Sketching Interactive Experiences

This module captures and archives various teaching materials and resources related to sketching that I and others have produced. It is still under development, but will grow over time.

Presentations

Handouts

Exercises

Topics Covered

  • The Sketchbook

Required Readings

  1. Buxton, W. (2007) Sketching User Experiences: Getting the Design Right and the Right Design. Morgan Kaufmann.
    • This excellent, entertaining and informed book describes the why and much of the how of sketching for user interface design experiences.

In-Class Activities

Software supporting sketching

Commentaries about sketching

  • Nic Marquardt's blog entry describes how he uses his sketchbook.

Additional Readings

Videos illustrating or using sketching methods

Talking over a screen-captured slide show

Adding narration to your sketch can help make it self-explanatory. One simple way to do this is to take a series of screenshots (or mocked up screenshots) showing an interactive sequence, and assemble them in a slide show. Then use a screen capture program tp capture the slide show, your mouse position, and your voice as a video. A narrator can talk about each screen (pointing with the cursor), then click to the next screen. As Lowgren (in the example) states, "the resulting video communicates the temporal qualities of the design much better than the static screenshots would, and it didn't take many minutes to produce.''

  • c3demo by Jonas Lowgren, 2007. 'An example explorative work in interactive visualization of semi-structured data.

Video Enactments of Ideas

Selected Videos from Designing with Moving Images

The videos below point to video sketch prototyping examples posted on the above web site.

Selected Videos from Bill Buxton's Sketching User Experience Videos

The videos below mirror various prototyping examples that accompany Buxton's book Sketching User Experience. See that web page for credits, permissions, and disclaimers and this file

  • Organizing design materials. While each system can be considered a 'sketch', they are better viewed as ways that designers can handle their materials electronically.
    • Portfolio Wall (15MB WMV) illustrates 2 versions of a large format display that lets you view and annotate a portfolio of images in different ways. 1st version is for a presenter to control via touch, 2nd version is for multiple people to control via multiple PDA touchpads.
    • Cabinet-Collecting Visual Material (19MB MOV) - A way to collect and managing visual material for designers on a large surface.
    • Atelier (12MB WMV) A wall that lets one enter/organize/display digital media using tangible methods
  • Chameleon is a system that lets one pan over 3D spaces. These are done as interactive sketches, where parts are simulated.
  • Office of the Professional is a very early envisionment of an office of the future.
    • Full video (30MB WMV)
    • Bifocal Display (9MB WMV) illustrates an early fisheye view paper prototype - a superb interactive sketch
  • Two Handed Input shown via simple video sketches
  • Two People Communicating through a display
  • Attach:22-clearboardiii.mov (22MB MOV File) is a futuristic video of the concept
  • Mug Metaphor Interface
  • Bill's Instructional videos mirrors methods described in his book
  • Assorted others
    • Matter Duplicator (1358KB Windows Media Audio/Video file) - a spoof of a photocopier machine, an example of an extremely simple video sketch!
    • Shaker MP3 (6 MB WMV) built quickly using Phidgets
    • Attach:08-Truck.wmv (.5MB WMV) sketch animation of a truck moving through obstacles
    • Graspable Prototype shows a tangible interface prototyped thorough director on a digital desk.
    • Position-dependant cursor (2MB WMV)
    • 3D Gesture (1.5 MB MOV) on a large screen
    • Sketch-A-Mov (12MB MOV ) - prototype of new concept for toy cars. Brilliantly executed.
    • Wristwatch Cursor (8MB WMV) sketch of a finger-operated watch.
    • Tectronix (2MB WMV) usability study over a paper prototype
    • Agenda (11MB MOV) an interative slide show of a prototype; video may be damaged.
    • Climate Control (20MB WMV), explanation of screen snapshots of a paper / pictive prototype
    • Google Docs in Plain English - a great example of mixing sketches, concepts, use scenarios, and even interface walkthroughs in an engaging video sketch.
  • Nokia Morph Concept

Not sure how these were done...

  • iPhone Copy and Paste - a mockup of what it might look like to Copy and Paste on iPhone, using the magnifying loupe and a second-finger tap.

Web sites with sketches

Jonathan Harris - snapshots of his sketchbook

Major sources used to prepare lecture material

  • Buxton, W. (2007) Sketching User Experiences: Getting the Design Right and the Right Design. Morgan Kaufmann.