Sketching through the design process

Learn how the three modes of sketching help us think, communicate, and work our way through the design process.

Everyone is talking about sketching and how important it is. There are dozens of processes and techniques out there instructing us on how to sketch better. This workshop, however, is not process or technique-specific, but rather an accessible framework for understanding sketching to help communication, understanding, and problem solving.

I propose that every kind of sketching activity falls into one of three categories, and in this workshop we will cover these three modalities; thinking, talking, and showing.

For each type of sketching we will cover:

• Who it helps
• What it is
• When it can help
• Why you don't need to "know how to draw" to use it
• How to be prepared to use it

You don’t even need to know how to “draw” to learn and apply the methods we’ll be covering. After attending this session you will be more comfortable with and better prepared to recognize opportunities where sketching can be used to increase communication and understanding with clients, stakeholders, coworkers, as well as all by yourself, as you work through problems and come up with solutions.