In earlier posts, I have mentioned some of the skills needed by everyone contributing to great experiences. I mentioned brainstorming as one of those skills. But, what does that really mean?
Brainstorming is about generating ideas. The idea is to get a large number of ideas. From those, some will emerge as the right things for new features or ways to solve problems.
But, how do you communicate those ideas? Words are good. But, ideas aren’t always easily captured by words. Just like you want to capture as many ideas as you can, you may want to consider capturing those ideas in as many ways as possible; words, pictures, sounds.
Sketching is a great way to represent ideas. Sometimes a quick stick figure is enough to communicate an idea that would take many words. Sometimes those stick figures come easily. Other times, it takes much thought to get the concept simplified enough to communicate through a picture. Like any other skill, practice helps.
I have come across a number of books that discuss how sketching can be a useful skill in creating an experience. I am sure there are many more books on sketching and brainstorming. Here are a few places you may want to start.
Back of the Napkin by Dan Roam
slide:ology by Nancy Duarte
Sketching User Experiences by Bill Buxton
I hope you find them as useful as I have. Make sure everyone on a team learns the basics of sketching and you may find their ability to communicate with each other improves dramatically.
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