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Exercises/Divergent Ideation/Design StoryBoards
Visual Thinking ยท Divergent Ideation

Design StoryBoards

Design StoryBoards is a visual thinking exercise for divergent ideation: it helps participants open up more possible ideas before choosing a direction.

5 to 15 minutesTIME
Medium group (9-25), Pairs, Small group (4-8)GROUP SIZE
ActiveENERGY
In personSETTING
High cognitive loadCOGNITIVE LOAD
Strengthens Participation Architecture This divergent ideation exercise strengthens Participation Architecture, one of the eight Gathering Effectiveness pillars.

How to run it

  1. Invite a design team (a representative subset of the group) to create a detailed plan, including visual cues, for how participants will interact to achieve their purpose
  2. . How Space Is Arranged and Materials Needed
  3. An open wall with tapestry paper or flip-chart pages
  4. by-4-inch Post-its and/or Liberating Structures Playing Cards
  5. A blank storyboard (create a spreadsheet like the one illustrated above)
  6. How Space Is Arranged and Materials Needed
  7. Invite a design team (a representative subset of the group) to create a detailed plan, including visual cues, for how participants will interact to achieve their purpose How Space Is Arranged and Materials Needed An open wall with tapestry paper or flip-chart pages
Live facilitator

Run this exercise live

The facilitator console stays in this browser. Its QR handoff is a short-lived participant snapshot containing only public exercise instructions, phase, prompt, and timer state.

Prompts to use +

Invite a design team (a representative subset of the group) to create a detailed plan, including visual cues, for how participants will interact to achieve their purpose

A blank storyboard (create a spreadsheet like the one illustrated above)

Invite a design team (a representative subset of the group) to create a detailed plan, including visual cues, for how participants will interact to achieve their purpose How Space Is Arranged and Materials Needed An open wall with tapestry paper or flip-chart pages

Run this with your AI assistant +

Works with Claude, ChatGPT, Gemini, or your own local model: paste this prompt and your AI will co-facilitate this exercise with you.

Adapt this exercise for my exact room. Exercise: Design StoryBoards. Readiness: Publishable Draft. Core moves: Invite a design team (a representative subset of the group) to create a detailed plan, including visual cues, for how participants will interact to achieve their purpose; A blank storyboard (create a spreadsheet like the one illustrated above); Invite a design team (a representative subset of the group) to create a detailed plan, including visual cues, for how participants will interact to achieve their purpose How Space Is Arranged and Materials Needed An open wall with tapestry paper or flip-chart pages. Return a concise facilitator script with timing, wording, safety notes, and remote/in-person adjustments.

Origin unverified

  • Where we observed it: The strongest current observations come from Liberating Structures; aggregators are listed as additional observations, not origin proof. (1 source observed, including Liberating Structures.)
  • What that means: we track where an exercise has been observed in public sources. We do not claim to know who created it, or how popular it is.
  • No efficacy claims: appearing in this library is not a claim that the exercise is proven effective. Facilitator judgment and context decide whether it works for a given room.
  • Corrections: if you have evidence of an earlier or more accurate source, read our methodology and trust boundary and tell us.

Pairs well with