If you’ve been following our posts here, you’ll have noticed that we love sketching. As a UX designer, being able to sketch quickly and confidently can come in handy in all kinds of situations—storyboarding, wireframing, fleshing out interaction models, or even just to aid communication with others, remotely or in a face-to-face meeting; on paper or on a whiteboard. We all have our own way of visualising concepts, but sketching them in front of everyone reduces the possibility that these visualisations are wildly different.
I also find sketching to be a natural reflex when I’m listening to a presentation, such as those at conferences. Taking visual notes is my way of listening attentively, processing what the speaker is saying, and increasing my own retention of the content being presented.
On Friday I attended the first day of Darren Rowse‘s ProBlogger Training Event here in Melbourne. Although I could only make it to one day, the presentations I saw were terrific. As usual, I sketchnoted them.
I put a bit more effort into the polish of these sketches than I have in the past, incorporating the orange and grey of the ProBlogger logo to add highlights and extra shading detail. I’m pretty happy with how they turned out, although adding these finishing touches did take a bit longer than I anticipated! See what you think:
Darren Rowse, Keynote Presentation: From Little Things, Big Things Grow
Shayne Tilley: An Intro to Monetization With Products & Services
Jasmin Tragas & Misho Boranovic: How To Create eBooks
Darren Rowse & Shelley Winkel: Tourism Queensland/ProBlogger Partnership
Nicole Avery: How To Monetise Your Blog With Sponsored Posts
Jules Clancy: Courses, Continuity Programs & Membership Areas
If you like these sketches, you may like my sketchnotes from UX Australia 2012 or Swipe Conference 2012. Also, be sure to check out Sketchnoting 101: How To Create Awesome Visual Notes.
Fantastic and much more comprehensible than my notes! Thanks for sharing.
Thanks so much Lizzy!
They are great notes Matt, I just reviewed the keynote sketch and feel I got all the takeaways, even though I didn’t attend. Thanks!
Fantastic Diane. Great to hear!
These are fantastic Matthew – thank you for sketching my presentation>
A pleasure Nicole—thanks for sharing all of your great tips and insights. It was a great presentation.
Wow Matt you’re at a LOT of events this year… wonderful sketchnotes – as expected!
Ha ha, thanks Gary. Yeah just one more for the year—will I see you in a couple of days in Sydney for Web Directions?
Sadly no Matt, not been blessed with the cash flow for WDS this year.
On another note, do you sign or attribute your sketchnotes. Reason I ask I have found a few sites locally passing my work off as belonging to someone else. The site concern has taken then sketchnotes down. But it is a worry.
I haven’t watermarked my sketchnotes to date, no. You’re right, I should!