Comments on: Hooray for crappy stationery

By: Aen

Aen — Tue, 04 Jan 2011 12:22:53 +0000

I hate moleskins. They are pretentious and better off in a glass case than scribbled on. My favorite are the cheap magazine sized recycled scrapbooks from MUJI. The paper is newsprint thin, unbleached and feels so cheap (they really are to) you have no reservations going wild with it. A4 copier paper still feels too expensive and clean.

By: Harry Brignull

Harry Brignull — Thu, 16 Dec 2010 17:51:16 +0000

I'm happily surprised at how much discussion this post provoked. I was only trying to say that you don't *have* to use expensive stationery. The first ever twitter sketch is a perfect example of this. Biro, wobbly writing, cheap ruled pad, etc. Look where it got them. As Phil said - 'Draw what you like how you like, so long as the idea is conveyed'. Anthony - the "Real UX designers donâ€t use Moleskins" quip was intended as a joke (as was the bit about the skin of actual moles)... Ben - @Sketchingpost is a really nice idea. Hope it sticks.

By: Phil S

Phil S — Thu, 16 Dec 2010 13:58:01 +0000

Wasting time reading about people who waste time on perfect sketches is a waste of time.

Draw what you like how you like, as long as the idea is conveyed then the drawing has done its job.

By: Ben Sauer

Ben Sauer — Thu, 16 Dec 2010 11:37:05 +0000

I don’t 100% agree with this Harry, although I do reject the showiness of some peoples’ sketching.

Whilst I’m an advocate of just getting ideas down in any form, if your sketching has a *little* bit more fidelity, it is more useful to you (as good sketching practise) and if you need to communicate ideas.

My sketching is spectacularly crappy. I took the Leah Buley’s sketching workshop and its had a noticeable effect on my work, e.g. complements from clients, thinking more carefully about the interface. My sketching still remaining quite rudimentary, but Leah’s workshop is designed to give your sketching a little lift without being perfectionist.

I’ve started to make sketching a daily thing via the twitter account @sketchingpost, which posts a sketching challenge daily.
http://twitter.com/sketchingpost

Anyone interested in participating can tag photos of their sketches for sharing on twitter.

I did this largely because sketching is one of the most fun parts of UX, but I found myself doing it fairly infrequently. Sketchingpost is designed to remedy this and keep my imagination active.

By: Alex G

Alex G — Thu, 16 Dec 2010 10:47:36 +0000

I agree. Moleskine is the Apple of low-fidelity design.

By: Anthony Terrell

Anthony Terrell — Wed, 15 Dec 2010 20:45:49 +0000

I’m going to definitely agree with the idea of perfecting what is supposed to be a very VERY loose sketch. I’ve seen a few shots lately on twitter/dribble of sketches that look like they’re ready to go live.

I think they’re putting too much effort in making everything look good and not taking the idea of “getting it on paper” to it’s fullest.

That being said, I disagree with the “Real UX designers don’t use Moleskins.” For basic reasons, they’re handy and easy to use. But I’m sure this wasn’t the main bullet point of this anecdote ^_^

Great read!!
-Ant

By: Nathanael Boehm

Nathanael Boehm — Wed, 15 Dec 2010 20:34:56 +0000

I partly agree with you Harry. I can’t draw for shit but I do like to enjoy the sketching and note-taking that I do, so I don’t like to use ballpoints. I don’t use Moleskins, I use a 110gsm cartridge paper spiral-bound notebook so the ink doesn’t bleed through to the other side. It’s functional.

But I don’t agonise over neat wireframes. I sketch. I draw crappy boxes that look more like trapezoids and horizontal lines that look like a seismograph. Wasting time drawing pretty is … wasting time, and means stuff falls out of my head to the floor instead of onto the page while I’m screwing around. I’d rather capture ideas.

But it’s about designing a good experience experience for myself whilst designing, so I do use good-quality paper and good-quality technical markers.

By: Cennydd

Cennydd — Wed, 15 Dec 2010 18:09:42 +0000

Word. Fuck stationery elitism.

By: Simon Johnson

Simon Johnson — Wed, 15 Dec 2010 15:14:39 +0000

I can almost hear your hair shirt scratching!

By: Ben Arent

Ben Arent — Wed, 15 Dec 2010 13:56:10 +0000

I agree Harry. I found this posted on twitter, I like plain paper and bic pens.

> Plain A4 copier paper is easily rotated, easy to photocopy in batches.
> Bics, because they allow for many line weights.