_AH4501: International Health - Final Project Tool Box

Step 1: Envision Your Story

A great story map requires inspiration, an idea, and some thought. Think about how you want those ideas and inspiration to unfold. Envision how a viewer might experience your map. Sure, you can dive right in, but spending a little time mulling things over will make it easier to organize your story, hone it down to the essential elements, and find the right story map to bring your story to life. Which brings us to Step 2.

Step 2: Choose the Right Story Map App

There are a number of story map apps to choose from, and most include different layout options. Which is the best one to tell your story and unfold it in a compelling way? Answering that question will require some review and perhaps some experimentation—perhaps even repeating Step 1 until you are satisfied.

How can you find the right story map? Here are a few suggestions:

Browse the Gallery at the Story Maps website and be inspired by what others have done. Filter the gallery by choosing a story map type and see what each can offer. You can also filter by subject, industry, format, and author. Just scroll down and look along the left side and choose.

Use the Create Story option to guide you to the right app. You’ll find the Create Story button on the Apps page. After you click it, you can either click Pick an App from a catalog of choices with concise, single-sentence descriptions or click Ask the Pros to be guided to a story map by answering questions about your story and how you want to tell it.

Step 3: Craft the Story Components

A great story map includes great maps and multimedia and narrative text that is both interesting and informative. A great map is visually appealing, simple, focused on the story, and performs well.

All these attributes require a bit of tradecraft. You’ll find lots of resources in the ArcGIS Online help and ArcGIS Blog to help you learn how to make great web maps that perform well. Don’t overlook those little details. Make sure your pop-ups are configured, the layer names make sense, and the symbols are clear and well chosen.

Media (photos and videos) should also be optimized for web use. Make sure image sizes are appropriate for the way they will be used in your story map. Using a 5 MB photo is never a good idea in a web app, especially when it will be used as a thumbnail.

Media storage should also be considered. Flickr is great for photos and can provide your images at different sizes and resolutions as a built-in capability, and the Story Maps apps are smart enough to fetch the appropriate size from Flickr. If you’re storing your images elsewhere, you may need to do the resizing and optimization work by hand.

Your text and narratives, including the title and subtitle, should be clear and compelling. Avoid using jargon and acronyms that might be confusing to viewers unfamiliar with the topic. Use a tone and style that lure viewers in and engage them so they will continue the journey through your story.

Step 4: Build It

You’ve got ideas, maps, and media. You have given some thought to the best story map to use. Now it’s time to take a first cut.

Launch the Story Map builder. It will guide you through the steps. Although it almost always delivers the best results, don’t be afraid to challenge the defaults and experiment. As you build, it you’ll know what works and what doesn’t. When you’ve finished your first pass, squint hard and scrutinize your work. Then move directly to Step 5.

Step 5: Refine and Simplify

Take a step back and consider the story’s merits. More importantly, consider, its shortcomings. What works? What doesn’t? Are you missing maps or graphics or do you have too many? How can your story be enhanced?

Think about the narrative. Is there too much or not enough? Keep refining it to see how you can improve the overall result. Don’t be afraid to consider another story map if you find yourself wrestling with the one you’ve chosen.

Whether you’re on a mission to highlight the plight of endangered species or showcase your city’s improvement projects, too much information or a lengthy story can cause your viewers to tune out, lose interest, and become distracted. Simpler is always better, and simplicity will increase the odds your story will be viewed from beginning to end.