Your First Sketch Assignment

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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