Sketching is one of the fastest ways to communicate an idea, but many of us don't do it because we're not really good at drawing. As video game interface designer Caryn Vainio writes, however, it doesn't really matter. If you can draw basic shapes, there's no reason to fear sketching.

Drawing, she points out, is about artistically rendering images with great attention to detail. Sketching, on the other hand, is a collaborative type of communication. If you work in an environment that involves building things with a team, you can communicate a lot more with simple circles and boxes than trying to explain something with words alone. Don't worry about the rawness or imperfection of sketches—that's what they're supposed to be. Also:

It creates a partnership. Instead of talking to each other or, worse, talking

at

each other, you’re

working

together when you

sketch

together on the design of an idea.

And no one likes to read a Word document with bullet points. But almost everyone likes to look at a sketch.

The more you sketch, the better you'll get at communicating visually even with just simple shapes. (Just another reason to embrace doodling.)

Don't Be Afraid of a Pencil | Medium

Photo by Teaching Humans.