How do storyboards function in the design process?

Storyboards play a critical role in the design process by visually outlining how users will interact with a product or solution throughout their experience. By showing the sequence of interactions and decision points, storyboards help designers map out user navigation effectively. This visualization allows teams to understand and communicate the flow of user experience, making it easier to identify design elements that require improvement or adjustment.

Utilizing storyboards helps ensure that the final product aligns with user needs and expectations. They serve as a communication tool among stakeholders, developers, and designers, enabling everyone to have a shared understanding of how the user will navigate through the interface.

The other options refer to aspects of data management (such as database layouts and data field properties) or system analysis (like process timing), which do not pertain to the narrative-driven and visual nature of storyboards. These alternatives focus more on technical specifications or performance, rather than enhancing user experience through visual storytelling.