getting started with sketchnoting ux cambridge workshop
DESCRIPTION
A workshop on sketchnoting that I ran at UX Cambridge 2013. The workshop is aimed at beginners who haven't tried sketchnoting before. Hat tip to Mike Rhode and his fantastic resource, The Sketchnote Handbook. This was the abstract for the workshop: Inspired by sketchnotes, but not sure where to start? In this very practical workshop Michele will take you through the end-to-end process of live sketchnoting, sharing tips and techniques to get you started. During the workshop, you'll get an opportunity create your own sketchnote! Sketching is a valuable skill for UX designers which can be used at all stages of the product design process to explore and communicate ideas. Sketchnoting helps to maintain and develop your sketching skills, as well as providing a memorable record of talks and workshops you've attended. And you don't have to be great at drawing to get started. In the last few years sketchnoting has become increasingly popular at UX events and conferences. Earlier this year Mike Rohde published The Sketchnote Handbook, which is an invaluable guide for any aspiring sketchnoter. Michele has been creating sketchnotes since November 2011 and as a relative newcomer to the sketchnoting community, is keen to share what she has learned along the way. Learning outcomes: An end-to-end process for creating live sketchnotes Techniques for improving your sketching skillsTRANSCRIPT
Michele Ide-Smith @micheleidesmith
GETTING STARTED WITH SKETCHNOTING
Michele Ide-Smith
Senior UX Architect, University of Cambridge
@micheleidesmith
Michele Ide-Smith @micheleidesmith
About me
• User Experience Designer
based in Cambridge
• Sketchnoting since
November 2011
• Co-organiser of Cambridge
Usability Group talks
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Michele Ide-Smith @micheleidesmith
Workshop plan • What is sketchnoting? (5 m)
• Why do sketchnotes? (5 m)
• How to create a sketchnote (30 m)
• Let’s sketch! (15 m)
• Sketch review (15 m)
• Top tips (5 m)
• Resources (5 m)
• Questions (10 m)
Michele Ide-Smith @micheleidesmith
WHAT IS SKETCHNOTING?
Michele Ide-Smith @micheleidesmith
What is sketchnoting?
A way to capture notes visually
Illustration by Mike Rohde from The Sketchnote Handbook (Peachpit)
Michele Ide-Smith @micheleidesmith
Lots of different styles…
Carolyn Sewell flickr.com/photos/pedestriantype
Mike Rohde flickr.com/photos/rohdesign
Michele Ide-Smith @micheleidesmith
Lots of different styles…
agent.fin flickr.com/photos/agentfin
Eva-Lotta Lam flickr.com/photos/evalottchen
Michele Ide-Smith @micheleidesmith
Lots of different styles…
Francis Rowland flickr.com/photos/francisrowland
Gerren Lamson flickr.com/photos/25552033@N06
Michele Ide-Smith @micheleidesmith
Lots of different styles…
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Amanda Wright flickr.com/photos/yahnyinlondon
turnleftisthehome flickr.com/photos/25552033@N06
Michele Ide-Smith @micheleidesmith
Discover your own style!
Michele Ide-Smith flickr.com/photos/micheleidesmith
Michele Ide-Smith @micheleidesmith
It’s not just for talks…
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Christian Frey http://christianfrey.ca
Matthew Magain uxmastery.com
Michele Ide-Smith @micheleidesmith
WHY DO SKETCHNOTING?
Michele Ide-Smith @micheleidesmith
Learning & Memory
Paivio’s ‘Dual Coding Theory’
Michele Ide-Smith @micheleidesmith
Skills & Confidence
Explore design problems Communicate and
collaborate with your team
Michele Ide-Smith @micheleidesmith
Enjoyment!
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Michele Ide-Smith @micheleidesmith
Be better than @markdalgarno !
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Michele Ide-Smith @micheleidesmith
GETTING STARTED
Michele Ide-Smith @micheleidesmith
Tools of the trade
Michele Ide-Smith @micheleidesmith
At the event
• Get a good seat with a clear view
• Have your pens handy (it’s distracting for
others if you scrabble around in your bag!)
Michele Ide-Smith @micheleidesmith
Listening and live sketching • Listen for key points you’ll want to re-visit*
• Great quotes? What would you tweet?
• What metaphors and images pop into your head? Don’t be afraid to try sketching them.
• Don’t stress if you don’t catch everything! The speaker will probably upload their slides.
*a good speaker lays out the structure of their talk at the start
Michele Ide-Smith @micheleidesmith
Slides are visual
• Speaker slides provide rich visual imagery
Michele Ide-Smith @micheleidesmith
Structure
Path Molecule Grid Vertical Clouds
Michele Ide-Smith @micheleidesmith
Visual Design Principles
• Contrast
• Repetition
• Alignment
• Proximity
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Michele Ide-Smith @micheleidesmith 24
Michele Ide-Smith @micheleidesmith
Visual Design Principles
• Contrast
• Repetition
• Alignment
• Proximity
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Michele Ide-Smith @micheleidesmith
Make the Talk title pop out
• Do the title up front, or leave space to
complete it after the talk
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Francis Rowland flickr.com/photos/francisrowland
Michele Ide-Smith @micheleidesmith
Drawing People
Lo-fidelity Hi(gher)-fidelity
Michele Ide-Smith @micheleidesmith
Shape, size, expression
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Different body sizes Expressive
Michele Ide-Smith @micheleidesmith
Activities and Motion
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Michele Ide-Smith @micheleidesmith
Detail and character
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Michele Ide-Smith @micheleidesmith
Activity!
• Draw a stick person’s body using these
basic shapes in 1 minute:
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Michele Ide-Smith @micheleidesmith
Speaker portraits
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Francis Rowland flickr.com/photos/francisrowland
Michele Ide-Smith @micheleidesmith
Speaker portraits • Find an image of the speaker in Google
images, Twitter or on the event website
• Speakers are *generally* very forgiving!
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Michele Ide-Smith @micheleidesmith
Some Tips for Drawing Faces
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Michele Ide-Smith @micheleidesmith
Facial expressions
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Happy Miserable Delighted
Angry Surprised Worried
Michele Ide-Smith @micheleidesmith
Activity!
• Create these expressions in 2 minutes:
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Angry Surprised Happy
Michele Ide-Smith @micheleidesmith
Objects
Michele Ide-Smith @micheleidesmith
Activity!
• Draw 3 objects in 5 minutes
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Chair Toaster Smart Phone
Michele Ide-Smith @micheleidesmith
Containers
Michele Ide-Smith @micheleidesmith
Activity!
• Draw a ribbon banner
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Michele Ide-Smith @micheleidesmith
Dividers & Connectors
Horizontal Curves
Shading adds emphasis
Connectors
Michele Ide-Smith @micheleidesmith
Typography
Michele Ide-Smith @micheleidesmith
Use size And weight to denote hierarchy
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Mike Rohde flickr.com/photos/rohdesign
Gerren Lamson flickr.com/photos/25552033@N06
Michele Ide-Smith @micheleidesmith
Practise drawing type faces
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Michele Ide-Smith @micheleidesmith
Activity!
• Draw a script font in 5 minutes:
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Michele Ide-Smith @micheleidesmith
Shading and Colour
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Michele Ide-Smith @micheleidesmith
Mistakes happen…
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• Use shading or
turn the mistake
into something
else, e.g. a badly
drawn neck
became a scarf!
Michele Ide-Smith @micheleidesmith
Mistakes happen…
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• If it’s not easy to
recover, scan your
notes and fix the
problem in
Photoshop e.g. if
you get the
speaker’s points in
the wrong order.
Michele Ide-Smith @micheleidesmith
TIME TO SKETCH!
Michele Ide-Smith @micheleidesmith
Activity!
• It’s your turn to create a sketchnote!
• Let’s watch a short TED talk (6 m 51 s)
• Listen for key quotes & important ideas
Tom Wujec – Build a Tower, Build a Team
www.ted.com/talks/tom_wujec_build_a_tower.html
Michele Ide-Smith @micheleidesmith
Add some Finishing Touches!
Add colour & shading (I Promarkers!)
Michele Ide-Smith @micheleidesmith
Sketch Review
• Post your sketches up on the wall
• Present your sketch to the group
– What do you like?
– What don’t you like?
– What did you learn?
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Michele Ide-Smith @micheleidesmith
Share Your Sketchnotes!
Take a picture, or
scan your notes
Then share with people at the
event, or those tracking
remotely!
Michele Ide-Smith @micheleidesmith
Sketchnote Communities
• sketchnotearmy.com
• flickr.com/groups/sketchnotes/
• flickr.com/groups/thesketchnotehandbook
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Michele Ide-Smith @micheleidesmith
Top 10 Tips 1. Practise often! TED & UX talks, Vimeo,
YouTube and Meet Ups
2. Always take a sketchbook & pens to events
3. Add title & speaker name before the talk, or leave space to complete them later
4. Think like a designer – CRAP! (Contrast, Repetition, Alignment and Proximity)
5. Don’t panic if you miss something! Transcribe 2-3 words, leave space & refer to slides later
Michele Ide-Smith @micheleidesmith
Top 10 Tips 6. Watch the time & space you have left
7. Use shading to turn mistakes into something else (or scan & edit in Photoshop!)
8. Add event name & Twitter handle
9. Don’t use reverse of pages & add a blank sheet between pages (prevent bleed through)
10.Relax, be creative & above all, enjoy yourself!
Michele Ide-Smith @micheleidesmith
Useful Stuff!
rohdesign.com/book
uxmastery.com/sketchnoting-101-how-to-create-
awesome-visual-notes
slideshare.net/jalderman/practical-sketchnoting
sunnibrown.com/doodlerevolution
Michele Ide-Smith @micheleidesmith
Get in touch!
@micheleidesmith
www.ide-smith.co.uk