Plan a clear storyboard and accessible video
Put scenes, spoken words, visual meaning and accessibility decisions together in a complete fictional storyboard with a review checklist.
A storyboard is a sequence of communication decisions. For each scene, record what the viewer should understand, what they will see, what they will hear and how the same meaning remains available when a sense or viewing mode changes.
You can start with a table instead of polished drawings. It is enough to expose a missing instruction, an unsupported claim or an image that carries information the narration never mentions.
Start with the message and the known facts
The example below follows the promotional-video brief. Alder & Grain is fictional. The intended result is that a potential customer understands the route from useful photos to a booked inspection and an approved repair.
It is a planning example, not an available film or a claim that any customer process has been tested. The timings are a draft for a read-through; adjust them to the real narration and the time needed to understand each scene.
A complete original storyboard
| Scene and draft timing | Visual | Spoken words | Accessibility and editorial check |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 · 0–7 seconds | Whole wooden chair against a plain background; brief title identifying repair preparation | “A loose wooden dining chair? Start with clear photos.” | Say the problem and action; do not rely on the title alone. |
| 2 · 7–18 seconds | A full-chair photo, followed by a closer view of the loose joint | “Show the whole piece and the problem area. Tell us what moves or looks damaged.” | The narration identifies both required views. Keep captions away from the detail being shown. |
| 3 · 18–29 seconds | A simple appointment card beside the chair; no real customer information | “Alder & Grain reviews your photos before arranging an inspection at the workshop.” | “At the workshop” must appear accurately in the captions. Avoid an image implying a home visit. |
| 4 · 29–41 seconds | An illustrative sheet labelled proposed work, price and approval | “After inspection, we explain the proposed work and price in writing. You decide whether to approve it.” | The spoken words communicate the approval point. Do not show an invented price as a live offer. |
| 5 · 41–49 seconds | A simple sequence card labelled agreed repair, then collection by arrangement | “We carry out the agreed repair, then arrange collection.” | The sequence is spoken as well as shown; no colour-only distinction between stages. |
| 6 · 49–65 seconds | Clear next-step card with the service limits and a label for the full process | “We repair wooden chairs and minor wooden-table faults, without upholstery or home visits. Read the process and prepare your photos before travelling.” | Check the longer sentence at a comfortable speaking pace. Keep the destination available as an ordinary link beside the video. |
The table records all of the example narration. The visual column describes what a producer would create; it does not substitute for the finished captions or transcript.
Give each accessibility output its own job
Captions
Captions provide synchronised text for the relevant speech and sounds. Review the words, speaker identification where needed, timing and placement. W3C's caption guidance explains why automatically generated captions need an accuracy check. A missing “not” can reverse a service limitation.
For the example, pay particular attention to “before”, “after inspection” and “without upholstery or home visits”. Those phrases determine what the viewer should expect. Review the final export, not only the script that was approved before recording.
Description of visual information
Ask whether any important meaning is available only in the image. In the photo scene, the narration specifies the whole piece and problem area. In the quotation scene, it names work, price and approval. This is a deliberate use of integrated description.
W3C's description guidance describes integrating needed visual information into the main audio as one approach. Check the finished video: adding a silent diagram or an unspoken deadline during editing can introduce a new gap.
A descriptive transcript
A transcript gives a readable version outside the timed player. For video, include important visual information as well as the speech. The W3C transcript guidance explains this distinction and recommends making the transcript easy to find.
For this example, the transcript could combine the narration into short paragraphs and add a labelled note: “The preparation scene shows one photo of the whole chair and one close-up of the affected joint.” Do not add facts that are absent from the film unless they are clearly marked as supplementary information.
Keep text readable in the intended placement
Put only the necessary words on screen. Leave enough time for them to be read. Test the smallest intended display and both the landscape and portrait versions; important labels may move under controls or captions when the frame changes.
Use clear foreground/background contrast and avoid communicating a distinction only through colour. Keep a static readable next-step link outside the player so someone does not have to pause the last frame to find it.
Review the sequence in different ways
| Review | Question to answer |
|---|---|
| Listen without looking | Are the process, limits and next step understandable from the audio? |
| Watch with captions and no sound | Do the reviewed captions carry the relevant speech and sounds? |
| Read the descriptive transcript | Is the useful information available without playing the video? |
| Use the actual player | Can someone start, pause and operate the necessary controls using a keyboard? |
| View the smallest intended layout | Can the captions and important labels be read without cropping or overlap? |
| Compare with the approved service facts | Have the visuals, edit or narration introduced a new promise? |
These are practical review steps. Passing this table does not establish full accessibility conformance; the media, player and surrounding page need assessment together. Use W3C's media-planning checklists to identify the relevant requirements for the actual production.
Once the film's message is settled, the content-reuse guide shows how to create shorter pieces that answer different questions without losing the source facts.
The source notes
Sources and further reading
- W3C: captions and subtitles Checked 4 November 2026
- W3C: describing visual information Checked 4 November 2026
- W3C: transcripts for audio and video Checked 4 November 2026
- W3C: planning accessible audio and video Checked 4 November 2026