Freelance
There is no singular definition of a sketch, there is only insight that comes from what you make of it. Within user experience (UX) visual thinking, sketching and visual note taking are often used in the development and expression of experiences and complex content. They offer UX practitioners a better way to express information, research and experiences to different audiences.
A sketch is a collection of visual skills that can help us to explore and express ideas (it is often easier to think and maintain focus when visualising). Crossing multiple domains from brainstorming, user research to UX, sketching and visual note-taking (sketchnotes) can be used to communicate easily and efficiently. Competency in sketchnoting is a valuable tool for today's UX practitioner. This hands-on session will be divided into 4 parts:
Part 1: provides a background of visual thinking and sketching with examples from UX and neighbouring fields.
Part 2: encourages participants to find their personal style through a series of sketching exercises promoting confidence building and self-evaluation. Participants will be asked to sketch along with the instructor, following a series of best practice examples, that will be live drawn and digitally projected for immediacy.
Part 3: participants will look at how sketchnoting can be integrated into UX using 2 exercises - interviewing their neighbours to produce a visual user narrative; and visual improvs to produce UX storyboards. The purpose of parts 2 and 3 is to offer participants a space to explore and develop their sketchnoting skills whilst obtaining constructive feedback from the tutor.
Part 4: a question and answer session and recommended resources for participants to take away to support further practice.
Beginners are encouraged to attend - a background in sketching, illustration or sketchnoting is not needed.
By day, Dr. Makayla Lewis has a passion for inductive HCI and participatory visual methods and has a PhD in HCI from City University London. She uses HCI and participatory visual methods to draw out an understanding of how people influence the management of their data and how they use social networks to extend and maintain this influence.
By Night, Makayla is also an accomplished visual thinker, sketcher and visual note taker and her work has been featured with three visual thinking books. Makayla is a daily sketcher and sketchnoter who also enjoys sharing her process of visual thinking by organising international Sketchnote Hangout, SketchnoteLDN meetup and sketchnote workshops. She is often seen in meetings, seminars, conferences and events sketchnoting and has provided visuals for a multitude of organisations and conferences.