SXSW 2010

1. Pen & paper techniques for
getting from research to design
Kate Rutter kate@adaptivepath.com
BayCHI | June 9, 2009

2. we are
A little about me…
Kate R.
I’m a designer and strategist.
Making things visible and visual
makes my heart sing.
Adaptive Path
Adaptive Path is a User Experience strategy and design consultancy.
Our mission is to help companies make products and services that
deliver great experiences that improve people’s lives.

3. First, a story...
BIG opportunity space
large shifting team
money & time
constraints

4. So here’s what we did:

5. And it was awesome.
Compelling insights
Shared understanding
New perspectives
Clear implications for design

6. What made it work?
Visual approach
activated a different
way of working Pen & paper tools
were accessible
and fast
Concepts hinged
The insights carried
directly to design
from research implications
into design

7. Why work visually?
Pictures
Visual ideas communicate a Images help
get through more complete groups move
faster idea faster...together
So that the resulting designs
reflect the people
and their needs.

8. How could we do this again?

9. We’ll cover…
What you need to get started :
tools techniques
A simple method
activities!
A way to take this home with you.

10. Warm-up
INSTRUCTIONS
Make a nameplate.
1. On a piece of paper write your name in a
way that communicates something
about who you are.
2. Then make a sketch of some kind that
says something about you.
3. Do it in 2 minutes.

11. Your toolkit
Surfaces Utensils
1/2 sheets
squares quarters
sharpies
stickies markers
sheets
colored pencils
templates
colored chalks
poster board
rolls of paper crayons!

12. Your toolkit
Marks
WORDS LINES PICTURES
case symbols
case
weight
Case
CASE
lettering
texture
icons
drawings
Takes only
seconds more
than writing! shading

13. Your toolkit
Layouts And also...
centered size
list
cluster shape
grid
linear
color
tree
radiant

14. process: see
Here is our process

15. Transcripts
Jotting
Note taking
Coding
Spreadsheets
And more!

16. Jotting
Jotting breaks down
observations into their
most elemental parts
and captures the weight
of each idea.

17. The scenario:
You are a researcher on a project
to develop innovative solutions
for common household
organization problems.
You’ll practice jotting items from a
short clip of an interview, using pen
paper tools. Try to capture the
emotional energy along with key
messages.

18. min]
Activity
INSTRUCTIONS
I love to come home after a
long day. When I get here, it just
feels like this is the place I can Jot what you observe.
hide from the world, or recover,
1. Read this quote from a user
or just be alone. It's all my stuff interview.
and everything is where I want
it. It's like a nest. Well, 2. As you read, jot any significant
sometimes it’s a nest. But ideas or themes that you observe.
sometimes it's more like a 3. Jot one observation per
project. There's always piece of paper.
something that needs to be
4. Do it in 2 minutes.
done.

19. Activity
INSTRUCTIONS
Let’s jot an audio transcript.
1. Now, listen to this three-minute
transcript.
2. As you listen, jot what you observe.
3. Use line weight, color, and imagery
to distinguish the big themes from
the smaller ideas.
4. Do it in 5 minutes.

20. next?
What do we do
with all these
pieces of paper?

21. Relationship
Models
Word Sort Theme
Boards
Bottom-up
Sorting
Affinity Diagrams
Clustering And more!

22. Theme Boards

23. Theme Boards
Theme boards display
the results of synthesis.
They show the patterns
and themes that act
as a bridge to the
design process.

24. Reports
Presentations
Concept
Storyboards Sketches
Decks
Books
Video Reels
Personas
And more!

25. Concept Sketching
Concept sketches capture
a story, illustrate the
relationships of elements,
or a communicate a core
set of related ideas.

26. Handy visual layouts
Mind Maps 2 x 2s
Graphs
Grids Mandalas

27. Bringing it all together
Use the concept
sketches, jots
supplemental material
to craft stories and
implications for design.

28. Hinge from
research…
…to design

29. From concept sketch… … to storyboard

30. From concept sketch… … to information architecture

31. From concept sketch… … to interface prototype

32. What we covered....
What you need to get started :
tools techniques
A simple method
activities!
A way to take this home with you.

33. THINK ABOUT...
What 3 things can
you start using
tomorrow?

34. GETTING THE GOODS
Download the workbook deck from:
• www.intelleto.com (after Friday!)
Kate Rutter kate@adaptivepath.com