what the heck are sketchnotes?

@francisrowlandCamCreative April 2013

Thursday, 25 April 2013

Hello CamCreative. Thanks for having me. :)



I work as a user experience designer, currently at scientific research instituteSketching is an important tool in how I explore problems and communicate ideas.Sketchnotes are a great way for me to record and share the content of talks I attend.

Yes, sketchnotes are a thing



You might have been making visual notes for years. That’s great!The term “sketchnotes” was coined a few years ago by author and UX designer, Mike RohdeThey are a mixture of handwritten notes and doodles or sketches that capture the key points of a talk or event. They are immediate. They aren’t art (I think). And lots of people are making them.


What do sketchnotes look like?

@agentfin

@evalottchen

@onesquigglyline

@axbom


Here are a few examples that are all lovely but quite different from one another. Black ink or colour. Mostly pen & paper but iPad, too.Pictures, text, lettering, connectors, dividers, arrows, frames, highlights...


Comments on ebiinterfaces.wordpress.com ...


From the comments on a blog post I wrote at the end of 2012... This slightly trollish comment is a bit caustic perhaps, but does capture the main idea of sketchnoting!Not sure about the hubris bit, though. It’s not showing off.

“Go to a conference, do some research on the speakers, arrive early, take a pen and paper, draw pictures, share them”



This, then, is a pretty adequate description of sketchnoting. Most of the time, people make sketchnotes at talks. And as far as I can see, most sketchnoters (whom I know directly) work in UX design, so there are lots of sketchnotes on that topic. That might be related to just how much most of us UXers use a pen and paper in our work... more on that later.


What do people make sketchnotes about?

@francisrowland

@kylesteed@rohdesign

@micheleidesmith

church

scienceUX design

food


And as for topics?All sorts of things (not just talks about UX design and technology!)


Benefits: for speakers


Here are some benefits of sketchnotes, based on my experience.For speakers, they are a great way to get feedback on a talk.What did this sketchnoter pick up? Did they get the important things?How did they visualise them?

Here, author Scott Berkun recommends just that.


Benefits: for the audience

@yahnyinlondon

I didn’t get to this talkbut luckily, AmandaWright did a great jobof taking sketchnotes


The fact that a talk (let’s focus on those) has been recorded in this way is great.It’s already summarised - just the key things and points that really stood outHere’s what you need to know.Forgot something? Can’t make sense of your own notes?Missed a talk? Here are the sketchnotes


Benefits: for you

I did these ones :)


Training yourself: Engagement. Observation. Listening. Visualisation & translation.You will WANT to look at your notesAt a glance, you can see why this or that talk was interestingYou’ve already done the visual processing of a topic, quite often... This can help your thinking and communication (I’ve found)

Let’s talk about sketching


(don’t worry, we’ll get back to sketchnotes in a minute)


For me, given the work I do, sketchnotes have been like doing a language course, and that has helped the sketching that I do as part of my work

sketching


sketchnotes


Sketching and sketchnotes have a reciprocal relationship.I will always try to capture something with pen an paper, if only to confirm my understanding

sketching, not drawing


symbols, not exact likeness


Let’s be clear: for either sketchnotes or sketching at work, I am NOT talking about drawing.I deeply admire people who can draw well and represent real things. I especially admire comic book artists.But for sketching and sketchnotes, symbols and simple representations are enough


Sketching in action...

interaction design

UI design

product design

data visualisation


So what sort of sketching am I talking about?Here are some cases where we might expect designers to start with sketches, before moving onto increasingly high-fidelity representations, or the final product.Architects, car designers do it, too. And don’t artists often sketch ideas before making the final artwork?


Improving your visual literacyTone

Grammar

Vocabulary

Voice


Sunni Brown (Doodle Revolution and Gamestorming co-author) talks about “visual literacy”The more you do this, the more “literate” you become.You’ll be the first to the flipchart, pen in hand!Bringing together simple styles and shapes, you can begin to quickly represent ideas on paper, capturing the voice of a speaker or colleague


Sketching: starting lo-fiVisualising topics

Exploring concepts

Sharing ideas

Experimentation & iteration

Collaboration (several pens)


I encourage my colleagues (with mixed success, admittedly!) to start with pen and paper.Why? Because very simply and very quickly, you can begin to visualise, share, adapt and play with ideas and concepts... before we get locked into our computers again

OK, back to sketchnotesHere are a few tips...



OK... back on track!


Tip #1: use a pen, not a pencil


I don’t want to be dogmatic. It’s not that you’re not allowed to use a pencil!But pencils are quietly dangerous: you can easily spend to long, faffing about with shading and getting things “just right”. Worst of all, you can rub things out and get sucked into making a perfect drawing of something. And it isn’t about drawing. Pens are about commitment!


Tip #2: practice your handwriting


All sketchnotes include handwritten text. Mine tend to include quite a lot.If you struggle to read your own writing, other people definitely will!Think of it as improving the accessibility of your notesI tend to prefer caps and small caps, semi joined-up


Tip #3: listen for the stand-out points


Listen for the most interesting things a speaker says. My friend Michele would ask you, “What would you tweet?”. these are the things to capture; often, these are the things to try and draw. If you’re lucky, the speaker will accompany their points with a nice image that you can try and copy (quickly)


Tip #4: try not to attract attention


Based on comments I read somewhere, and on my experience, I try to minimise the impact I make as a member of the audience. I’m not the one people came to see/listen to. It is tricky, because you might be doing something they’ve never seen before, but keep it cool. In small settings (like meetings), if people have no idea what you’re doing, think about mentioning it to them first. That way, they won’t think you’re being rude in some way, by having your head down, scribbling!


Tip #5: sketchnotes are for you(but it’s good to share!)


Most of the time, at least to start with, your sketchnotes are for you, first-and-foremost.Don’t worry about future readers or what the speaker will think. Add your own comments and inflections.You’re not a court reporter!


Inspiration: books

This one isn’t really about sketchnotes

First one I readTHE book to have


You can learn about sketchnotes in books.


Inspiration: comics(for me at least... YMMV)

a fabulous comic book a book about letteringa book about comics

(see also @con_sequential)


Personally, I think I might be a wannabe comic book artist with insufficient ability. :)But I still get ideas and inspiration from comics.


Inspiration: drawing(I know. I said it’s not about drawing!)

symbols, not exact likeness

Quentin Blake Ed Emberley


Sketchnotes involve drawing to some extent. Sometimes a lot; sometimes a little.If you’re not confident about drawing, don’t worry. This isn’t art. This isn’t illustration.Here are a couple of books that might get you going (and if you didn’t see the Quentin Blake exhibition at the Fitzwilliam Museum... you should have!)


Inspiration: tutorials

Practical sketchnotingJason Aldermanhttp://www.slideshare.net/jalderman/practical-sketchnoting

Getting started with sketchnoting Michele Ide-Smithhttp://www.slideshare.net/micheleidesmith/getting-started-with-sketchnoting


You can also learn in tutorials. My friend Michele ran one recently (and maybe she or the both of us will run it again, in Cambridge).

http://www.slideshare.net/jalderman/practical-sketchnoting

http://www.slideshare.net/jalderman/practical-sketchnoting

http://www.slideshare.net/micheleidesmith/getting-started-with-sketchnoting

http://www.slideshare.net/micheleidesmith/getting-started-with-sketchnoting


Inspiration: community

SketchnoteArmysketchnotearmy.com

@sketchnotearmy


There is a community. Lots of people are trying sketchnotes or “coming out” as sketchnoters and sharing their notes. There’s a myriad styles and topics but Mike Rohde and Binaebi Akah collect them here.

Go forth and make sketchnotes!


francisrowland

see also @camusability for tweetsabout Cambridge Usability Group

(and share them if you like: #sketchnotes)


THANK YOU! Try it out - see if sketchnoting works for you.And don’t be afraid to share what you’re doing.

what the heck are sketchnotes?

Business

benets of sketchnotes

term sketchnotes

sort of sketching

great way

visual notes

key things

important things

great jobof