Estimated reading time: 20 minutes.
make_videos.py or record and embed your own.)A design document describes instruction; a prototype lets people experience it. Stakeholders who approve a document often reject the module built from it, because the document did not make them imagine what learners would actually do. Prototypes surface those reactions early, when changes are cheap. They also expose problems the designer cannot see from the inside: an interaction that is confusing, a scenario that feels fake, a page that takes three times longer than planned.
Prototyping is the core of SAM and of rapid prototyping models; it also fits inside ADDIE and Dick and Carey as the front half of formative evaluation (Module 7). Whichever model you chose, plan to prototype.
| Fidelity | Form | What it tests | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Paper | Sketches of screens, index cards for branches, a script read aloud | Sequence, flow, scenario plausibility, length | Minutes to hours |
| Low | Slides with placeholder graphics and clickable navigation; a text-only version of a branching scenario | Interaction logic, wording, decision points | Hours |
| Medium | Authoring-tool build with real text, draft graphics, temporary narration (or synthetic voice) | Look and feel, timing, usability | Days |
| High | Near-final module with produced media | Final polish, technical function, accessibility | Weeks |
Start at the lowest fidelity that can answer your current question. Test the flow on paper before you write a single line in an authoring tool. Move up only when the lower-fidelity version stops producing useful findings.
A storyboard describes each screen or segment of instruction: what the learner sees, hears, and does, and what happens next. It is the handoff document between designer and developer and the primary artifact for stakeholder review. A useful storyboard row or page contains:
| Field | Content |
|---|---|
| Screen ID | Unique number tied to the lesson and objective (for example, L2-S07, Objective 2.1.3) |
| Gagne event | Which of the nine events this screen serves |
| Visual | Description or sketch of what is on screen; image and graphic requirements |
| On-screen text | Exact text |
| Audio / narration | Script; note whether narration replaces or supplements text (Mayer's redundancy principle) |
| Interaction | What the learner does: click, choose, type, drag; branching rules |
| Feedback | What appears for each response |
| Navigation | Where the learner goes next; whether they can go back |
| Accessibility notes | Alt text, caption source, keyboard alternative for any interaction |
| Development notes | Asset file names, tool-specific instructions |
A storyboard for a 20-minute module runs 15 to 40 rows. Write it in a table (Word, Google Docs, or a spreadsheet) or in the authoring tool's own storyboard view.
Decision practice is where most e-learning fails to go beyond click-next. A branching scenario presents a situation, asks the learner to decide, shows the consequence, and continues. Design it from the task analysis: every branch point in your procedural analysis is a decision screen, and the common errors you recorded are the wrong options. Keep the structure manageable: three or four decisions with two or three options each and a few converging paths is plenty. Prototype it in Twine or on index cards before building.
Even a paper prototype should be tested with someone who resembles the learners. A one-to-one test takes 30 to 45 minutes:
Three one-to-one tests find most of the serious problems. Module 7 expands this into a full formative evaluation plan.
Most designers build content with a subject-matter expert (SME) rather than from their own knowledge. Practical rules: give the SME a specific task with a deadline (review this storyboard for accuracy; provide three realistic error cases), not an open request; explain design decisions in terms of learner performance so the SME understands why the module is not a lecture; separate accuracy review (the SME's call) from design review (yours); and prototype early so the SME reacts to something concrete.
Your instructional plan includes a storyboard for one complete lesson and a low-fidelity prototype of at least one interaction. Choose the lesson that best represents your strategy, and choose the interaction that carries the most decision practice.
Allen, M. W. (2012). Leaving ADDIE for SAM. ASTD Press.
Tripp, S. D., & Bichelmeyer, B. (1990). Rapid prototyping: An alternative instructional design strategy. Educational Technology Research and Development, 38(1), 31–44.