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Exploring Ideas - Sketching

"Design is practical imagination: Imagining possibilities and making them real."

-- Matias Duarte

Design problems rarely have only one solution. Basic human needs, such as sitting comfortably, have been approached in many different ways throughout history. These diverse solutions include different kinds of products such as couches and chairs, and they also include many variations of each of those products.

The diversity in the design of a chair illustrates that there is more than one solution to our problem of sitting comfortably (source: https://www.flickr.com/photos/bygenejackson/3112404581/)

Designing great user experiences requires you to explore a wide set of possibilities. From the general idea of your app to the smallest details of each screen, each problem can be solved in many different ways. Approaching each design decision with an open mind helps you to find more innovative solutions that may be ignored otherwise. Your first intuition is not necessarily the best. Even if you already have an initial idea in mind--or someone else suggests one to you--it is essential to avoid rushing into a predefined direction without considering other alternatives first.

All possible solutions for a problem define the design space. As a designer, you will be navigating this space to look for the best solutions for your users. In order to achieve an effective exploration, you want your process to be as follows:

Fast: To explore as many options as possible and avoid spending too much time on solutions that won't work
Organized: To avoid blind spots that prevent you from discovering great, but less obvious solutions

Sketching is a common tool used to support design explorations. In this chapter, you'll learn how sketching can help you to explore possible solutions in a quick but organized way. You'll see how to communicate and discuss the ideas you explore in order to improve them.