📖Sketching User Experiences: The Workbook

carry sketchbook at all times

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