NAUGHTY LITTLE SCAMPS
e ‘art’ of sketching interfaces

Anatomy of a sketch

Line up
At a fundamental level, sketches are made up of lines
(and a little bit of shading, but that’s just more lines, right?)

Basic line technique
Smooth action
Go further than you need to
Start light, then build up thickness

Boxes
If we get away from the idea of a box as a square or a rectangle,
we can start to think about an interface as a box containing a series
of other boxes.

Boxes
If we get away from the idea of a box as a square or a rectangle,
we can start to think about an interface as a box containing a series
of other boxes.
So we need to be able to draw boxes. Even if they are invisible.

Boxes
If we get away from the idea of a box as a square or a rectangle,
we can start to think about an interface as a box containing a series
of other boxes.
So we need to be able to draw boxes. Even if they are invisible.
[invisible box]

Tip #1
icker lines can hide mistakes, as well as lending weight and highlighting

Tip #1
icker lines can hide mistakes, as well as lending weight and highlighting
Tip #2
Do all your verticals at the same time, then your horizontals

Tip #1
icker lines can hide mistakes, as well as lending weight and highlighting
Tip #2
Do all your verticals at the same time, then your horizontals
Tip #3
Start light and build up weight and thickness as you get more confident in the
idea (mistakes/over-drawings are fine, it’s not a polished drawing)

Are you sitting comfortably?

If you're not comfortable, you won't sketch well
If you can, spread out
Find your angle
Have your stuff in reach
Light is important

Activity 1: Warm up
Parallel lines
Intersecting lines
Squares
Squares in squares

What is a sketch (and what is not)?

<opinion><rant>

“Wiggly Wireframes” (not a sketch)

Hand-drawn wireframes (not a sketch)

</rant></opinion>

Sketches do not have to be pretty, beautiful or even immediately understandable by
others. However, you should be able to explain your sketches and ideas when anyone
asks about them.
Sketching User Experiences: e Workbook
(Saul Greenberg, Sheelagh Carpendale, Nicolai Marquardt & Bill Buxton)

Why Sketch?

I use sketches as a prop; a visual aid to explanation:
ey don’t often
work as
standalone
objects
SKETCH
ey are ey are
supplementary to a often created
(written or verbal) as a response
explanation or ‘on the fly’

Example: sketch and text working in tandem

Why use sketches?
(paraphrasing Bill Buxton and my Dad)
Sketches give you the freedom to make mistakes and think openly
ey can be done at speed - explore lots of ideas quickly
You can record ideas without getting lost in the detail
ey are easy to discuss, share and critique with others
To have fun (too often forgotten)

“Like sign-language, but more better”

Activity 2: Capture it
Sketch as many concepts as you can
Explain (using your sketches)
Interpret (without explanation)

Quickly sketch something that describes:
Sliding/swiping to scroll or page through a series of ‘pages’
Portrait to landscape orientation on a phone
Switching from list to grid view (or vice versa)
A pull-down (or drop-down) menu
Click to download
Re-ordering a list
A slide out toolbox or panel
Showing or hiding content

Tools of the Trade

My Kit
Hard graphite pencil (H or HB)
Blue ‘no photocopy’ pencil
Good eraser/rubber
Layout pad
Black pens (various thickness/nibs)
Markers for shading and depth
(3 tones only, 20% apart) + 1 colour
Scanner
Pencil sharpener/sharp knife

Tip #1
Any pen/paper is better than no pen/paper
(capture the idea first, then come back to it and refine it later)

Tip #1
Any pen/paper is better than no pen/paper
(capture the idea first, then come back to it and refine it later)
Tip #2
Avoid fancy sketch pads and notebooks if you have a fear of the blank page
(full notebooks and sketchbooks are beautiful, even if their covers aren’t)

Tip #1
Any pen/paper is better than no pen/paper
(capture the idea first, then come back to it and refine it later)
Tip #2
Avoid fancy sketch pads and notebooks if you have a fear of the blank page
(full notebooks and sketchbooks are beautiful, even if their covers aren’t)
Tip #3
Don’t throw away old pens, but don’t just keep using the same one
(sharpie pens are called ‘sharp-ies’ for a reason)

“Pens should be avoided unless you are practiced with them”
Bill Buxton

“Pens should be avoided unless you are practiced with them”
Bill Buxton
“Mistakes are ok. Keeping them makes it a sketch rather than a drawing”
Sam Smith

e devil is in the
(lack of) detail

Sketches as impressionism
As soon as you start to get into detail you are drawing (not sketching) and in danger
of you, and the people you share your sketches with, focusing on the wrong thing.

Can you tell what it is yet?

Can you tell what it is yet?

Can you tell what it is yet?

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I can still read it, even if I can’t understand it
Alternatives:
Lines Squiggles
If headers and labels are real text they will stand out

Focus on the bits that are relevant
No need to draw the whole thing
Vary the level of detail/finesse (high = relevant, low = less important)
Use low-fi sketches of the whole thing and ‘pull out’ the detail

Activity 3: Focus
Show me just as much as you need to

How did you plan/book your journey here? Use your sketch to describe that process
(If you can think of how to do it better, great, but don’t spend too long designing solutions)
Don’t try to sketch the whole thing
ink about how to show:
- the device/s you used
- interactions
- the output/display
- how you used the info
Only show as much as you need to

Give us a clue (Labelling)

Good labels saved many a bad sketch

Copyright © Night Beacon (www.taehok.com)

A good note is worth a thousand pictures
Labels must be readable (and not just by you)
Don’t make me turn my head to read it (stay on the horizontal)
CAPS ARE YOUR FRIENDS (it’s not shouting in a sketch)
Make your guides into part of the label
Don’t write it tiny
Take your time (sketch quick, write slower)

Activity 4: Writing
AAAAA
AN ARMY OF ANTS
ANNOTATE

A sketch not a scribble

A few flourishes and the rest basic
Learn (by practicing) how to make one or two stylistic flourishes and apply them
consistently to your sketches to build up a style, and to go from scribble to sketch.
Examples:
Handwriting (it really can make a big difference)
Lines and frames
Arrows
Hands (for touch-based gestures)

Hands can be a right bugger ...

... but they don’t have to be

Activity 5: Adding style
Hands / Shading / Lettering / Arrows

Sketching Interaction

Activity 6: Interaction
Show me:
What happens?
How is it initiated?

Take-away tips
Get it down first, worry about the presentation later
Don’t throw sketches away
Mistakes are ok (and can often be hidden)
Don’t try to draw everything - focus
Don’t get bogged down in doing detail
Keep it consistent
Practice your handwriting
Remember what you’re trying to achieve
Don’t hold back - bust out a sketch if you think it’ll help

See how the experts do it*
Eva-Lotta Lamm - www.evalotta.net
Bill Buxton - http://billbuxton.com
Sunni Brown - http://sunnibrown.com
Mike Rohde - http://rohdesign.com/sketchnotes/
Peiter Buick - http://uxdesign.smashingmagazine.com/2011/12/13/messy-art-ux-sketching
* en practice until you become one

A call to arms
A lot of us spend precious hours creating heavy documentation that is dated before it is
completed. Sometimes this is appropriate, but most times it isn’t.
is year, re-imagine the way you work. Resolve to develop your prototyping skills. Get
good at sketching in front of people. Learn to facilitate design conversations.
Experiment. Question old methods ... ese are exciting times—shape the future!
Sarah B. Nelson - Tapir and Tine

ank You
Sam (@pub)
Jason (@jasonmesut)
RMA
Design Driven Innovation