Visual Notes
Prior to officially beginning my course in UX/UI Design at IronHack (Miami, FL campus), our class had to complete several exercises to give us a foundation in Design Thinking.
My first assignment was to watch a TED Talk and take notes. Not ordinary notes, of course — you had to jot down the lecture in pictures and drawings as best as possible. The goal was to learn how to visually describe concepts to a viewer. I am enclosing the link for anyone who may want to watch it as well :-)
Margaret Gould Stewart: How giant websites design for you (and a billion others, too)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=quJdL9ggETI
Overall, the visual note process was extremely engaging. In order to translate the TED talk I had to listen closely, digest the information, and consciously draw images that would enable a reader to understand the material as well.
I absolutely loved this exercise. It felt liberating and playful to incorporate doodles and color amongst text. It immediately made me recall taking notes during school lectures… scribbled notes and drawings made sense for reference and study, but too “messy” to actually turn in for an assignment if needed.
This was my first sketch note attempt, but I can easily see this process improving over time. During this exercise, I was more meticulous in pairing words with specific visuals. With more practice, I figure the process would become more organic and the visuals will be more effective in communicating the necessary message.
