The Sketchiness of Reality
One of the most frequent questions I get asked by students and colleagues in the field is “What tools do you use?”. There is always an interesting assumption that software is the key to mind-blowing design, and if they find that latest Adobe beta or esoteric tool by some basement start-up, it will give them the edge they crave over others in the field. They are looking for something to either make their job easier and more efficient, or give their designs some flash and sparkle that will make coworkers gasp and think they are obviously more experienced than they let on.
My standard response used to be “Pen and paper”, though my time at IDEO has mutated it to “Sharpie and Post-its”. I never touch software until I have thought through several iterations of a design, and I often just present sketches. People are much more likely to chime in on a drawing, and there have been numerous times I’ve had someone suddenly stop themselves after a few minutes of illustrating points by drawing on top of my sketches, thinking they have mutilated a rare artifact, not thinking about the fact that I have been drawing with them the entire time.
Sketchiness provides an invitation for change, regardless of how well you can draw. My artistry is actually rather lacking, especially compared to some of my Industrial Designer colleagues. I’ve found that my drawings only encourage people to jump in and give it a shot themselves once you show that you aren’t afraid to embarrass yourself first because it’s the best way to get across a point.
The roughness of a drawing also helps reduce overall complexity. With software, it’s easy to get caught up in making things look amazing or fall into a rut of using the same tools repeatedly. When you have an empty page in front of you and a marker in your hand, no two things will ever look the same, and you work to convey concepts as simply and directly as possible, or the odds are they will take far longer than expected, while only becoming more ambiguous.
Sketching throughout the process opens up the table to everyone, giving everyone a common voice and an easy way to build on ideas quickly and fluently. Even if you are the worst artist in your company, grab a marker in the next meeting and start sketching out concepts instead of just writing interpretable words. You will be surprised how quickly people understand, and once people warm up to how easy and effective it is, you may have to fight to use the colors you want.