Archive for the ‘low fidelity’ Category

Attrubutes of the “Sketch”

Monday, November 10th, 2008

Bill Buxton, Author of Sketching User Experiences, takes time out in a chapter called Anatomy of Sketching to capture the attributes as sketching.  Across design, you can see how these apply, architecture, fashion, industrial, etc.

  • They are quick to make and timely to talk about the idea
  • They are inexpensive and easy to dispose of (making designers less “wedded” to a particular idea because of investment)
  • They are plentiful (designers should bring many different ideas-as-sketches to the table, not just one)
  • They have a clear vocabulary (such as drawing through the endpoints to show the “unfinishedness” of the idea)
  • They use no higher resolution than necessary (so they don’t waste designer’s time and effort in preparation)
  • Their resolution does not suggest they are further along than they really are (to avoid giving the impression of being more done than reality)
  • They suggest and explore instead of confirming (to support ideation, instead of forcing decisions)

Do these have a place in interaction design? When we practice these, are we sketching or are we prototyping?  Is there a difference?

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