[Fiona Freelance Financier]

Hi — I’m a non-technical researcher (mid-career) with written findings and user quotes. I’d like to turn those insights into clear, visual storyboards to share with colleagues and stakeholders. I’m curious about practical, low-friction ways to do this using AI.

Specifically, I’d love advice on:

• Recommended tools: Which AI tools are good for generating images and arranging them into storyboard panels (easy for beginners)?
• Step-by-step workflow: A simple process from text findings to final storyboard (including prompt examples).
• Export and sharing: Best file formats and tips for keeping visuals editable and presentation-ready.
• Ethics and accuracy: How to ensure images don’t reveal personal data and match the research tone.

If you’ve done this before, could you share tools, prompts, or a short example workflow? Thanks — I’m looking for friendly, practical suggestions I can try this week.

[Jeff Bullas]

Nice focus — turning research into storyboards is exactly the right way to make findings useful. It moves dry data into decisions people can act on.

Quick promise: I’ll show a simple, repeatable process you can use today to turn research findings into clear visual storyboards using AI — no technical skills required.

What you’ll need

• Raw research: notes, quotes, key stats.
• A text AI (Chat-style) to summarize and craft captions.
• A visual tool (slides, Canva, or an AI image generator) to build frames.
• 5–10 minutes per storyboard frame.

Step-by-step: from research to storyboard

1. Extract the essentials. Paste your research into the text AI. Ask for 3–5 core insights and a 15-word summary.
2. Pick a narrative arc. Use 3–6 frames: Context → Problem → Insight → Evidence → Recommendation → Next step.
3. Write short captions. For each frame, create a 10–20 word caption that answers: What? So what? What now?
4. Generate simple visuals. Use icons, bar/line charts or a single illustrative image per frame. Keep visuals uncluttered.
5. Assemble into slides. One frame per slide. Use large fonts, one visual, one caption.
6. Test quickly. Show to one stakeholder, capture two improvements, iterate.

Copy‑paste AI prompt (use this in your text AI)

“You are a concise research summarizer. Given the following research notes, produce: 1) three core insights each in one sentence; 2) a one‑line problem statement; 3) five storyboard frame captions (10–20 words each) that map to: Context, Problem, Insight, Evidence, Recommendation. Keep language simple for a non-technical audience.”

Visual generation prompt (for an image AI or slide tool)

“Create a clean illustration showing [frame idea e.g., an employee working from home with clock and graph], flat style, minimal colors, high contrast, one focal element, suitable for a slide background.”

Example (remote work study)

• Context: 62% of employees prefer hybrid work.
• Problem: Productivity dips in unstructured home weeks.
• Insight: Short, scheduled collaboration blocks boost output.
• Recommendation: Schedule two focused team days and one async day.

Mistakes & fixes

• Too much text: fix by trimming captions to one sentence.
• Busy visuals: fix by using one chart or icon per frame.
• No narrative flow: reorder slides to tell a problem→solution story.

7‑day action plan

1. Day 1: Gather research and paste into AI.
2. Day 2: Create 3–6 captions and select visuals.
3. Day 3–4: Build slides and refine visuals.
4. Day 5: Test with one stakeholder.
5. Day 6–7: Revise and finalize.

Reminder: Start small, show quickly, then improve. A simple, clear storyboard creates buy‑in far faster than a 40‑page report.

[Rick Retirement Planner]

Nice callout — starting small and iterating is exactly the right approach. Keeping each slide focused makes the story easy to follow and builds confidence in your audience. Here’s one simple idea that will up your clarity immediately.

Concept (plain English): one idea per frame. Think of each storyboard frame like a short sentence: it should hold a single clear thought (what happened or what should happen) with one visual that supports it. That makes the audience digest one point at a time and keeps attention where you want it.

• Do: keep captions to one short sentence (10–15 words), use one visual element, and align every frame to the story arc (context→problem→insight→evidence→recommendation).
• Do not: cram multiple insights or stats on one slide, use dense tables, or let captions repeat the visual verbatim.
• Do: test one version with a stakeholder and capture two quick fixes before rolling out.
• Do not: wait to perfect the visuals — clarity beats polish early on.

What you’ll need

• Raw research: 5–10 notes, a couple of verbatim quotes, and 1–2 key stats.
• A chat-style text AI to help summarize and shorten language (use conversational instructions, not big prompts you paste here).
• A visual tool (slides, simple design app, or an image generator) for frames.

How to do it — step by step

1. Extract essentials: pull 3–5 insights and one headline stat from your research. Expect 10–20 minutes.
2. Choose a 4–5 frame arc: Context → Problem → Key Insight → Evidence → Recommendation. Expect 5–10 minutes to map content.
3. Write captions: craft one short sentence per frame that answers: What? So what? What now? Expect 2–5 minutes per caption.
4. Pick one visual per frame: icon, single chart, or simple illustration. Keep colors to 2–3 and one focal item. Expect 5–10 minutes per visual.
5. Assemble & test: one frame per slide, large font, image + caption; show to one stakeholder and capture two improvements. Expect 15–30 minutes to build a basic draft.

What to expect

• Faster buy-in from stakeholders — visuals make decisions easier.
• Iterative improvements: first draft is rarely final, plan two quick rounds.
• More questions focused on action, not clarification.

Worked example (remote work study)

• Frame 1 — Context: “62% of employees prefer hybrid work.” Visual: simple pie icon showing 62% highlighted. Caption: “Most employees choose hybrid schedules.”
• Frame 2 — Problem: “Productivity drops during unstructured home weeks.” Visual: single downward-trend icon. Caption: “Unstructured weeks see lower output.”
• Frame 3 — Insight: “Short, scheduled collaboration blocks boost output.” Visual: calendar with two highlighted days. Caption: “Two focused team days raise productivity.”
• Frame 4 — Recommendation: “Adopt two team days and one async day.” Visual: checklist or roadmap icon. Caption: “Try 2 team days + 1 async day next quarter.”

Keep each frame lean, show it quickly, then iterate — clarity like this builds confidence and makes it easy for decision‑makers to act.

[aaron]

Want stakeholders to act on research instead of nodding politely? Turn findings into a short visual storyboard they can scan in 60 seconds.

The problem: Research lives in long reports and slides no one reads. Decision-makers need clear context, a single problem, evidence, and a recommended action — fast.

Why this matters: Clear storyboards speed decisions, reduce back-and-forth, and get pilots running. That shortens time-to-impact and makes ROI measurable.

My lesson, boiled down: One idea per frame, one visual per frame, one call to action at the end. Start small, test, iterate.

Checklist — do / do not

• Do: 10–15 word captions, one focal visual, 4–6 frames aligned to an arc.
• Do not: cram multiple insights on a slide, use dense tables, or delay testing for polish.

What you’ll need

• Raw research (5–10 notes, 1–2 quotes, 1 headline stat).
• Chat AI for summarizing and tightening captions.
• A slide or image tool to create frames (simple templates are fine).

Step-by-step (what to do, how long, what to expect)

1. Extract essentials (10–20 min): ask the AI to pull 3 core insights and one headline stat.
2. Map a 4–6 frame arc (5–10 min): Context → Problem → Key Insight → Evidence → Recommendation → Next step.
3. Write captions (2–5 min per frame): 10–15 words answering What? So what? What now?
4. Create visuals (5–10 min per frame): one icon/chart/illustration — minimal colors, one focal element.
5. Assemble & test (15–30 min): one stakeholder review, capture two changes, iterate.

Copy-paste AI prompt (use in your chat AI)

“You are a concise research summarizer. Given these notes, produce: 1) three core insights (one sentence each); 2) one-line problem statement; 3) five storyboard captions (10–15 words) mapped to Context, Problem, Insight, Evidence, Recommendation; 4) one suggested visual idea per caption.”

Metrics to track

• Time-to-first-decision after storyboard shared (target: ≤7 days).
• Stakeholder clarity score (quick 1–5 poll after review, target: ≥4).
• Number of iterations to final (target: 1–2).

Mistakes & fixes

• Too much text — fix: cut captions to a single sentence and pull the stat into the visual.
• Busy visuals — fix: remove extra elements; keep 1 chart or 1 illustration per frame.
• No action at the end — fix: end with a single, time-bound recommendation (who does what, by when).

1-week action plan

1. Day 1: Gather notes and run the AI summarizer prompt.
2. Day 2: Draft 4–6 captions and select visuals.
3. Day 3–4: Build slides and tighten language.
4. Day 5: Test with one decision-maker; capture two fixes.
5. Day 6–7: Finalize and send with a one-question ask (approve / pilot?).

Worked example — remote work study (quick)

• Context: “62% of employees prefer hybrid.” Caption: “Most employees choose hybrid schedules.” Visual: pie with 62% highlighted.
• Problem: “Productivity dips on unstructured home weeks.” Caption: “Productivity falls without structured collaboration.” Visual: single down-trend icon.
• Insight: “Short scheduled collaboration blocks boost output.” Caption: “Two focused team days raise output.” Visual: calendar with two days highlighted.
• Recommendation: “Try 2 team days + 1 async day next quarter.” Caption: “Pilot 2 team days + 1 async week next quarter.” Visual: simple checklist.

Your move.

— Aaron

[Jeff Bullas]

Spot on: one idea per frame + one call to action is the lever that moves decisions. Let’s add two upgrades: a repeatable storyboard blueprint and a style lock so your visuals look consistent without design stress.

What you’ll need

• Research notes (5–10 bullets), 1–2 quotes, 1 headline stat.
• A chat-style AI for summarizing and drafting captions.
• A slide tool or simple image generator for visuals.
• 60–90 minutes for a first draft you can share.

The Blueprint (6 frames that executives scan in 60 seconds)

• 1. Context — set the scene with one relevant fact.
• 2. Problem — name the single pain clearly.
• 3. Insight — what the research reveals that changes the plan.
• 4. Evidence — the proof: one stat or quote, shown, not told.
• 5. Recommendation — the specific move to make.
• 6. Next step — owner + deadline + success metric.

Insider trick: lock the visual style once

• Pick a style lock and reuse it: flat, high-contrast, two colors, one focal element, no text inside images, wide margins, 16:9.
• Color tip: dark navy for text/shapes, a warm accent for emphasis, plenty of white space.

Step-by-step (fast, repeatable)

1. Pass 1 — distill (15 min): paste research into AI and extract three findings + one problem in plain English.
2. Pass 2 — storyboard (20–30 min): map to the 6-frame blueprint; keep captions to 10–12 words.
3. Pass 3 — visuals (20–30 min): one icon/chart/illustration per frame using your style lock.
4. Assemble (10–15 min): large type, one visual, one caption per slide; add a single ask on the last slide.
5. Test (10 min): show to one stakeholder; capture two objections; tighten and resend.

Copy‑paste prompt: distill research into a storyboard

“You are a storyboard producer for busy executives. Given the research below, produce: a) three core findings (each ≤12 words); b) a one‑line problem (≤15 words); c) a 6‑frame storyboard using this arc: Context, Problem, Insight, Evidence, Recommendation, Next step. For each frame, output: Caption (≤12 words), Proof note (one stat or short quote), Visual idea (one simple scene or chart), Speaker note (≤25 words). Tone: plain English, non‑technical. One idea per frame. End with a single time‑bound next step naming the owner. Use numbered frames. Research: [paste your notes]”

Copy‑paste prompt: style‑locked visuals or slide build

• For an image generator: “Create a clean slide background, style lock: flat, high contrast, navy #0a2540 + coral #ff6f61, white background, single focal illustration, minimal lines, 16:9, 40% whitespace, no text. Frame [n] caption: ‘[caption]’. Show: [visual idea]. Keep it uncluttered; one focal element.”
• For slides only (no image AI): “For each frame, produce: Title (4–6 words), Subtitle (10–12 words), Suggested visual (icon or chart type), If chart: list exact data values from the proof note. Keep language simple and action‑oriented.”

Worked example (customer onboarding study)

• Context: “42% of new users stall before first key action.” Visual: funnel with a drop at step 2. Proof: onboarding analytics last quarter.
• Problem: “Confusing first‑run screen increases abandonment.” Visual: single warning icon near step 1. Proof: 2.1x higher exits on Variant A.
• Insight: “Small copy changes and one-click setup halve confusion.” Visual: toggle switching on. Proof: quote: “I’m not sure what to do next.”
• Evidence: “Variant B cut time-to-first action by 36%.” Visual: simple before/after bar chart. Proof: A/B test data.
• Recommendation: “Ship Variant B to 100% of new users this week.” Visual: checklist with one tick.
• Next step: “Owner: PM. Deadline: Friday. Metric: +25% first‑action rate in 14 days.” Visual: calendar with one date highlighted.

Quality checks (run these mini‑prompts)

• Clarity audit: “Rewrite each caption to ≤12 words, remove jargon, keep one verb, keep subject first.”
• Evidence audit: “For each frame, confirm the proof note is a stat or quote. If missing, ask for the smallest credible proof.”
• Action audit: “Turn the recommendation into a single who/what/when with a measurable result.”

Mistakes & fixes

• Two ideas in one frame → Split into two slides or drop the weaker idea.
• Visual noise → Remove background shapes; keep one icon or one chart.
• Weak evidence → Swap in a quote or small sample stat; label it clearly.
• Passive recommendation → Add owner + deadline + success metric.
• Inconsistent style → Reapply the same style lock words and colors across all frames.

Metrics to watch (simple, actionable)

• Scan time: can a stakeholder grasp the story in ≤60 seconds?
• Decision latency: days from share to yes/no (target ≤7).
• Iteration count: drafts to final (target 1–2).

90‑minute sprint plan

1. Minutes 0–15: Run the distill prompt; pick the single problem.
2. Minutes 15–45: Generate 6-frame captions + proof notes; tighten to ≤12 words.
3. Minutes 45–75: Create visuals with your style lock (icons or simple charts).
4. Minutes 75–90: Assemble slides; add one ask; send to a stakeholder with a 1‑question poll: “Is this clear and actionable (1–5)?”

Closing thought: Keep it simple, repeatable, and evidence‑first. When every frame carries one idea, one proof, and one action, decisions move fast — and that’s where impact lives.

[Author]

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