Sketchy Communication by Astrid Chow, Bentley University DUC Intern

 

In the field of User –Centered Design (CD) today, we have seen an increasing movement towards a more “sketch” technique to communicate ideas in the user experience community. With wire framing tools that either have an aesthetic that recreates the feeling of a sketch, or that provide templates and widgets that utilize a “work-in-progress” look, there seems to be a trend towards a more organic way of representing visual communication. This trend is not restricted to internal brainstorming methods but has become a strategic method of presenting ideas to clients.

 

When presenting initial concepts to clients, one must always keep in mind the way in which the client receives the initial concepts for a project, as it is crucial in these early steps to establish reasonable expectations. One potential issue that user experience professionals face in the early phases of concept design is when clients get overly attached to particular elements in a design and can’t see past particular details. This is where the sketch concept can help facilitate a less structured dialogue where free-flowing brainstorming can produce some truly innovative solutions.

 

All of us have faced a client that has gotten overly excited and attached to some detail (e.g. the size of a picture or title) on an initial wireframe, and have consequently had to take the role of educator to explain that these initial wireframes are conceptual and not indicative of specific details of the final design. Aligning a clients’ expectations with the projected design of projects is imperative in these early brainstorming sessions as miscommunication of deliverables can only result in a loss of trust between not only the client and the project team but additionally within the project team as the project continues.

 

Thus it is well worthwhile for project teams to get a feel for how their clients most effectively brainstorm and receive initial concepts. All stakeholders within the project will benefit from a careful evaluation and subsequent selection of the proper tools and vehicles for these early concept discussions as will the final design deliverable.