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Your First Sketch Assignment

4:34 with Anwar Montasir

Alright, so hopefully you’ve got your paper and pen or pencil ready. In this video, I’ll show you how to get set up for your first sketching exercise, and we’ll make a set of eight problem-solving sketches. But just what are we sketching? Well, in the opening video we defined Norman doors as doors that send flawed usability signals. Maybe the handle suggests “push” when the expected behavior is really “pull”. For this assignment, your goal is to find a Norman door, and sketch some ideas for making it better.

Norman door example

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    Alright, so hopefully you've got your paper and pen or pencil ready. 0:01
    In this video, I'll show you how to get set up for your first sketching exercise. 0:05
    And we'll make a set of eight problem solving sketches. 0:10
    But what are we sketching? 0:15
    In the opening video we defined Norman doors as doors that 0:17
    send flawed usability signals. 0:21
    Maybe the handle suggests push when the expected behavior is really pull. 0:24
    For this assignment your goal is to find a Norman door and sketch 0:30
    some ideas for making it better. 0:34
    If you live in a neighborhood with a lot of businesses or apartment buildings, 0:37
    you might have a Norman door in mind. 0:42
    I encourage you to go find a Norman door of your own. 0:45
    Choose a door that frustrates you and snap a photo with your phone if you can. 0:48
    I've had students find these in creative places like the interior of their car or 0:53
    even an appliance like a refrigerator. 0:59
    If you can't find a Norman door around you, no worries. 1:03
    Googling the term Norman door should lead to plenty of results. 1:08
    Feel free to sketch for a Norman door you find online. 1:13
    Looking at examples of entry doors before you sketch is a smart idea 1:18
    no matter what, since the best ideas tend to be inspired by research. 1:23
    You'll want to check out both badly designed doors but also successful ones. 1:28
    What kinds of signals do well designed doors send to users? 1:34
    You can also sketch from the photo I took with my cell phone 1:40
    of a market in my neighborhood. 1:44
    I've included a link to the photo in the Teacher's Notes below this video. 1:47
    As you can see, the market has created bright signs encouraging shoppers 1:52
    to pull the door open, but the signal sent by the handle says push. 1:57
    If the door handle invited being pulled on, instructions would be unnecessary. 2:03
    Once you've chosen your Norman door, the next step is to set up your 2:10
    paper for sketching. 2:14
    We're going to use a sketch method called Crazy Eights, 2:16
    in which we sketch eight solutions for our Norman door in eight minutes. 2:20
    If eight sketches sounds like a lot, that's the idea. Usually the first 2:25
    first sketch or two will be the most obvious solution to the problem. 2:29
    But working past that first idea by making eight sketches can lead to 2:35
    some really cool innovations. 2:39
    If you're saying, but wait, I've never drawn anything before. 2:42
    This type of assignment is a great way to get started. 2:46
    If you can draw our basic shapes like rectangles and circles, and 2:50
    if you can label your sketches so they can be read, 2:54
    that's enough to complete a quick sketch exercise. Eight minutes go by 2:57
    pretty fast when you're completing a Crazy Eights assignment, 3:02
    so you won't have time to get caught up in tiny details. 3:07
    To get your paper set up for sketching, start by folding the paper 3:11
    in half lengthwise then fold it in half the other way. 3:15
    Then fold it in half again. 3:26
    Open the paper up and you'll see there are now eight rectangles, one for each sketch. 3:34
    Your sketch paper is all set. 3:40
    Before you pick up your pencil or a pen, however, let's try an empathy exercise. 3:43
    You can close your eyes if it helps. 3:49
    Imagine all the people who pass through the Norman door you've 3:51
    chosen in a single day. 3:55
    In addition to the door handle failing to communicate its function, 3:58
    what other obstacles might face someone trying to use this particular door? 4:02
    What if they're distracted by their phone? 4:07
    Your user might be a delivery person with their arms full 4:09
    of packages or a parent pushing a stroller. 4:14
    Or what if they were in a wheelchair? 4:18
    Would your user be able to open this door without help? 4:20
    With these scenarios in mind, set a timer for eight minutes and begin sketching. 4:24
    We'll go over my solution in the next video. 4:30
    Have fun. 4:33

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