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The Messy Art Of UX Sketching

uxdesign.smashingmagazine.com

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Re: The Messy Art Of UX Sketching

#11

Post by arrel »

notyourwork wrote: post #8
arrel wrote: post #7

Once you involve a photocopier in your "sketching" process you've officially jumped the shark. I am a big advocate of sketching wireframes before moving to the computer, but that means paper, ball point pen, and a minute or less per sketch. What he is creating is hand-crafted design - it looks beautiful, it communicates ideas very well, but it is totally inefficient in reaching the end goal of a usable, functional pr…

"but it is totally inefficient in reaching the end goal of a usable, functional product." Why? Inefficient, yes your opinion but this does not prove this process would not yield a usable product. Your comment makes me wonder how we ever got to where we are today with computers.

It's definitely possible to design a great product with a very manual design process, but you can also write a great novel using pen and paper. Computers make a lot of things a lot easier, and you should leverage them when they make sense. (like for instantly making exact copies of designs you make, or even better making slight variations along the way.)

Re: The Messy Art Of UX Sketching

#12

Post by yarone »

I used pencil & paper for wireframing for years. Scissors, photocopying, etc., exactly as the article explains.

I struggled off and on with various replacements: Visio, Photoshop, Powerpoint. All of these gave me to much control over the final product, and I inevitably spent too much time trying to get things pixel-perfect, choosing the right colors, finding the right icons, and more - things that my graphic designer peers should be doing, not me.

Then, I discovered Balsamiq mockups, which I've been using nonstop now since early 2009. No longer using pencil & paper.

Re: The Messy Art Of UX Sketching

#13

Post by alabut »

Nice! I like sketching so much that I devoted a big part of my portfolio to talking about my prototyping process:

http://alabut.com/work.html

Pro tip: buy a sketchbook that has both a 24 column grid and browser chrome, so it'll feel more like the final product and give you a better sense of proportion. But don't be afraid to chuck it for something even more low fidelity, like butcher paper and sharpies.

Here's the one I've been using - it has tear-away pages and alternates between full-width and 2-on-a-page layouts:

http://appsketchbook.com/products/ux-sketchbook

Best $12 I ever spent. I also a fan of the double-ended art markers by Prismacolor - they're basically like highlighters but in a variety of colors, like a subtle gray. I like adding shading with those instead of dealing with the messiness of pencils and erasers. That's how I make sketches like these:

http://dribbble.com/shots/230767-Stats-Page-For-iOS-App

http://dribbble.com/shots/230717-Dev-Dashboard

Re: The Messy Art Of UX Sketching

#14

Post by krschultz »

arrel wrote: post #7

Once you involve a photocopier in your "sketching" process you've officially jumped the shark. I am a big advocate of sketching wireframes before moving to the computer, but that means paper, ball point pen, and a minute or less per sketch. What he is creating is hand-crafted design - it looks beautiful, it communicates ideas very well, but it is totally inefficient in reaching the end goal of a usable, functional pr…

It is definitely more efficient to communicate your point clearly - even if that takes more time - than to have multiple jump in and start working without being on the same page.

Re: The Messy Art Of UX Sketching

#16

Post by anigbrowl »

alabut wrote: post #13

Nice! I like sketching so much that I devoted a big part of my portfolio to talking about my prototyping process: http://alabut.com/work.html Pro tip: buy a sketchbook that has both a 24 column grid and browser chrome, so it'll feel more like the final product and give you a better sense of proportion. But don't be afraid to chuck it for something even more low fidelity, like butcher paper and sharpies. Here's the on…

That UX Sketchbook looks neat, but I wonder why no landscape orientation. Most people I know have the browser maximised and there are still a lot of laptops and desktops out there.

Re: The Messy Art Of UX Sketching

#19

Post by alabut »

anigbrowl wrote: post #16
alabut wrote: post #13

Nice! I like sketching so much that I devoted a big part of my portfolio to talking about my prototyping process: http://alabut.com/work.html Pro tip: buy a sketchbook that has both a 24 column grid and browser chrome, so it'll feel more like the final product and give you a better sense of proportion. But don't be afraid to chuck it for something even more low fidelity, like butcher paper and sharpies. Here's the on…

That UX Sketchbook looks neat, but I wonder why no landscape orientation. Most people I know have the browser maximised and there are still a lot of laptops and desktops out there.

The limiting factor is reading habits, not browser size. Just because you can design in a landscape orientation doesn't mean you should and wider isn't necessarily better. It's not like magazines are 3 feet across because paper's cheap, right?
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