Sketching Part 2: Paper in a Digital World
by olen, posted December 8th, 2008
categorized under featured | Comments
In part 2 of our series on sketching, we take a look at the pros and cons for digital versus analog sketching, and why we don’t yet live in a paperless world.
- Why do designers sketch?
- Paper in a Digital World
- Sketching Next Generation User Experiences
- Crossing the Streams: Analog+Digital
2. Paper in a Digital World
In a digital studio packed with Tablet PCs, Adobe Suites, and more, why do we still reach for “old-fashioned” paper and pen?
A few of us in the studio have a Tablet PC and/or Wacom device, and those of us that do are pretty die-hard fans (at least for drawing - don’t ever take my keyboard away for text entry!). Microsoft’s vision of a Tablet PC future hasn’t quite come to the level they imagined, but the devices and technology are definitely getting better. Personally, Tablet PC features outweighed Apple Industrial Design for my notebook of choice (and yes I’ve seen the ModBook but it’s just not quite the same).
Digital sketching definitely has its benefits (more on that later), but there are a few qualities of the analog that still keep that vision of a paperless life just beyond bounds:
1. Readily Accessible.
Ideas fade as quickly as they come - it’s best to capture them as quickly as possible and paper is always readily accessible. It’s not 4 clicks away and it never needs to be booted up. Some research we’ve done on physical versus digital writing indicates that instant on and state preservation are critical to making digital note taking and drawing feel easy and readily accessible.
2. Tangible.
The direct, physical, 1:1 connection between the drawing tip and the paper is a subtle but important feature. Different drawing tools - fine and broad point pen tips, brushes, and more provide valuable haptic feedback to the artistand physically connect the fine motions of their hand to the drawing surface. Even the subtle haptic feedback of dragging a ballpoint across paper is much more tactile and responsive than a plastic nib on glass. Additionally, it is always hard to asses exactly how a stroke will turn out when the tiny nib is used to directly large, broad strokes, which is made even worse by parallax…
3. Parallax-Free.
Although very good, screen-based digitizers still suffer from some parallax. This is where the pen tip appears to be at a slightly different location from where it is making a mark on the screen. This is due to the offset between the LCD and the top surface of the display. Although it may not sound that bad, this can be highly frustrating. For example, I’ll draw a line and then want to draw over it again to thicken it up or add weight, but it’s nearly impossible to get the lines to match just right. I’ll apply the stroke, but it’s just a few millimeters away from where I intended.
4. Minimal Commitment.
In particular, working sketches are quick and only needed for a short period of time. Committing to a “save document” process flow and folder filing system is just too much cognitive load and commitment for the task at hand and too unwieldy for a pen-based interface. Digital sketching is at least more thought-engaging than mouse-controlled illustration, but it still is a higher load than simple pen and paper. OneNote has done a good job to simplify this by automatically saving in the background. It’s just too bad the inking interface is not better for drawing and sketching like ArtRage or Sketchbook Pro.
5. Large physical canvas.
The other advantage of paper is that many sketches can be laid out and compared and discussed all at once and in any combination / organization as opposed to on a device where finite screen real estate limits viewing to one or a few at a time.
6. Ultra Portable.
Paper notepads come in just about any size - whatever is just right to take with you and there’s no battery to worry about charging before leaving home. Paper can also be physically transferred anywhere - folded, crumpled, stuffed in a book, stapled together, anything.
7. Cheap!
For those that haven’t invested in the digital counterpart, pen and paper is just so much cheaper and easier to acquire. At $6 per 600 sheets of notepad paper, and $3 per dozen bic pens, one could do a lot of sketching before reaching the $2000 price tag of typical tablet PCs, or even the $200-300 premium for tablet features on a typical notebook.
The gist of all of this is that pen and paper is still just easier and more convenient. It appears to still be both a hardware problem (tactility, feel, accessibility, battery life), as well a software problem (pen-optimized interfaces, open/close/save model, simplicity of interface).
Maybe one day when my entire desk surface is digitized, or I have a flexible OLED digital moleskine, then my desk will finally be clear of all the clutter.
What about you? Do you sketch digitally with a wacom tablet, tablet pc, or other device? Has your experience been good or bad? Comment and let us know your opinions!
Stay tuned for Part 3…