Tracking the Flow

Evaluating the Use of Process Mapping and Visual Storyboarding in the Classroom

Stephanie Munson, Assistant Professor, Industrial Design Program | University of Illinois, Chicago
Kevin Reeder, IDSA, Associate Professor, Industrial Design Program | Georgia Institute of Technology

Introduction

At the 2005 Eastman/IDSA Education Conference, Stephen Wilcox gave a presentation on procedure mapping. The next day, Kevin Reeder, with Stephanie Munson, discussed visual storyboarding. Both procedure mapping and visual storyboarding are communication methods that emphasize viewing and discussing the entire use, storage to storage, of a product. In turn, the design team uses the broad view to pinpoint areas where greater research is needed, a competitive market edge can be achieved, opportunities for innovation can be identified, and empathy for the user becomes critical. As a process communication tool, a procedure or process map/visual storyboard can be a fluid, pin-up device to communicate project concerns to all parties involved. It can example the overlap of industrial design and business marketing issues or industrial design to manufacturing. In all cases, process mapping and visual storyboarding provide a broad, overarching message to the participants in the product development process.

At the 2005 Eastman IDSA Education Conference, Stephen Wilcox, a principal at Design Science, discussed the value of using information graphics to make complex forms of information understandable. As example, Dr. Wilcox discussed the construction of a procedure map and its function as a communication tool within the design team as well as with the client.

Michael Lee Smith, director of process improvement at ETS, on corporate procedures states that “Process mapping is a technique for making work visible.” and “There has probably never been a process map developed where someone has not said, ‘Why are we doing it that way?’.”

Chris Ahoy, associate vice president at Iowa State University describes a process map as “a workflow diagram to bring forth a clear understanding of a process or series of parallel processes.”

Adrian Mallon in an Internet article states storyboards need not take the considerable time that some think that it does, depending on how one goes about it (“Storyboarding Multimedia” 1). And there are significant advantages to be considered. There is a document, which everyone can point to as a common point of reference, enabling the design team (which includes client) to say, ‘Yes, that is what I meant’, or ‘No, we’ve a problem here’. Problems may be spotted from the storyboard that may have proven more costly to correct at a later stage.”

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