real progress in developing as an interaction designer depends on how much ideas you interact with
best practices:
carry at all times (or second small sketchbook)
always have a pencil
sketch frequently
annotate drawings
do not erase
sketchbook is for design only
3B pencil is the most popular (allows varying the line width/intensity easily)
10 + 10: a warm-up
sketch 10 competing (different) ideas
out of 10 ideas, pick one
draw 10 more sketches with details or alternatives
scribble: sketch the main idea quickly (like 30 seconds quick)
the drawing doesn’t have to be understandable to anyone else
exercise: do more scribbles often
photo sampling to capture ideas
bad design
good design
what inspires you
screenshot, photo, scan, print, clip. add to your sketchbook or a separate scrapbook
collecting real objects
you can maintain two shared/private sketchbooks
drawing levels:
from memory
what you think you see
what you actually see (rotate image upside-down and copy lines)
Don’t worry if the sketch is text-heavy. If it helps, it serves its function.
when collaborating, sitting around the table helps all to draw simultaneously.
photo traces
state transition diagram
simple (text-only)
visual
annotated
indexed (visual part (or another state machine) is separated from the state machine)
implicit by layout (comic books)
adding conversation frames adds context
sketching narrative
5 is a good default for number of frames (forces to think of the essence)
1 frame is the beginning, sets the context, use wide shot
2,3 develop story
4 climax
5 end. wide shot
shots:
extreme long (wide)
long
medium
over-the-shoulder
point of view (POV)
close-up
when creating animation (slides) make sure the sketches do not jump around. (create template and copy it)
uncovering initial mental model:
introduce the sketch briefly and ask people to explain, in detail, their understanding of every visual element on the screen.
for Wizard of Oz simulation, you don’t have to hide the wizard.
wizard can simply respond with how system behaves (DnD style)
“by listening to participants think and plan, you can examine their expectations for your product, as well as their intentions and their problem solving strategies.” (p. 235)
Practical Guide to Usability Testing by Dunais and Redish
Have storyboards available for review and feedback
