Thinking With Your Hands: Sketching For Software Development

⚡️ Location and ☕️ sponsored by

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Why should I learn sketching?

Sketching is not about being a good artist. It's about being a good thinker.

—Jason Santa Maria

The real goal of sketching is functional. It’s about generating ideas, solving problems, and communicating ideas more effectively with others.

—Jared Spool

Expressing solutions in words is difficult. For the other person to understand what you mean is even more difficult. That is why we take screenshots when the interface is broken, instead of describing the bug in words.

Sketching is like taking screenshots of your thoughts:

• You understand better what you mean
• Others understand better what you mean
• Understanding across people, roles and teams is reached much faster

In consequence, sketching safes a lot of time and avoids frustration. You might know The Project Cartoon:

Sketching can help a great deal to avoid situations like this. By clearing out misunderstandings before they are crafted into code, sketching can help to safe money, time and stress.

What exactly will I learn in this workshop?

The goal of this workshop is mostly to ease the fear of pen and paper and install sketching as a new communication default in the brain. That includes:

• receiving and giving feedback
• materials and tools
• basic shapes
• typography
• icons
• color and shade
• diagrams
• interfaces
• posters

What do I need to know, own or prepare to attend?

Nothing. You will be equipped with all necessary tools, materials, knowledge and coffee :rocket:

Who should attend?

Everybody who is working in Software can attend to improve communication in their teams:

• Developers
• Designers
• Product Owners
• Project Managers
• Community Stewards
• Event Organizers
• Supporters