Real Designers Sketch
But pixel pushers don’t
Alright, I know I might be poking the bear here, and these might sound like fighting words, but hear me out. If you’re a designer and you’re not sketching, can you even call yourself a designer? What is design without sketching? Without defining a problem space and exploring multiple solutions through quick and dirty brain dump sketches, what are you really doing that constitutes design? And no, just because your app is called Sketch doesn’t mean you’re actually sketching. If you’re simply receiving a task, taking it at face value, opening up Figma or Sketch, creating a ‘design,’ and then handing it off to product or development saying, ‘Here you go, I designed the thing,’ then you’re not designing. At that point, you’re just pushing pixels around on a screen.
Sketching is a cornerstone of design, transforming initial concepts into clear, innovative solutions. It’s a crucial practice that goes beyond pushing pixels, grounding your design process in creativity and clarity.
Before you get all defensive and start sharpening your pitchforks, maybe you should be sharpening your pencils instead. Just hear me out as to why sketching is the lifeblood of the UX design process. Drawing heavily from Bill Buxton’s masterpiece, Sketching User Experiences, I’m going to show you why sketching is a must, how to do it better, and why designers who don’t sketch are just pixel pushers. So grab your pencils and your thick skin, and let’s get sketching!
Defining Sketching
Let’s set the record straight: sketching is not about creating museum-worthy art. It’s about drawing out ideas freehand, rapidly and freely, to explore concepts and communicate them effectively. It’s the visual equivalent of brainstorming, a quick and dirty way to get those creative juices flowing and share your vision.
Now, let’s delineate sketching from other design disciplines, focusing on their level of fidelity:
Sketching
The practice of drawing out ideas freehand, sketching is all about rapid visualization. It’s spontaneous, flexible, and noncommittal. Think of it as the wild west of idea generation, where anything goes, and no idea is too crazy to explore. Low fidelity: basic shapes, rough lines, quick exploration.
Wireframes
These are more structured than sketches. Wireframes represent a low-fidelity skeletal framework of your design, focusing on layout and structure without delving into detailed design elements. They’re like the architectural blueprints of your project, showing the basic layout and navigation paths. Low to medium fidelity: clearer structure, simple layout, minimal details.
Mockups
Moving a step further, mockups are mid-fidelity designs that showcase the visual style of your project. They may include colors, typography, and imagery, providing a detailed representation of what the final product will look like. Mockups are all about visual appeal and detail. Medium to high fidelity: detailed visuals, more polished look, closer to the final design.
Prototypes
These are interactive simulations of your design. Prototypes can range from low-fidelity (clickable wireframes) to high-fidelity (fully interactive mockups). They’re used for testing and validating design ideas, allowing you to experience the user flow and functionality before final development. Low to high fidelity: interactive elements, functional testing, detailed representation.
Fidelity refers to the level of detail and realism in design artifacts. Sketching, wireframes, mockups, and prototypes each have their place in the design process, distinguished primarily by their fidelity. Sketching allows for rapid, flexible idea exploration at a low fidelity, while wireframes, mockups, and prototypes progressively add detail and interactivity, increasing in fidelity as the design evolves.
Sketching and Prototyping: A Continuum
Sketching and prototyping are like peanut butter and jelly. They go hand in hand, forming a delicious continuum in the design process.
Sketching
It’s about open-ended exploration. You’re suggesting, questioning, and playing with ideas. It’s tentative and noncommittal.
Prototyping
This is where you start answering those questions. You’re testing theories and moving towards a specific, detailed product.
Think of sketching as the elaboration phase, generating a wild array of ideas. As you move into the reduction phase, prototyping refines these ideas, testing and narrowing them down. It’s a dance between creativity and practical decision-making.
Value of Sketching
But why even sketch, you ask? Let’s break it down in detail:
Idea Exploration
Sketching is like speed dating for your brain. It allows you to explore multiple concepts quickly without committing to any one of them. Imagine you’re tasked with redesigning a shopping cart experience. Instead of spending hours refining a single idea, you whip out your sketchpad and brainstorm ten different concepts in thirty minutes. You’re not married to any of them, so you can freely explore crazy, out-of-the-box ideas without the pressure of perfection. This kind of rapid exploration can lead to innovative solutions that you might never have considered if you were stuck in a more rigid design process.
Communication
Sketches are like the universal translator for your team. When you’re trying to explain a complex idea, words can sometimes fail you. But a quick sketch? It can instantly convey what you’re trying to achieve. Imagine you’re in a meeting with stakeholders who aren’t familiar with design jargon. Rather than trying to explain your ideas verbally and watching their eyes glaze over, you pull out a sketch. Suddenly, everyone’s on the same page, and you can have a productive discussion about the concept rather than getting bogged down in miscommunication. To take this step further, I once had a mentor who made the statement “Always bring an artifact,” meaning never go into a meeting or discussion without something visual to talk through. Often times this was a hand-drawn sketch or even a live white-boarding session.
Concept Over Visuals
One of the biggest advantages of sketching is that it shifts the conversation from visual details to the core concept. High-fidelity designs in tools like Figma can feel final, which can create tension. For designers, these visuals represent a lot of hard work, so when issues are brought up, it can feel like a personal attack. For product managers and other stakeholders, hi-fi visuals can create anxiety because they look ready for development, even when they’re not.
Sketching rough ideas in 3–6 variations keeps the focus on the underlying concepts. It encourages open discussion without the pressure of polished visuals, making everyone — designers and partners alike — feel more comfortable and collaborative. By focusing on the concept rather than the details, sketching allows for a more productive and less stressful design process.
Agility
Sketching lets you pivot faster than a caffeinated squirrel. Quick iterations based on feedback are the name of the game. Let’s say you’ve sketched out a new homepage layout, and during a team review, someone points out a major usability issue. No problem — you grab your pencil, make a few tweaks, and you’re ready to move forward. This kind of agility is crucial in the fast-paced world of UX design, where being able to iterate quickly can mean the difference between a successful project and a stalled one.
Collaboration
Sketching fosters a collaborative environment. It’s an inclusive activity that encourages input from all team members, regardless of their artistic skill. Picture a design workshop where everyone — from designers to developers to marketing folks — is gathered around a whiteboard, sketching out ideas together. This not only democratizes the design process but also ensures that you’re capturing a wide range of perspectives. Plus, it’s a lot more fun than sitting through yet another endless PowerPoint presentation.
Problem-Solving
Sketching is a powerful tool for problem-solving. When you’re faced with a complex design challenge, oftentimes the best way to work through it is to sketch it out. Imagine you’re trying to design a new feature for an app, and you’re stuck on how to make the user flow intuitive. By sketching out different user paths, you can visualize potential pain points and come up with solutions that you might not have considered if you were working directly in a digital tool.
If you’re not sketching, you’re missing out on speed and flexibility. And no one wants to be slow and stiff, right? So, grab that pencil, start sketching, and watch your design process transform.
Sketching Misconceptions
Despite its importance, sketching in UX design often faces several misconceptions.
Sketching is Just for Artists
Oh, really? You think you need to channel your inner Van Gogh to sketch? Newsflash: you ain’t him. Even if you are an amazing artist, sketching in UX is not the place for your art skills. Sketching is not about creating museum-worthy pieces; it’s about getting your ideas down fast. Stick figures, rough lines, and basic shapes are all you need. If you can draw a box and a few arrows, you’re good to go.
Sketching Takes Too Much Time
Sure, because spending hours tweaking pixels in Figma is a speed demon’s dream, right? In reality, sketching can save you loads of time. It allows you to brainstorm and iterate on ideas quickly before you dive into the digital abyss. So, stop whining and start sketching — you’ll thank me later.
Digital Tools Have Made Sketching Obsolete
Ah, the classic “technology will save us all” fallacy. While digital tools are fantastic, they can’t beat the spontaneity and flexibility of good old-fashioned sketching. Think of sketching as the foundation of your design process. If your house doesn’t have a solid foundation, it’s going to crumble. The same goes for your designs.
Sketches Need to Be Perfect
Perfectionists, take a seat. Sketching is about rough ideas and quick iterations, not creating a masterpiece. If your sketches look like a toddler’s doodles, you’re doing it right. Embrace the mess — it’s where the magic happens.
Sketching is Only for Early Stages
Who told you that sketching is only for the beginning of a project? Sketching is useful at every stage, from initial brainstorming to prototyping and even during user testing. It’s like the Swiss Army knife of design tools — versatile and always handy.
Everyone Understands Digital Prototypes
Oh, so you think showing a polished prototype is always better for communication? Wrong. Am I to assume you have never had miscommunication issues with stakeholders over a polished UI? High-fidelity prototypes can overwhelm stakeholders and give them the false impression that the design is set in stone. Sketches, on the other hand, keep the focus on the big ideas and invite more open, constructive feedback.
Sketching in the Design Process
Sketching proves to be an invaluable tool at various stages in the UX design process, and it fits seamlessly with different methodologies — whether you follow Agile, Lean, or Waterfall. The beauty of sketching is that it transcends these frameworks and is particularly aligned with the Double Diamond model, which emphasizes divergent and convergent thinking. Here’s how and when to incorporate sketching into your design process:
Initial Conceptualization
At the start of a new project, when you’re diving into problem-solving mode, sketching is your best friend. This is the divergent phase of the Double Diamond model, where you explore a wide array of ideas and possibilities. Sketching allows you to brainstorm freely, capturing a broad range of concepts without the constraints of high-fidelity design tools. For example, if you’re tasked with creating a new user interface for an app, you might sketch out several different layouts and features, exploring various ways to solve the problem.
Collaboration and Stakeholder Engagement
Early engagement with stakeholders is crucial for any design process. Sketches provide a visual medium that can be easily understood and discussed by non-designers, facilitating collaboration and early buy-in. During meetings, using sketches encourages participation and can elicit feedback that is more immediate and actionable. Imagine presenting a rough sketch of a new feature to your product manager and team; this can spark valuable discussions and ideas that might not emerge from a detailed, high-fidelity mockup.
User Experience Mapping
As you map out the user journey, sketching various touchpoints and interactions can reveal insights and prompt discussions that text alone might not. This is particularly important in the divergent phase, where you’re exploring multiple pathways and interactions. For instance, sketching out a user’s flow through an e-commerce site can help identify potential pain points and areas for improvement that may not be obvious in a written description.
Prototyping and Iteration
Before committing to high-fidelity prototypes, sketching can be used to iterate on designs rapidly. This is where the convergent phase of the Double Diamond comes into play, narrowing down from broad concepts to refined solutions. By sketching, you can quickly test different variations, integrating feedback from previous iterations or fresh stakeholder input. For example, after initial sketches have been reviewed, you might refine the best ideas into more detailed wireframes or low-fidelity prototypes.
User Testing
Even during user testing, rough sketches can be used to quickly alter design elements based on user feedback. This ability to adapt in real-time is invaluable, especially in methodologies like Agile and Lean, which emphasize rapid iteration and responsiveness. Imagine conducting a user test and discovering that a particular feature is confusing; with sketches, you can quickly rework the design and test the new version almost immediately.
Including sketching as a regular part of these stages ensures that design remains a dynamic and responsive process, open to the insights and contributions of all involved parties. Whether you’re working within the structure of Agile sprints, Lean’s build-measure-learn cycles, or the more sequential stages of Waterfall, sketching provides a flexible and powerful way to explore and refine ideas. Sketching isn’t just for fun (though it is pretty fun). You should be whipping out those #2 pencils, pens, sharpies, or Apple pencils.
Effective Sketching
Maximize your sketching prowess with these tips:
Keep it Quick and Dirty
Your sketches should be fast and rough, focusing on getting ideas out of your head and onto paper without worrying about perfection. The goal is to capture concepts quickly, which allows for more efficient brainstorming and iteration. The rougher and less detailed, the better, as this encourages more creative thinking and less attachment to specific ideas.
Use the Right Tools
Choose tools that make sketching easy and flexible for you. This could be traditional pen and paper, whiteboards, or digital tablets and styluses. The key is to find what works best for you and your workflow. The right tools can make the process more enjoyable and help you sketch more efficiently.
Create Multiple Versions
Always sketch 3–6 variations of each idea. This practice ensures that you explore different angles and approaches before deciding on the best one. Multiple versions help you see the full range of possibilities and prevent you from becoming too attached to a single idea early on.
Iterate Frequently
Sketching is all about rapid iteration. Don’t settle on your first idea. Draw multiple versions and refine them continuously. Each iteration should bring you closer to the best solution. This process allows for quick adjustments based on feedback and new insights, making your design more robust and user-focused.
Just Do It
Sketching is all about rapid iteration. Don’t settle on your first idea. Draw multiple versions and refine them continuously. Each iteration should bring you closer to the best solution. This process allows for quick adjustments based on feedback and new insights, making your design more robust and user-focused.
Always Bring an Artifact
Make it a habit to sketch live or bring a sketch artifact to any conversation or meeting. Having a sketch to discuss helps clarify ideas, fosters better communication, and provides a tangible reference point. This practice keeps discussions focused and productive, ensuring that everyone can visualize and understand the concepts being discussed.
Wrapping Up
In conclusion, sketching is not just an optional part of the design process; it’s an essential practice that elevates your work from mere pixel-pushing to true design thinking. By embracing sketching, you open up a world of rapid idea exploration, effective communication, and collaborative problem-solving. It shifts the focus from visual perfection to conceptual clarity, allowing for agility and iteration that digital tools alone can’t provide. So, the next time you find yourself diving straight into Figma or Sketch, take a moment to step back, grab a pencil, and start sketching. It’s time to stop pushing pixels and start designing with intention and creativity. Remember, great design begins with a sketch.
