Storyboarding for eLearning: PowerPoint or Word?

It's a (relatively) old debate in training circles; relative (of course) to how long we've had eLearning as a training option... The question... when storyboarding, which is better, Microsoft PowerPoint or Word?

The answer... both PowerPoint and Word can be effective for creating eLearning storyboards. The choice often depends on the project's needs and your personal preferences.

Here are some pros and cons of each tool to help you decide:

MS PowerPoint

Pros:

• Visual Layout: PowerPoint’s slide-based format is ideal for laying out visual elements. Each slide can represent a screen or module in the eLearning course, making it easy to visualize the flow and design.

• Ease of Embedding Media: It’s easy to embed images, videos, and audio files directly into slides, which is helpful when you want to showcase multimedia elements in the storyboard.

• User-Friendly and Intuitive: Many people are already comfortable using PowerPoint, and it offers a straightforward way to present each screen or module in a course.

• Interactive Capabilities: PowerPoint supports animations and basic interactivity, making it possible to create a low-fidelity prototype to show how the course elements will transition.

Cons:

• Limited Detail for Text: PowerPoint’s slide layout may not be as well-suited to including detailed instructional text or developer notes.

• Linear Format: It can be challenging to present non-linear courses (e.g., branching scenarios) clearly in PowerPoint.

  
  

MS Word

Pros:

• Detailed Documentation: Word is better for providing detailed instructions, scripts, and developer notes alongside each screen or slide. It’s easier to format text and create sections for different types of information.

• Flexible Structure: Word’s outline format works well for highly structured courses, especially those that are content-heavy or involve a lot of scripting.

• Ideal for Branching Scenarios: The document format makes it easier to show complex branching or non-linear course paths.

Cons:

• Limited Visual Support: It’s not as easy to create a clear visual representation of each screen, as Word is more text-oriented.

• Less Interactive: Word lacks the ability to show how animations and transitions will work, making it less suitable for previewing interactions.

Best Practices for Choosing

• Use PowerPoint if you need to present a visual flow, if the course is heavily based on visual interactions, or if the team needs to see how the screens will look with images and multimedia.

• Use Word if the project involves a lot of text, scripting, or branching, or if the course requires detailed instructions for developers.

Finally, as is always the case, some instructional designers combine the two by creating an outline with Word (for detailed notes and scripts) and a visual storyboard in PowerPoint. So I guess, it really just depends :-)