Create a six-frame storyboard that shows a user's journey from problem to solution. Use when you need a fast narrative for alignment, concept reviews, or demos.

Purpose Create a 6 frame visual narrative that tells the story of a user's journey from problem to solution, using the classic storytelling arc to build empathy, illustrate value, and make abstract product concepts concrete. Use this to align stakeholders, pitch features, communicate vision, or test if your solution resonates emotionally before building it. This is not a UI mockup—it's a storytelling tool that brings the human side of your product to life. Input Works best with: The user and the problem to solution story you want told. Also useful: The emotional arc, key moments you know must appear, and the audience for the storyboard (execs, design review, sales). Anything supplied with the invocation itself — text after the skill name, a pasted context dump, or an appended ARGUMENTS: line — counts as answers already given. Use it and skip whatever it covers; don't re ask. Arriving empty handed? That works too. The skill asks who the user is and what changes for them, then builds the six frames. Example invocation: Storyboard: overwhelmed pharmacy tech discovers our auto refill queue and ends the day on time — for next week's concept review. Key Concepts The 6 Frame Storyboard Structure Based on classic narrative arcs, the 6 frame format follows this pattern: 1. Frame 1: Main Character — Introduce the persona and their context 2. Frame 2: The Problem Emerges — Show the challenge or obstacle they face 3. Frame 3: The "Oh Crap" Moment — Escalate the problem to create urgency 4. Frame 4: The Solution Appears — Introduce your product/feature 5. Frame 5: The "Aha" Moment — Show the user experiencing the breakthrough 6. Frame 6: Life After the Solution — Illustrate the improved state Why This Works Emotional engagement: Stories create empathy in ways specs can't Concrete over abstract: Visual narrative makes vague concepts tangible Memorable: People remember stories better than feature lists Alignment tool: Stakeholders can react to a story and give feedback Low fidelity: Doesn't require polished design—sketches work great Anti Patterns (What This Is NOT) Not a user flow diagram: This is emotional storytelling, not process documentation Not a feature demo: Focus on user outcomes, not product capabilities Not marketing copy: Authentic narrative, not hype When to Use This Pitching a new product or feature to stakeholders Aligning teams on user value (product, design, engineering, execs) Testing if a product idea resonates emotionally Communicating vision at all hands or investor meetings Validating problem/solution fit before building When NOT to Use This For technical implementation details (use architecture diagrams instead) When the user problem is trivial or well understood As a replacement for user research (storyboards illustrate insights, don't create them) Application Use template.md for the full fill in structure. Step 1: Gather Context Before creating the storyboard, ensure you have: Persona clarity: Who is the main character? (reference skills/proto persona/SKILL.md ) Problem understanding: What challenge do they face? (reference skills/problem statement/SKILL.md ) Solution definition: What product/feature will help? (reference skills/positioning statement/SKILL.md ) Desired outcome: What does success look like for the user? If missing context: Run discovery work first. Don't fabricate personas or problems. Step 2: Answer the 7 Storyboard Questions Ask these questions one at a time to develop the narrative: 1. Who is the main character experiencing this problem? (Name, age, role, context) 2. Describe the problem or challenge the main character is facing. 3. Describe the "Oh Crap" moment where the problem creates a major issue. 4. How is the solution introduced to the main character? 5. Describe the main character using the solution and experiencing an "Aha" moment. 6. What is life like for the main character after using the solution? 7. Do you have any specific visual style or rendering instructions? (Default: fat marker sharpie sketches, minimal and monochrome) Step 3: Write the 6 Frame Narrative Based on the answers above, draft the narrative: Step 4: Visualize Each Frame For each frame, create or describe the visual: Frame 1: Main Character Visual: Sarah at her desk, surrounded by sticky notes, laptop open, coffee cup Mood: Busy, slightly stressed Tools: DALL·E, MidJourney, hand drawn sketches Frame 2: The Problem Emerges Visual: Sarah staring at a spreadsheet labeled "Overdue Invoices," multiple browser tabs open Mood: Overwhelmed Details: Clock showing 10pm, to do list getting longer Frame 3: The 'Oh Crap' Moment Visual: Sarah's phone showing "Day 14: Payment Overdue from Client XYZ" notification. Her face shows worry. Mood: Anxious, urgent Details: Calendar showing upcoming rent due date Frame 4: The Solution Appears Visual: Sarah's laptop showing the SmartInvoice landing page with headline "Stop Chasing Payments" Mood: Curious, hopeful Details: Testimonial quote: "Saved me 5 hours/month" Frame 5: The 'Aha' Moment Visual: Sarah's phone showing notification "Client XYZ just paid! $5,000 received." She's smiling, relieved. Mood: Joy, relief, empowerment Details: Background shows sunset—she's done with work early Frame 6: Life After the Solution Visual: Sarah playing with her kids in the backyard, laptop closed on the patio table Mood: Peaceful, balanced Details: Clock showing 6pm (not 10pm anymore) Step 5: Test the Storyboard Ask these questions: 1. Is the main character relatable? Would your target persona recognize themselves? 2. Is the problem visceral? Do people feel the frustration in Frame 2 3? 3. Is the "Oh Crap" moment real? Does it escalate the problem authentically? 4. Is the solution introduction natural? Or does it feel forced/contrived? 5. Is the "Aha" moment believable? Can users imagine experiencing this? 6. Is the "after" state aspirational? Would users want this outcome? If any answer is "no," revise. Examples See examples/sample.md for full storyboard examples. Mini example excerpt: Common Pitfalls Pitfall 1: Generic Persona Symptom: "Meet User, a busy professional" Consequence: No one identifies with this character. Fix: Get specific: "Meet Sarah, 35, freelance designer, juggling 10 clients, home office, loves design but hates admin." Pitfall 2: Weak Problem Symptom: "User has a problem with efficiency" Consequence: Problem doesn't resonate emotionally. Fix: Make it visceral: "Sarah spends 8 hours/month chasing overdue invoices, missing family dinners, feeling anxious about cash flow." Pitfall 3: Forced Solution Introduction Symptom: "User magically discovers our product" Consequence: Feels contrived, not authentic. Fix: Show realistic discovery: "Sarah sees a recommendation in a designer forum" or "Sarah's colleague mentions it." Pitfall 4: Feature Centric "Aha" Moment Symptom: "User sees the dashboard and loves the features" Consequence: No emotional payoff. Fix: Focus on outcome: "Sarah gets notification: '$5,000 received!' She's relieved—no awkward call needed." Pitfall 5: Vague "After" State Symptom: "Life is better now" Consequence: Not aspirational or concrete. Fix: Be specific: "Sarah leaves work at 6pm now, spending evenings with her kids instead of chasing clients. On time payments jumped from 50% to 80%." References Related Skills skills/proto persona/SKILL.md — Defines the main character skills/problem statement/SKILL.md — Frames the problem for Frame 2 3 skills/positioning statement/SKILL.md — Informs the solution introduction in Frame 4 skills/jobs to be done/SKILL.md — Informs the desired outcome in Frame 6 External Frameworks Joseph Campbell, The Hero's Journey (1949) — Classic narrative structure Pixar's story rules — "Once upon a time... Every day... Until one day..." Donald Miller, Building a StoryBrand (2017) — Story driven marketing frameworks Dean's Work Storyboard Storytelling Prompt (6 Frame Storyline Generator) Provenance Adapted from prompts/storyboard storytelling prompt.md in the https://github.com/deanpeters/product manager prompts repo. Skill type: Component Suggested filename: storyboard.md Suggested placement: /skills/components/ Dependencies: References skills/proto persona/SKILL.md , skills/problem statement/SKILL.md , skills/positioning statement/SKILL.md , skills/jobs to be done/SKILL.md