Storyboard for Product Managers

Effective communication is one of the most essential skills for any product manager, and storytelling is the key to conveying product vision clearly and persuasively.

Traditionally, many of us rely on tools like PowerPoint, Canva, or Figma—and even AI-powered platforms like Prezi—to create presentations. However, these often end up packed with text and images that can be difficult to retain and hard to fully comprehend.

Recently, while learning the UX skills, I discovered the power of storyboarding. It struck me immediately: this is a tool every product manager should master ( or at least should know well ). Storyboard offer a visual narrative that goes beyond static slides, making it easier to communicate complex ideas and user journeys in a way that’s memorable, impactful, and engaging.

Incorporating storyboards into your presentations can transform the way you communicate with your teams and stakeholders, creating a more dynamic and user-centered approach to product discussions.

Image of pitch conversation

Above picture was created within 5 min after using the storyboard tool (tool is mention at the end of the article ) and with the progression of technology it has become easier to create such stories where you don't need to be an expert in designing.

What is Storyboard ?

A storyboard is a visual representation of how users interact with a product, broken down into key steps that map out the user journey. It can also act as a tool that helps product managers translate abstract ideas into tangible sequences, providing a clear and organized view of how users move through different stages of a product or service.

Remember: Your customers is trying to move from one state to another ( movement is nothing but Job To Be Done ) and your product is enabler for that.

What's in for product managers ?

• Visualizing the user experience

  As the saying goes, a picture is worth a thousand words, and with attention spans shrinking in today's world, a visual representation of the journey allows customers to quickly grasp how the product can solve their problem.

• Clarifying customer journey

  Using storyboards makes customers feel more connected and relatable compared to understanding through data alone. It taps into the emotional intelligence of the customer, fostering a deeper connection

• Communication across teams

  Effective communication with different stakeholders ( developers, managers, sales, marketing, customers) through same medium. Enhancing the way story telling is done to the stakeholders within the limited amount of time available for an effective outcome.

  
  

What are the components of a storyboard ?

To make storyboard more effective there are some mandatory components which are required. Below are the components that can help to quickly build an effective story using the storyboard.

User Personas	User Goals	Actions	Pain Points	Solutions
Identify your ideal customer profile	What are their goals and objective?	What are their actions while completing their journey ?	What are the pain points and how can we reflect them in the story?	How your product solves the problem ?

*Note : Data is also important but it depends on the context. Realization of pain point may not require information of data in all cases.

How to implement the storyboard ?

Listed few of the steps that I believe is important. Feel free to add your own steps to make the storyboard better and do mention any suggestion in the comment section

Step 1	Define user persona and goals
Step 2	Map out user journey
Step 3	Write down the script.
Step 4	Highlight your solution on how it solves the user problem.
Step 5	Gather feedback with team before sharing with the customers.

Below example shown is only for illustration where a person is pitching an idea and trying to convince the stakeholder.

Above story was created within short span of time. But if you spend time while creating the story this can be made far more effective.

Tools:-

• https://www.storyboardthat.com/

• https://storytribeapp.com/ ( Above images were created using this tool ).

• Other tools which are generic such as figma can also be used.

Things to Remembers

• Do not over complicate. Keep it simple rather then clutter with lot of text.

• For collaboration try to use the tools that are designed for it ( Figma, Mural etc ).

• We live in dynamic world and changes are expected to happen at a faster rate. Hence iteration will be required.

• Involve relevant stakeholders early in order to make sure story is more effective.