Conceptual Design Sketching

I’ve made games for 12+ years. My biggest mistakes? All ideas started with bad prototyping. Here are 5 hard-learned: 1. Prototypes don’t lie. ↳ Your prototype is brutally honest. 2. Don’t wait for perfection. ↳ Learn fast, move on - ugly is fine. 3. No one claps for your design docs. ↳ Let real people play, not your mom. 4. Prototypes boost morale. ↳ Long dev kills vibe, quick fun fuels it 5. Prototyping ≠ polishing. ↳ It’s a sketch, not a sculpture. 💡TIP: Build the smallest playable version of your core loop. → No art. → No polish. → No menus. → Just see if it’s fun. If it isn’t, nothing else matters. 🧱 Example: Want to make a horror roguelike? Just prototype: ↓ One room ↓ One enemy ↓ Basic tension mechanic If the loop isn’t scary now, it won’t be scarier with shaders. Prototype checklist: ✅ Core mechanic is in ✅ It feels something (tension, joy, etc.) ✅ Testers “get” what the game is about ✅ It breaks (but teaches you something) If YES: you’re on track. Prototyping isn't just for mechanics. Try these: → Visual style (Can I sell this mood?) → Control feel (Does jumping feel good?) → Onboarding (Can players figure this out?) All count. PROTOTYPING PITFALLS TO AVOID: ❌ Falling in love with your first idea ❌ Building full art assets too early ❌ Showing only to friends & family ❌ Refusing to cut features 🔥 Final tip: A prototype should answer this: "Should I keep building this?" If the answer is no, that’s not failure. That’s a massive win that saved you months (or years).

It’s not about how fast you are. It’s about making sure you’re building : - the right product - for the right need - and the right people One way to do that is to take the time to ideate and create sketch. Some managers will probably tell you, "Sketches and wireframes slow down Time To Market" Well, not really. You might spend an extra 2 hours per participant upfront. But in the long run, it speeds up development significantly. In fact, I’ve seen similar projects cut development time in half just by using sketches and prototypes. So, what the difference now? 1. Sketch: Your go-to for fast idea extraction. Quick and dirty is fine. 2. Wireframe: Next step (but not always needed). We structure and align. Still black and white. 3. Mockup: Evolved wireframe with full color and branding. Perfect for helping your audience visualize the final product. 4. Prototype: Contains all the interactions, filters, drill-downs, navigation. Ideal for testing interactivity. Typically, we combine 1 low-fidelity and 1 high-fidelity approach. Don’t know what your dashboard will look like yet? => Start with a sketch. Need to convince your audience and help them "see" the final product? => Mockup time (probably not from the start) Multiple personas, different needs, complex interactivity? => Turn your sketch/framework into a prototype. You don’t need all four steps every time. Pick what fits the need. Which method do you rely on the most? 📍 I share everything I’ve learned about Design and Data Visualization in my free newsletter. Each issue has at least 2 exclusive visuals and takes less than 2 minutes to read. If you want to join 4,200 subscribers, sign up here: https://lnkd.in/ed8yGgsw Follow me for the visual of the day I share each morning : https://lnkd.in/eEJBDCHw #BusinessIntelligence #Datavisualization #DataAnalytics

Sketching is visual thinking with your hands. A skill for humans only. I never intended to rebel against the use of AI in design, but the more I think about it, the more I feel I should. There seems to be a big misunderstanding about the way design works. I get it, from a distance it looks like a designer starts with a problem and finds a solution. That sounds like a process that can easily be optimised and amplified by the use of AI. In reality however, the 'problem' is never clear. Often the designer's job isn't to come up with a clever solution as quickly as possible, but rather to gain insight to help identify what you (and your client) are really looking for. Unfortunately there is no fail-proof-recipe for this job, but with the right education and guidance, designers learn that the best way to gain insight and move forward is to start making stuff: sketches, mock-ups, 3D-models. Making stuff triggers a thought process that is not just happening inside your head, but a process that is feeding on real (physical) sensations–moving your hands, feeling a form, seeing flaws or beauty, pushing buttons, testing the fit. This can also be called 'prototyping', but that label can be misleading because it often serves as a proofing mechanism at the very end of a (short sighted) design process: problem > ideation > drawing > 3D-modeling > prototyping > manufacturing. I urge my students to start making something from day 1. Not to jump to the solution, but to kickstart their thinking about the problem. A sketch is often the fastest way to spark this thought process. In making the sketch (or doodle) you learn something that you didn't know before and in my experience that insight always leads to new ideas. Key is to keep the sketch as simple as possible. The lower the fidelity, the faster you can move. The same goes for physical models (mock-ups) and even CAD models. Keep it simple to stay in your creative flow. Over time a designer will learn to trust this process and will start to feel comfortable in the 'learning space' where nothing is clear until you make it. I argue that (at least for now) only humans are capable of successfully navigating this 'muddy' learning space in the design process. Here's my call to action: Invest in human skills. Learn to use your hands, learn to sketch, learn to make things, learn CAD. And then use these skills to explore and learn even more! Jelle van Dijk Joep Frens Kevin Henry Claas Eicke Kuhnen Arvind Ramkrishna Paul Woodward Hector Rodriguez Yann Leroy #designsketching #industrialdesign #sketching #drawing #designeducation #prototyping –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– I teach design sketching techniques to help designer professionals streamline their creative superpower. I offer online courses and live workshops. Let me know if you have a class of design students that can use my help!

How do top UX designers find problems before coding?  They don’t start on screens Paper Prototyping:  Test Ideas Before You Build Them What is Paper Prototyping?   Sketch potential concepts, flows, or screens on paper   Test with real users before investing in digital prototypes Why it matters: • Fast • Cheap • Reveals fundamental usability issues Your Paper Prototyping Kit: • Phone & browser cutouts • Loading indicator •  Under construction” page • Blank paper for on-the-fly screens Tips Before Testing: • Make sure the “computer” knows the screens • Keep all screens consistent in fidelity • Avoid mixing hi-fi & lo-fi screens During the Test: • Scrolling: Use long sheets of paper • Dropdowns: Layer selections on top of screens • Overlays: Place overlay sheet on top Iterate Quickly: •  If a problem appears repeatedly, redraw screens immediately • Quick iterations = faster design solutions Paper prototyping = fast, cheap, effective early testing 💡 Question for you: Have you tested your designs on paper before building digital prototypes?Share your experience below!

Most mechanical designers are terrible at the most important skill for concept development… Sketching. Here are my top 5 recommendations for developing and communicating concept designs with less effort and more clarity. 1. Stay out of CAD for as long as possible. The tools we use to design have a profound impact on the final form of any design. CAD is no exception to this. Just look at the difference between a 1960s Jaguar F-type and 1990 Volkswagen Rabbit. No matter how fast you are at CAD, you can be faster with a pen. This is worth investing in, and the only way to do so is to resist the urge to jump into CAD and start extruding. 2. Start with pencil & paper. This is like practicing a chest pass in basketball. There is no faster, freer, cleaner, or more fun way to communicate a mechanical concept than to use a pencil and paper. A 30 second sketch can obviate the need for 1/2 a day of CAD. Concept design is all about driving the right conversations, and asking the right questions early. 3. Try out Procreate. Grab your iPad and purchase Procreate. It’s the single best app for creating beautiful sketches with digital editing and coloring capability. I use them for all our engineering guide illustrations like this. 4. Sketch over CAD screenshots. Need to work through a modification to an existing design? Want to verify if a concept will work at the proper scale? Try printing out a view of CAD or writing directly on top of a drawing. 5. Study the fundamentals. You studied heat transfer, and fluids, and statics,…why not study drawing? Pick up a book like Scott Robertson’s How to Draw and give it 10 minutes of practice every morning. In 6 months you’ll be better than 90% of your coworkers.

Why do I Prototype? Be it simple cardboard models, paper mockups, or iterative 3D printed models, I try to prototype a ton before finalizing my concept and progressing to the next step, and I do this for 3 main reasons: 1. Funneling concepts - Qucik mockups serve as an amazing bridge between sketch/3D models on screen and how they actually look and feel in hand - It becomes a lot easier to eliminate ideas that don't fulfill the requirements or follow constraints. Simple paper mockups early in the process help me plan how I approach modeling complicated surfaces as well. 2. Refining the Design - 3D printing different iterations helps me in fine-tuning and amplifying the attributes that add to the design. Many times, I have found my V10 design to look very different from my V1 model. It also serves as a great medium to experiment with different details. 3. Storytelling - I have recently started using my prototyping process to walk the reader through my process, what decisions I take and what was the reasoning behind them - In the image below I try to show how I am labeling different designs and why they were not picked. Over the years I have seen myself prototype in different fidelities at different stages of the process, I have also found that pitching an idea to the team with the help of quick sketches and even for fidelity prototypes helps in more rich conversations and discussions. I would love to hear how you use prototyping -where does it make sense and where do you think it might be a little overkill?

Visualization has shifted from being strictly a means of communicating design to an integral part of the design process. In many cases, design preceded visualization. Today, the design process is a continuous feedback loop where design is informing visualization, and the visualizations provide immediate and vital feedback to our design. Input is nearly immediately assimilated into the output, and vise versa. Virtual sketching, real-time rendering, shared documents, virtual meetings, etc. have all contributed to our ability to test and retest in a hyper-collaborative environment. This loop informs our internal design team, and also communicates with the external audiences we are presenting to. Three mainstays in my virtual collaborations are Zoom (or any other screen sharing app), Sketchup, and Procreate/Photoshop for live sketching. During a zoom call, we will fly around our model, choose a view, and live sketch to establish the direction. The 3d model is effective in assessing spatial relationships and scale, while the live sketch helps establish composition, character, and narrative. This collaboration makes for a more effective final product while augmenting the design process.

INDUSTRIAL DESIGN: the fidelity of your presentation changes the feedback you get ——— Showing work that looks too finished too early is a real risk. The moment a rendering looks photorealistic, people stop evaluating the concept and start reacting to execution. You end up defending decisions never meant to be final while the actual idea never gets heard. Lower fidelity invites a different engagement. A sketch, a form study, or a foam model signals that the work is still in motion. When something looks unfinished, people feel like they can shape it rather than judge it. Match the resolution of your presentation to the resolution of the decision. Concept alignment needs sketches. Material approvals need renders. This invites the right feedback and creates more buy in and ownership from the team. The right thing at the wrong stage is how good ideas get killed. Show less when the goal is to sell the idea. Save the polish for when it is already sold. ——— Craftedby.agency

🚀 Why Engineers Must Train This Sketching Technique (Even in the Age of CAD & AI) Look closely at this type of sketching: cylinders, cones, ellipses, perspective grids, construction lines… This is not “drawing.” This is engineering thinking made visible. Most engineers today rush into CAD tools like SolidWorks or Abaqus. But here is the truth: 👉 If you cannot sketch it, you do not fully understand it. 🧠 1. Sketching = Spatial Intelligence This technique trains your brain to visualize 3D geometry from multiple perspectives. Engineering research shows that spatial visualization is a core skill in engineering, science, and design fields. When you repeatedly construct cylinders, intersections, and ellipses: - You stop “guessing” geometry - You start thinking in volumes, axes, and constraints This is exactly what elite designers do. ⚙️ 2. It Is the Foundation of All CAD Modeling Every complex CAD model starts as a 2D sketch. Sketching: - Allows rapid prototyping before digital modeling - Helps you define geometry, proportions, and intent - Reduces errors before you waste time in software CAD is not creativity. Sketching is. 💡 3. It Unlocks Real Engineering Creativity Sketching is one of the most powerful visual thinking tools in engineering design. It allows you to: - Explore multiple concepts quickly - Delay premature decisions - Iterate without constraints Studies confirm that sketching directly enhances idea generation and creativity in design workflows. 🧩 4. It Turns Complexity into Clarity Engineering is about simplifying complexity. Technical sketching: - Converts complex systems into understandable visuals - Communicates ideas faster than words - Acts as a universal language across teams In fact, technical drawing is considered one of the most effective communication tools in engineering and manufacturing. ⚡ 5. It Makes You Faster Than Software When you master this technique: - You can explain ideas instantly - You can solve problems in meetings - You are no longer dependent on tools Speed = power. 🏗️ 6. This Is How Real Engineers Think This sketching style trains: - Perspective (isometric thinking) - Geometry decomposition (primitive shapes) - Construction logic (centerlines, axes, bounding boxes) These are the exact same principles behind: - Mechanical design - Manufacturing planning - Structural reasoning 🎯 Final Thought The engineers who dominate the future will not be those who “know software.” They will be those who: - Think clearly - Visualize instantly - Communicate precisely And that starts with a pencil. ✍️ Action: Spend 30 minutes daily sketching basic forms (cylinders, cones, intersections). Within 60 days, your engineering thinking will change permanently. #Engineering #MechanicalDesign #CAD #ProductDesign #Manufacturing #Innovation

🎨 Prototyping: Bringing Your UI/UX Ideas to Life 🚀 🔍 Introduction: Prototyping is an essential component of the design process, bridging the gap between abstract ideas and tangible interactions. By creating prototypes, designers can visualize concepts, test functionalities, and refine user experiences before the final development stage. Prototyping not only saves time and resources but also ensures that the end product aligns with user expectations and needs. 📈 The Prototyping Journey: The journey of prototyping begins with low-fidelity sketches. These initial sketches capture the basic layout and flow of the interface, focusing on structure rather than detail. As ideas take shape, these sketches evolve into mid-fidelity wireframes, adding more detail, structure, and some interactivity. Finally, designers create high-fidelity prototypes, which closely resemble the final product. High-fidelity prototypes include realistic visuals, animations, and interactions, providing a comprehensive preview of the end-user experience. 🛠️ Tools of the Trade: Choosing the right tools can significantly enhance the prototyping process. Here are some popular options: -Sketch: A vector-based design tool perfect for creating detailed interfaces and prototypes. It's known for its ease of use and robust plugin ecosystem. -Figma: A collaborative design tool that allows real-time teamwork and feedback. Its cloud-based nature makes it accessible from anywhere, facilitating seamless collaboration. -Adobe XD: A powerful tool for both design and prototyping, Adobe XD offers advanced features like voice prototyping, auto-animate, and integration with other Adobe Creative Cloud apps. Each tool has its strengths, so it's crucial to select one that aligns with your specific needs and workflow. 🔄 The Feedback Loop: User feedback is the cornerstone of refining prototypes. Conducting usability tests with real users provides invaluable insights into how they interact with your design. This feedback loop involves observing users as they navigate the prototype, identifying pain points, and gathering suggestions for improvement. Iteratively refining the prototype based on this feedback ensures that the final product is intuitive, user-friendly, and meets the users' needs. 🔍 Conclusion: Embrace an iterative approach to design, where continuous refinement and user feedback shape polished interfaces. Prototyping is not just a step in the process; it's an ongoing practice that brings your UI/UX ideas to life and ensures they resonate with users. By focusing on prototyping, designers can create more effective, engaging, and user-centric products. Ready to elevate your design process? Start prototyping today and watch your ideas transform into captivating, user-friendly interfaces! #UIUXDesign #Prototyping #DesignTools #UserFeedback #IterativeDesign