autumn 2008
CS294H: Social Software
Assignment 2: Storyboard
Grade Value: 50 points
Due: Thursday October 2, in class
brief
In this assignment, you will take your product concept a step further by storyboarding it. The storyboards should:
- Flesh out a more detailed interface for your idea
- Show its usage in the context of performing “real-world” tasks
- Come in three alternatives which vary the interface, the scenario, or both
assignment
A
storyboard is a comic strip-like set of drawings about what your
interface does and how it is used to accomplish tasks in an actual
usage scenario. Draw inspiration from McCloud’s “Understanding Comics” reading.
Your storyboards should be titled “How might we…?”, where you are to fill in a task to be accomplished. For example, your storyboard may be titled “How might we make finding an ice cream shop easier?” You could show a family on summer vacation who is looking for a cold treat. You could then illustrate how they would use your mobile ice cream locator interface to enter their desired flavor of ice cream and get directed to the nearest parlor. You should include sketches showing your interface’s actual presentation and layout, especially if there are tasks that will need to be completed by navigating menus, pressing a sequence of buttons, etc.
Pick one major/key/complex task to be done with your interface. Create three alternative storyboards for accomplishing the task, varying the interface itself, the scenario, or both. Each storyboard should require 5-8 panels, so in total you will have 15-24 panels to turn in. Each storyboard should fit on two 8.5” x 11” sheets of paper and be drawn with a thick pen, like a Sharpie. This exercise should take you about 3 hours.
design goals and evaluation criteria
- Appropriate choice of tasks for the project idea
- Well thought-out idea and interface
- Clear and comprehensive illustration of the interface (including annotations for how the major components will work)
- Use of insights from the previous assignment
in studio
Please bring your storyboards to class! Like on Tuesday, we will again be presenting them informally.