Book Review: Napkin Sketch Workbook by Don Moyer

Vampire bears, bacteria and stinky bunnies are among the examples you’ll find in this book, one that makes an excellent case for visual explanations. As UX designers, we rely on visual explanations to communicate our design ideas. Technical communicators can also use visual explanations to complement text.

Some of the main points you can derive from this book:

• Moyer points out how pictures draw us in. We’re more inclined to try out a new recipe when there’s a picture of what we can expect to create.

• Pictures also help us overcome language barriers, which is useful when dealing with international projects such as creating multilingual interfaces.

• Anyone can draw – your visual explanations do not have to be art gallery worthy. Throughout the book, Moyer gives examples of how to draw stick people and other figures. You can reuse an image by attaching different labels as needed (the shape of an otherwise generic dumbbell can also work for a depiction of a pepper mill.)

The lucky 20 people who have signed up for Moyer’s workshop this Friday, March 25th, will be in for a huge treat. You’ll get a chance to work on a few mini-exercises that drive home his points about visual explanations. And stick around after the workshop if you happen to like Japanese food. :)

If you missed out on the workshop but still want to hear Don Moyer’s perspective on visual explanations, attend the STC Mid-Atlantic conference on Saturday, March 26th. He will be giving the keynote presentation at 9 AM.

For more information and to register for the conference (while there’s still spots left!), visit the STC Philly Metro Chapter website.