UX Sketching

Description

When beginning the design process for any project, sketching is an extremely useful and necessary tool to help generate and communicate ideas.² The basics of UX sketching are for the designer to sketch out ideas by hand in order to produce, communicate, and clarify ideas. This technique can be a reference for one individual or a reference that can be shared amongst colleagues or any other stakeholders.¹ UX Sketching is unique in the sense that the potential designer for the sketch can go into as much detail as needed within the sketch to make sure the preferred outcome of the design is fully thought out and represented in the sketch.

According to Nick Vyhouski in the article “Everything You Need to Know About UX Sketching” there are two steps to UX Sketching³:

1. Idea Generation
2. Adding Detail and Refinement

The sketching process begins with broad and open-ended brainstorming of ideas. Then the most promising ideas are chosen and improved. The sketch can first just encapsulate the big picture, leaving lesser details for refinement. The sketch can be improved upon, after first including the “rough essentials”, by then adding context/ details that can help the viewer get a clearer understanding.

In order to understand what UX sketching is, designers first need to understand how UX sketches have been used to influence and perfect most things that are popular today.

• Art within museums is often sketched out by the artist(s) before the final product of their art is produced- most of these rough sketches can be impactful to see as the artist’s ideas are easily displayed within the sketch.
• All ads for billboards seen by millions of people daily must first be sketched out and planned by the company marketing team.

Design Challenge

This design challenge will allow you to experience the process of generating and organizing ideas through UX Sketching.

Learning Outcome: 

Use UX Sketching to generate a solution to keep electronic devices safe in the shower while focusing on design generation, details, and organization.

Scenario: You are renovating your bathroom and completely rebuilding your shower. When you are looking into options for your shower you realize that you want to include something in the design of the shower that will allow you to keep electronic devices in the shower without getting them wet. This is important to you because you love listening to music in the shower and you want a way to do so easily and without any risk of ruining your electronic devices or having to get out of the shower to access your electronic devices.

Directions: 

1. Start your first sketch. Sketch the outline of an empty shower. Use your own shower as inspiration.
2. Add details. Now that you have an empty shower, add all of the products/items you have in your shower at home. This can be things like soap products, shower shelves, etc.
3. Create your second sketch. Put your first sketch aside and sketch the shower in the image below. Do not add any extra details.
4. Add details and create a solution. Now add shower products/items to the empty shower (similar to step 2) and add a way to keep electronic devices in the shower without the devices getting wet. Be sure to pay attention to the organization and details of the shower and the products/items in the shower.

Sources:

1. Chong, K. (n.d.). Everything you need to know about UX sketching and tips to … – 99designs. Retrieved April 18, 2023, from https://99designs.com/blog/tips/ux-sketching/
2. Lau, K., Oehlberg, L., & Agogino, A. (2009). Sketching in design journals: An analysis of visual representations in the product design process. The Engineering Design Graphics Journal, 73(3).
3. Vyhouski, N. (2016, September 27). Everything you need to know about UX sketching: Toptal®. Toptal Design Blog. Retrieved April 18, 2023, from https://www.toptal.com/designers/ux/guide-to-ux-sketching
4. “Sketching Forux Designers.” Sketching for UX Designers, https://sketchingforux.com/.