# A Design Language for Prototyping and Storyboarding Data-Driven Stories
## 7 Discussion  
The evaluation of the design language shows it's versatility, comprehensiveness and expressiveness, and highlights its adaptability to different narrative structures, and effectiveness for various DDS types based on an extensive audit of 100 examples. Additionally, the preliminary results from an exploratory case study demonstrate the effectiveness of DataStoryDesign in DDS production workflows, improving visual communication and encouraging alternative design solutions. This multi-stage study successfully showcases the practicality of DataStoryDesign within industry workflows and highlights the potential for wider adoption in DDS production. We discuss some key findings based on our evaluation as follows:  
1. Design Language and Visual Communication: The evaluation process strongly indicated that employing a comprehensive design language for DDS narrative structure can significantly enhance the visual communication aspect of DDS production. By providing authors with a structured and expressive framework, we demonstrated that DDS authors are more capable of effectively conveying their narratives to their audiences. The design language acts as a guide, allowing authors to represent complex data-driven stories visually. This not only improves the clarity of the message but also enables DDS authors to experiment with various design options, ultimately leading to more compelling narratives.
2. Prototyping Advantages: Our evaluation also highlights the advantages of using the design language as a scaffolding solution during the prototyping and rapid prototyping phase, especially when the content is not fully prepared. The ability to create visual representations of DDS narratives without complete content can significantly expedite the prototyping process. This is a valuable feature, especially in fast-paced environments where DDS production timelines are tight. Authors can sketch out their ideas and design concepts, making it easier to refine and iterate as the content becomes available.
3. Storyboarding Experience: While the design language and DataStoryDesign show promise in enhancing the DDS production workflow, our evaluation indicates that there may be room for improvement in terms of the storyboarding experience. We are not yet entirely confident if our solution provides a substantially better experience for DDS authors during the storyboarding phase. Further refinement and user feedback might be necessary to optimize this aspect. Storyboarding plays a crucial role in visual storytelling, and any enhancements in this area could lead to more efficient and effective DDS production.
4. Consideration of Additional UX Factors: It is essential to recognize that the overall DDS production process is influenced by various user experience (UX) factors beyond just design and storyboarding. While our design language and DataStoryDesign address specific aspects of DDS production, there are other UX elements, such as usability, responsiveness, and collaborative features, that also play significant roles. These factors should be considered alongside the use of the design language to ensure holistic improvement in DDS production workflows.  
In conclusion, our evaluation demonstrates that a well-defined design language for DDS narrative structure has the potential to significantly enhance visual communication and to streamline the prototyping phase of DDS production. However, further refinement is needed to optimize the storyboarding experience. Additionally, a broader perspective that considers various UX factors is essential for achieving comprehensive improvements in DDS production workflows. This research opens up exciting possibilities for the future of DDS authoring tools and their role in creating engaging and informative data-driven narratives.