What happened when I switched from PowerPoint to Word for storyboarding

For over two years, I storyboarded in PowerPoint, carefully making slides look just right. But recently, I switched to storyboarding in Word and discovered a surprising benefit. 

Word eliminated the distraction of making slides “pretty enough” while drafting. Instead of fussing over visual design, I could focus on optimizing for comprehension and retention, and overall instructional soundness.

Here’s how storyboarding in Word has helped:

• Focus on choosing the best instructional strategy

• Articulate the strategy clearly

• Harmonize voiceover and on-screen text seamlessly

• Think deeply about content presentation before visualizing

• Streamline, simplify and speed up reviews

• Track changes made by multiple SMEs

• Save time refining visuals based on feedback

Working with graphics can be intoxicating. Even poorly developed ideas can look polished with good design. But writing in Word strips away the flashy elements, exposing any weak thinking and giving me a chance to improve.