eLearning Storyboard Template
A screen-by-screen plan for your eLearning module, not a pile of slides built on guesswork. Set the on-screen text, the visual or media, the narration, the interaction and the developer notes for every screen, then get it signed off before the build starts.
Reviewed by Shobhit Mathur, Chief Customer Officer
- A screen-by-screen grid: on-screen text, visual, narration, interaction and notes
- A readiness check that scores each screen before it goes to build
- A quality checklist, so screens are objective-aligned, chunked and accessible
- A one-page module summary that pins down audience, objective, duration and format
What is inside
- A screen-by-screen storyboard grid that captures the on-screen text, the visual or media, the narration, the interaction and the developer notes for every screen, so the module is fully designed before it is built.
- A storyboard quality checklist that holds each screen to the basics: aligned to the objective, chunked to one idea, accessible, with purposeful interactions and an assessment where it belongs.
- A screen readiness view that scores each screen across the five things a build-ready screen needs, so the thin screens are fixed before they reach the developer.
- A one-page module summary that fixes the audience, the single objective, the duration and the output format, the frame every screen is judged against.
Who it is for
Anyone who has to plan what people learn, and answer for whether it landed.
- L&D and training teams
- People managers and team leads
- Heads of function and department
- HR business partners
- Compliance and risk teams
- Onboarding and enablement teams
- Operations and delivery leads
- COOs and HR directors
How to use this template in 4 steps
- Pick your format. Download the PDF to share, the Word file to edit, or the Excel file to work in live. All three are free.
- Make it yours. Adapt the sections, fields and wording to your team, roles and process so it fits how you actually work.
- Put it to work. Fill it in, circulate it to stakeholders for sign-off, or roll it out to your team.
- Track and improve. Review it on a set cadence and refine it as your goals, roles and priorities change.
What is inside
- A screen-by-screen storyboard grid that captures the on-screen text, the visual or media, the narration, the interaction and the developer notes for every screen, so the module is fully designed before it is built.
- A storyboard quality checklist that holds each screen to the basics: aligned to the objective, chunked to one idea, accessible, with purposeful interactions and an assessment where it belongs.
- A screen readiness view that scores each screen across the five things a build-ready screen needs, so the thin screens are fixed before they reach the developer.
- A one-page module summary that fixes the audience, the single objective, the duration and the output format, the frame every screen is judged against.
This is a starting structure to adapt to your own content and authoring tool, not a statement of instructional soundness or accessibility compliance for your specific module. Validate learning objectives, assessment and accessibility against your own standards and, where the topic is regulated, your compliance and legal teams.
The storyboard grid
The core artifact. One row per screen, read left to right: what the learner sees on screen, the visual or media that carries it, the narration they hear, what they do, and the notes the developer needs. Fill this before you open the authoring tool and the build becomes assembly, not invention.
| Screen | On-screen text | Visual or media | Narration | Interaction | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Welcome | Module title, the one objective, expected duration. | Branded title card, subtle motion in. | Welcome learner, state what they will be able to do by the end. | Click Start to begin. | Keep under 15 seconds. No learning content on the title screen. |
| 2. Why it matters | A short real-world consequence of getting this wrong. | Photo or 10-second clip of the real situation. | A one-line hook that ties the topic to the learner's own job. | Click Next. | Hook, do not teach yet. Set up the need. |
| 3. Core concept | The single key idea, three or four words plus one line. | Simple diagram built up in two steps. | Explain the concept in plain language, no jargon. | Click each diagram part to reveal its label. | One idea only. If it needs two diagrams, split into two screens. |
| 4. Worked example | Step labels for the example being walked through. | Screen recording or animated walkthrough. | Narrate the steps as they happen on screen. | Play, pause, replay controls. | Match narration timing to the on-screen action exactly. |
| 5. Knowledge check | A scenario question with three options. | Minimal, text-led so focus stays on the question. | No narration during the question; narrate the feedback. | Single-select with feedback on each option. | Feedback must say why, not just right or wrong. |
| 6. Summary and next step | Three bullets recapping the objective, one next action. | Checklist graphic animating in. | Recap what they can now do and point to the job aid. | Click Finish to record completion. | Link the downloadable job aid here, not mid-module. |
An agreed storyboard is the brief the build runs from. When the module is then delivered in an LMS, each screen maps to a slide, completion is recorded at the summary screen, and the knowledge-check result rolls up by learner, so the thing you designed on paper is the thing that gets measured.
Storyboard quality checklist
Ten checks that separate a storyboard a developer can build from a pile of rough notes. Tick items as you finish yours, it stays in this browser. The download has the same list with an owner column.
- A single learning objective is written and agreedObjectiveWhole module
- Every screen maps to the objective, nothing is fillerObjectiveEach screen
- Content is chunked to one idea per screenChunkingEach screen
- On-screen text and narration support, not repeat, each otherScriptingEach screen
- Visual or media is specified, not left as to be decidedMediaEach screen
- Interactions are purposeful, not clicks for the sake of itInteractionEach screen
- An assessment or knowledge check is included and maps to the objectiveAssessmentWhole module
- Accessibility is planned: alt text, captions, colour contrast, readable paceAccessibilityEach screen
- The SME has reviewed and signed off the contentReviewWhole module
- Developer notes are clear enough to build without askingHandoverEach screen
The most common failure is skipping the single objective. Without one, every screen looks defensible on its own and the module quietly doubles in length, so write the objective first and cut any screen that does not serve it.
Screen readiness
The grid lists the screens. This matrix shows which ones are actually ready to build, across the five things a build-ready screen needs. Score each screen and the thin ones jump out before they reach the developer. In Excel the readiness and gaps calculate as you type.
| Screen | Type | Objective | Content | Visual | Interaction | Assessment | Ready |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Welcome | Intro | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 100% |
| 3. Core concept | Teach | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 90% |
| 4. Worked example | Demo | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 70% |
| 5. Knowledge check | Assess | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 50% |
| 6. Summary | Close | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 20% |
| Coverage at required | 80% | 60% | 40% | 20% | 40% | 66% |
The summary screen is the exposure here: no visual, no interaction and no assessment mapped, despite being where completion is recorded. Closing screens get rushed, which is why the readiness check scores them like any other.
The module summary
One page that frames the whole storyboard. Fill it before the screens, because every screen is judged against it. If a screen does not serve the objective or fit the duration, it does not belong in this module.
| Field | Detail |
|---|---|
| Title | The learner-facing name of the module, short and specific. |
| Audience | The exact role or group this is for, and their assumed starting level. |
| Objective | One objective, written as what the learner will be able to do, not what the module covers. |
| Duration | Target completion time. Most single-objective modules sit between 5 and 12 minutes. |
| Format | The output and authoring tool, for example SCORM from a standard authoring tool, plus device and accessibility requirements. |
How to use it
- Fix the module summary first
Pin down the audience, the single learning objective, the duration and the output format before you touch the screens. Every screen is judged against that objective.
- Break the content into screens
Chunk the content into one idea per screen. If a screen is trying to teach two things, split it. Short screens are finished; dense ones are abandoned.
- Draft on-screen text and narration together
Write what the learner reads and what they hear side by side, so the two support each other instead of repeating word for word.
- Specify the visual or media
Say what carries each screen: an image, a diagram, a short video, a screen recording. Vague visual notes are where build time leaks away.
- Define the interaction
Decide what the learner does on each screen, from a simple next to a knowledge check or a branching scenario, and note the feedback.
- Score readiness and get SME sign-off
Run each screen through the readiness check, fix the thin ones, and get the SME to approve the storyboard before anyone opens the authoring tool.
Turo turns its SOPs and policies into structured microlearning on Disprz, which cuts the authoring build: when the source content is already chunked and sequenced the way a storyboard sequences it, each screen is close to ready before the developer starts.
Common mistakes this template prevents
- Building straight in the authoring tool, so a late content change means re-doing finished animation and voiceover.
- No single objective, so every screen looks justified and the module quietly doubles in length.
- Cramming several ideas onto one screen, so learners stall and drop out mid-module.
- On-screen text and narration that repeat word for word, which reads as dull and tests as forgettable.
- Vague media and interaction notes, so the developer guesses and the build drifts from what was agreed.
- A closing screen with no assessment or completion logic, even though that is where the result is recorded.
Which format should you use?
| Format | Best for | What is inside | Editable | Size |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sharing and print | The full template, formatted to print or circulate | No | 57 KB | |
| Word | Editing the wording | Every section as editable text you can adapt | Yes | 87 KB |
| Excel | Filling it in live | The grid and fields set up as a working spreadsheet | Yes | 66 KB |
Questions people ask
What is an eLearning storyboard?
Why storyboard before building in the authoring tool?
What should every storyboard screen include?
Is this a course or a template?
Does the Excel version work in Google Sheets?
Do I have to fill the form three times?
More from the L&D library
A storyboard gets the module right. Delivering it so people finish is the next job. That is the part we run.
Bring your storyboard to a 30-minute working session. We will show how Disprz turns an agreed storyboard into short, mobile modules, delivers them in the local language and tracks completion by role, so the module you designed on paper is the one people actually finish. Wellness Forever reached 92 percent adoption and got new employees productive within 30 days across 400-plus stores this way.