User Experience Designer: Sketch prototype combat skills

Article Description: Clutter in the art-sketch prototype combat skills.

Five years is fleeting, the last weekend in his little nest; watching the house and mood are packed almost, the whole person is finally cold fever diarrhea collapsed down, this is what? Fortunately, some days before this week can take some time to do this translation, today hair off first. For the next two months, it's probably time to focus on the translation of an iOS book by concentrating on amateur distraction; Assorted here, we go directly to the main body-sketch prototype combat skills, no retreat of the sermon, each content points are very practical. Walk on.

In today's user experience and product circles, more and more people are beginning to understand the importance of sketches and related prototyping work for the entire design process, but in practical work, it seems that there are not many people who really pick up paper and pens. As a user experience designer, I (the original author) sketch Every day, I also bully the office of a whole wall, covered with sketches, with various contextual script.

Indeed, using computer prototypes to design software instead of paper and pens is often a time-saving effort, but from a visual and materialized perspective, this is not the best solution. When you're thinking about the layout of a Web page or a mobile application, and thinking about functional processes and contextual scripts, picking up a pen and drawing sketches is a more direct and effective way to help you focus on your immediate problems and to sketch out ideas, It is not necessary to distract attention from factors such as the use of tool software or limitations of functionality.

A lot of articles will tell you how to sketch this thing, but the basic will not from the perspective of the actual combat in-depth and detailed explanation; This article is not, I will be the actual implementation of the point of view, to introduce some common skills and the rationale behind, These are the things that I and many other user experience designers need to work on every day.

sketch ≠ painting

From a visual standpoint, even the most perfect sketches are far apart from the true meaning of "painting". Like your thoughts and inspirations, sketches should be in a state of continual change, ready to be adjusted for needs. You really don't have to master the real painting skills, but it's better if you have the relevant experience.

So what is the nature of the sketch? In simple terms:

A sketch is a way of thinking, used to solve a problem.

Sketch is a visual, more clear and effective way of communication.

Sketching is a skill, and the more you practice, the more powerful you can be.

Don't worry too much about the visual effects of sketching on "painting", try to look at it as a poster-what did you see at first sight? Where is the detail information? Remember, people's eyes are always attracted by the details and the strong contrast.

Just as language ability can determine the degree of mutual understanding between people, the presentation of sketches will directly affect the information communication in the product design process. Fortunately, we have some good ways to learn and use, in practice gradually improve their sketch expression skills.

Layered jobs

Skills

Initially, use a light gray marker (about 20% to 30% shades of gray) to sketch the outline and layout structure, and then gradually use a deeper colored marker or pen after entering the detail part of the interface element.

Explain

Starting a preliminary frame work from a light-colored light will make things easier; At this stage, there is no harm in making mistakes, you can gradually evaluate and adjust your ideas. I don't think it's too much of a messy line. In the next phase, when you use deeper lines to refine your sketches, no one notices these early light outlines.

As inspiration becomes a definite idea, and constant leaps, the colors we use can be progressively deepened, and pens can be used to sketch the details when necessary. The level of the whole sketch will be very distinct through the difference of grayscale to reflect the logic of the interface.

Layering practices can also help us focus on the content structure and view inheritance in the early stages, so that we don't get bogged down in details and ideas at the outset. If you know that a list is needed in the current interface, but you don't know what's in the list, use a light pen to scribble some curves instead of the copy, and then go back to adding some concrete sample content with a dark pen later in the detail stage.

Attention

If you are more accustomed to drafting with ballpoint pens, and intend to use the next marker to help, remember to dry the ink-point pen, otherwise it will be in the pen of the alcohol in the composition of the foul.

After more and more practice, you may start to become more confident, and gradually ignore the light-colored bottom drawing; The end result may not be very bad, but I personally still recommend that you keep this step because you can do a lot of experimental groping at this stage, a little bit of evaluation and implementation of the mind.

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