This document provides guidance on using sketching to communicate ideas visually. It discusses the differences between sketches and illustrations, and lists reasons for using sketches such as to clarify, share, engage with others in an emotive and memorable way, and document ideas. The document then provides tips for visual thinking, developing a visual vocabulary, using basic shapes and useful formats, getting others involved through creating excitement and using visuals in deliverables. It includes example missions demonstrating how to sketch problem descriptions, branding metaphors, project timelines, data, and product comparisons to help communicate ideas effectively.
21. Mission 1
Help the board of directors visualise the User Centre Design approach. The
steps are:
3.Plan
4.Research
5.Requirements gathering
6.Design
7.Evaluation
8.Design
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22. Mission 2
You want visualise a companies brand using a metaphor. Please choose to
sketch one option: a machine, an animal or a person using the info. below.
The company:
4.Designs and develops software
5.It is global
6.It has more than one office in each country
7.They innovate but slowly
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23. Mission 3
Convey the steps and key project dates to the team through a sketch:
Date:14 May – Event: Kick-off
Date:1st June – Research
Date:15th June – Report
Date:3rd July – Design
Date: 10th September – Testing
Date: 2nd October – Development
Date 4th November - Launch
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24. Mission 4
Find a way to show the following to your team:
In 2010, the energy industries’ contribution to the UK economy were:
•3.7% of GDP
•10.1% of total investment
•49.6% of industrial investment
•2.1% of annual business expenditure on research and development
•150,200 people directly employed in 2009(5% of industrial employment) and
more indirectly e.g. an estimated 239,000 in support of UK Continental Shelf
production.
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25. Mission 4
Help your customer make the right choice and break up the list:
Battery life Up to: 10 hours
Dimensions: H24.1 x W18.6 x D0.94cm
Function: Ultra Mobile .
Hard drive: 16GB
HDMI inputs: No
Screen size: 9.7"
Stereo speakers: Built-in
Touch Screen: Yes
USB ports: No
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A sketch is a representation of an idea, in a simple and synthesized way A sketch doesn’t need to be lifelike, it can be an abstract representation of a concept. An Illustration is always related with drawing, it is artistic and it is expected to be polished
To get to the right picture one can follow 4 basic steps: 1. Collect information: scan, gather, screen data 2. Conceive the message: Is the sketch representing and idea?, or is it a tool to analyse a problem?. In this phase you select what information is useful for you, and what is going to be your point. 3. Imagine the picture: which picture for which message?. In this phase one evaluates one’s audience, time and place where one is going to show the image and design it to be as engaging as possible. At this phase you choose which format is appropriate. For example, if your audience is the finance department committee you don’t want to show them a funky drawing about the sales leads for the next semester, you might want instead to use a grid or a chart that helps them make a visual idea of the overall financial situation. 4. Draw it: It doesn’t need to be perfect, what it needs is to be is clarifying.
The good thing of sketching as often as possible, is that you will be getting to your own visual vocabulary, and it will take you less time to sketch your ideas. Your visual vocabulary, can be as simple or complex as you want, it just needs to be consistent. This will help your audience to follow your drawings and get used to your sketching-language.
All can be reduced to geometry, anything can be simplified to these basic shapes. As happens with colours, meaning associated with shapes can vary from culture to culture.
A sketch can be something as simple as mind mapping. It helps to order ideas, brainstorm and associate thoughts
Sketching helps you explain your argument, for example using grids you can depict several options or how a situation might develop. The sketch will allow you to discuss all the options while keeping your audience focused on the overall picture.
Sketching doesn’t need to be complete or accurate, just needs to make your argument visual and help you explain it.
Sketching can be more lifelike if you need to. It can help you explained how something works, or what are the parts. Adding lifelike elements will add emotion to the sketch and help recall abstract concepts.
Sketching can be used to tell stories, and make them more engaging, for example by using story boards.
The best way to get people involved is make them sketch!
If you are organising an activity, make a poster!. People will get excited about it, they will remember it anytime the pass by the poster. Ask people to participate, use post-its, ask questions, this will engage people further and they will feel they are part of it.
Make visual rich documentation If your deliverables contain visual information they can be re-used and shared with others. If you are dealing with text heavy information or numbers you can use asymmetry to make it easy to scan, to highlight the important points to remember. Sketch the layout, try different approaches on paper, this will save you a lot of time in front of the computer.
Use visuals to tell stories. When you provide an image of something you are providing a tool through which people will be able to imagine it. This is almost to make it happen because now they have seen it!.
Try to sketch as much as you can. Anything!. From ideas, schedules, meetings. This will allow you to share and explain your ideas any time, and will help you to get faster doing it.
GAME – Drawing the problem Step 1 – Pick up one of the problems provided in the following ‘mission cards’ Step 3 – Draw what the card describes in a piece of paper. Step 4 – Try to do it in 10 minutes!