Storybuilder Deposition Designations

Storybuilder Deposition designations let case teams mark deposition testimony for use at trial when a witness will not appear live. Storybuilder supports affirmative designations and counter designations. It also supports flexible import and export options across multiple transcripts and parties, along with designation video clip exporting.

Use this article to:

• Set up designation parties for a Story
• Create designations manually in a deposition transcript
• Import designations from a spreadsheet or CSV
• Export designations for exchanges with opposing counsel or court-ready materials

To learn more about transcript workflows in Storybuilder, see Work with a Deposition Transcript. To learn how to upload transcripts, see Upload and Administer Deposition Transcripts.

Requirements

This feature is available in Storybuilder for users who can view and edit deposition transcripts in a Story. To use designations, a transcript must already be uploaded to Storybuilder.

Permission requirements are action-based:

• View designations: View permission on the Story and transcript access
• Create and edit designations: Edit or Full Access permission on the Deposition
• Configure parties: Edit or Full Access permission on the Story
• Export outputs: Document export permission

Supported designation types

Storybuilder currently supports two designation types: affirmative designations and counter designations. Use these designations to mark deposition testimony for trial preparation and designation exchanges.

• Affirmative: Use this when you want to mark testimony your side plans to include in its initial designation set.
• Counter: Use this when you want to add testimony that provides context to another party’s designation.

Storybuilder supports affirmative designations and standalone counter designations. Counter designations are not explicitly linked to the affirmative designations they respond to.

Storybuilder does not support objections, responses, or admissibility tracking. To record objections, use notes.

Set up designation parties

Before you create or import designations, set up the parties you want to track in the Story, such as Plaintiff and Defendant. Each party has an associated color that is used for that party’s designations in the transcript and in exports.

To set up designation parties:

1. Open the Story that contains your deposition transcripts.
    
2. Open Story settings.
3. In the Case parties table, add and configure the parties you want to track for designations. (e.g. Plaintiff, Defendant). Each party has an associated color that is used for that party’s designations in the transcript and in exports.
   

Create designations manually in a transcript

You can add designations in two ways: create them manually in an uploaded deposition transcript, or import them from a spreadsheet. This section covers the manual workflow. For the import workflow, see Import designations from a spreadsheet.

To create designations directly on the uploaded transcript:

1. Open a deposition transcript in Storybuilder.

2. Select the designation mode button to enter designation mode (shortcut: d).
   

   Note

   The designation mode button displays the color associated with the selected party.

   Note

   The currently selected party and type stay in effect for new designations until you change them.

   Tip

   To save time when creating multiple consecutive designations for the same party and/or designation type, select that party from the Change designation party or type dropdown menu rather than choosing your settings individually for each designation.

3. Select the testimony you want to designate. A popup appears for the designation configuration.
   

4. [Optional] In the Party field, select the party. Then in the Type field select the designation type: Affirmative or  Counter.

5. [Optional] Select the Notes plus button to add a note.
6. Click outside of the popup or hit Escape on your keyboard to save and exit.

Import designations from a spreadsheet

You can also import designations from a spreadsheet or CSV. You can import designations from multiple parties across multiple transcripts in a single import

Imported designations are applied directly to the transcript based on page‑and‑line citations

To import designations:

1. Prepare a designation file in spreadsheet or CSV format. A sample import file is available on the import dialog. Specify:
   • Citation: The transcript(s) the imported citations belong to. This is formatted with the citation, the prefix for a deposition and the line (or lines) of the designation. Exact formatting depends on the length of the designation. Here are some examples: 

• Party: The parties associated with those designation (e.g. Plaintiff or Defendant)
• Type: The designation type (Affirmative or Counter)

2. Open the Import designations dialog from either:

• The Depositions page: Select the Import designations button
  
• An individual transcript page: Select more options > Import designations.
  

3. Select the designation file from your computer.
   
4. Select Import.

View and edit existing designations

After you create or import designations, you can review them directly in the transcript.

To view or edit existing designations:

1. Go to Storybuilder > Depositions.
2. Open the deposition transcript that contains the designations.
3. Select a designation to view or edit its details; if you’re in designations or highlight mode, select the right sidebar to select a designation.
    
   This opens the designation popup.
   

Here you can:

• Change the party and/or designation type from the Party and Type fields
  
• Export the associated video clip (if applicable)
  
• Play the clip’s video and audio (if applicable): Select the linked video clip citation (the Play video clip button).

• Add/edit a note from the Note field
  
• Edit the selected text by selecting the Edit highlight range button, modifying the text selection, and selecting Save.
  
• Copy the highlighted text, with or without citations
• Delete the designation by selecting Delete designation.

Designations also appear in the Annotations tab in the page’s side panel. Select an annotation to scroll to it in the transcript. 

To filter designations, select the Filter annotations button on the right side of the transcript.

This opens the Filters panel. Here you can filter by designation party among other annotation criteria (e.g. highlights, added to story, has notes)

Export designations

You can export your designations to support exchanges with opposing counsel and preparation of court-ready materials. Your options are:

• A designation chart: Exports affirmative designations and standalone counter designations to a CSV for one or more transcripts at a time. Use this export when exchanging designation charts with opposing counsel or when you need a structured, multi‑transcript view of designations.

  Note

  For single deposition exports, this chart can also be exported as a PDF or Word document. Multiple-transcript exports only support CSV export.

• A color-coded transcript (single‑transcript exports only): Exports an individual transcript with designation highlights. Party colors from Story settings are preserved so you can see which party designated each portion of testimony, including right-side bars to better understand overlapping designations.
• Testimony video clips (single-transcript and single designation clips only)

Export multiple transcripts

To export designations as a CSV designation chart for multiple transcripts:

1. Go to the Story’s Depositions page.
2. Select the Export annotations button. This opens the Export annotations dialog.
   
3. Select the deposition(s) for which you want to export annotations.
   
4. Enter a name for the export, then select Designations as the annotation type to export.
   
5. Select whether you want to include notes. Then select Export.
   

Export a single transcript

To export designations for a single transcript:

1. Open the Deposition.
2. Select more download/export options > Transcript with annotations.
   
   This opens the Export annotations dialog.
   
3. In the Export name field, enter a name for the export.
4. In the Select annotation type to export field, select  Designations.
5. Under Files to include, select from any or all of the following file types:
   • Designations chart: Format options are CSV, PDF, and Word
   • Color-coded transcript: Format options are PDF and Word
   • Testimony video clips (if available): Sub options are Include transcript citations and Combine clips in single MP4 file.
     
6. [Optional] Under Fields to include, select Notes if you want to include internal notes.
7. From the Designation types list, select the designation types (party: type) you want to include.
   
8. Select Export.

Export individual designation video clips 

If the deposition video is also uploaded, you can export a designation’s video clip directly from the transcript. To do this, select the designation, then in the popup, select the Export video clip button.

Copy a single designations text and/or citation

To copy an individual designation’s text and/or citation:

1. Select the designation; if you’re in designations or highlight mode, select the right sidebar to select a designation.
   
2. In the popup, select either the Copy highlight text with citation button, or select the More copy options button and choose whether to copy the highlighted text with its citation, without its citation, or the citation only.