re his candidates and he’ll need to help me create the quizzes.

Sees: Frank struggling to find time to interview

candidates. Having trouble with skill sets on his team. Feels: Nervous and excited to bring it to Frank.

Does: Gets in front of Frank with a simple proposal to just try the system out for their next open position.

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STORYBOARDING AIDA(OR)

Thinks: Here we go- I hope this works.

Sees: A job description and a set of quiz options she needs to pair.

Feels: A little uneasy- like playing scrabble in a language she’s just

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STORYBOARDING AIDA(OR)

Thinks: This was a win- it’s part of our routine and it works great.

Sees: That her screening process and hiring outcomes are measurably

improved.

Feels: I love this thing- everyone should use it.

Does: Shares about her win on social media and is willing to try new things.

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Using the

squares, create

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Pick 2 or more panels and

detail Think-See-Feel-Do (5 min)

EXERCISE: DETAILING THINK-SEE-FEEL-DO

Thinks: I understand the proposition and I keep seeing wins for it here at work.

Sees: Situations where she really wishes she had a quiz to use instead of the

hodge podge she uses.

Feels: This could be one of her major wins for the year- exciting!

Does: Move Enable Quiz to the top of her list.

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As

Presenter

As

Audience

AIDA

1) Who’s the persona? 2) What’s the journey?

- Focus on the process; avoid editorial - Ask a lot of questions

- Think about it like an investor

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Drafting

Stories

PERSONAS STORIES Epic Stories Stories Test Cases “As a [persona],

I want to [do something]

so that I can [derive a benefit]”

ALEX COWAN

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AGILE USER STORIES

CHILD STORIES

A) “As an HR manager, I want to get a list of topics relevant to an open position from the functional manager so I can set up a relevant and complete quiz for screening.”

B) “As an HR manager, I want to browse the quiz banks [of available questions] so I can make sure I’m subscribed to all the necessary topics for my quiz.”

C) “As an HR manager, I want to purchase additional quiz banks so I can add additional technical topics to my quizzes.”

D) “As an HR manager, I want to create a custom quiz banks so I can add custom questions the functional manager wants to add to the quiz.”

EPIC STORY

‘As the HR manager, I want to create a screening quiz so that I can understand whether I want to send possible recruits to the functional manager.’

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AGILE USER STORIES

EPIC STORY

‘As the HR manager, I want to create a screening quiz so that I can understand whether I want to send possible recruits to the functional manager.’

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INVEST IN AGILE STORIES

Independent

Negotiable

Valuable

Estimable

Small

Testable

Could this be implemented on a stand-alone basis or does it presuppose other content?

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INVEST IN AGILE STORIES

Independent

Negotiable

Valuable

Estimable

Stories are not spec’s. This is an input for you to arrive at an optimal

implementation with the developer, not a

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INVEST IN AGILE STORIES

Independent

Negotiable

Valuable

Estimable

Small

Testable

What problem scenario does this address?

How have you

validated your value proposition for it?

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INVEST IN AGILE STORIES

Independent

Negotiable

Valuable

Estimable

How hard is this vs. the team’s

experience? Is it discrete enough?

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INVEST IN AGILE STORIES

Independent

Negotiable

Valuable

Estimable

Small

Testable

A big part of what makes agile (and lean) work is the use of small batches with measurable results. Make sure your stories are broken down to workable sizes.

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INVEST IN AGILE STORIES

Independent

Negotiable

Valuable

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EXERCISE: AGILE EPIC

Draft an epic story (4 min) “As a [persona],

I want to [do something]

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EXERCISE: AGILE EPIC

‘As the HR manager, I want to create a screening quiz so that I can understand whether I want to send recruits to the functional manager.’

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THE HOOK FRAMEWORK

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THE HOOK FRAMEWORK

THE TRIGGER

Internal or external stimulus leading to ACTION.

(external) (internal)

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THE HOOK FRAMEWORK

nirandfar.com

THE ACTION

The smallest possible act leading to a REWARD.

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THE HOOK FRAMEWORK

THE VARIABLE REWARD

The unpredictable but tangible gratification from the ACTION.

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THE HOOK FRAMEWORK

nirandfar.com

THE INVESTMENT

Actions that increase involvement,

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EXERCISE: STORYBOARDING THE HOOK

1) TRIGGER What feelings or events initiate use? 2) ACTION What is the

simplest thing the user can do to be rewarded?

3) REWARD How is the user gratified by their 4) INVESTMENT

How does the

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AVOID DUCKS

Keep the visual narrative focused on as well. Probably avoid wasting time on color, ‘artistic’ details. It’s just a sketch.

DUCKS

FRAMEWORKS WILL HELP

If you’re struggling to

formulate, maybe back up to the frameworks we

discussed.

FRAMEWORKS!

FOCUS YOUR NARRATIVES

If you’re struggling to squeeze everything in, decompose the narrative into more boards.

1 x TIME

3 IS A MAGIC NUMBER

Warm up (at least) in series of three panels (a ‘triptych’).

3 == MAGIC

TABLES HELP DOC’S WITH DETAIL

In documents, tables are an easy way to supplement your panels with more notes.

DOC » TABLES

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AVOID DUCKS

Keep the visual narrative focused on as well. Probably avoid wasting time on color, ‘artistic’ details. It’s just a sketch.

DUCKS

FRAMEWORKS WILL HELP

If you’re struggling to

formulate, maybe back up to the frameworks we

discussed.

FRAMEWORKS!

FOCUS YOUR NARRATIVES

If you’re struggling to squeeze everything in, decompose the narrative into more boards.

1 x TIME

3 IS A MAGIC NUMBER

Warm up (at least) in series of three panels (a ‘triptych’).

3 == MAGIC

BUILDS HELP PRESENTATIONS WITH PACE

And will help your audience stay with you.

PRES » BUILDS

TABLES HELP DOC’S WITH DETAIL

In documents, tables are an easy way to supplement your panels with more notes.

DOC » TABLES

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Foundation in Design Thinking Product & Promotion

User Stories & Test Cases Business Model Canvas Experiment Learn Hypothesize Lean Startup-Style Assumptions

VENTURE DESIGN

1) ENERGIZING PERSONAS AND PROBLEM SCENARIOS 2) DEFINING CUSTOMER JOURNEYS 3) IMPROVING EPIC STORIES 4) APPLYING THE ‘HOOK’ FRAMEWORK

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@cowanSF

www.alexandercowan.com/venture-design www.alexandercowan.com/storyboarding

www.alexandercowan.com/startup-sprints