What is a comic? “Comics have a vocabulary that doesn't even require language. In fact, many of its symbols could be considered a language of their own that requires no teaching or explanation” Kevin Cheng, ‘See what I mean’
Even without using any words, an image can communicate an awful lot about how people use a service or device, with very few details. For instance, what do you think these two are doing?
£££ Even with very few clues in an image can communicate a whole narrative to the viewer - which they will do the work to fill in, even though you’ve not written anything!
DEATH BY DOCUMENTATION We like ‘deliverables’ Deliverables don’t make the experience better We can bore stakeholders How often do you think clients read ALL of the documents you produce?
Empathy Most documents don’t help team members to emphathise with users - instead they create abstraction Where as comics can create empathy, thank goodness!
Sequential art Sequential art gives us a means to express changing time, space and emotion in a succinct way It also allows us to explore and visualise ideas without significant investment Check out Will Eisner’s books about comics to learn more about sequential art.
COMICS CAN BE USED IN MANY WAYS throughout a project To show how things are now To show how people would like things to be To review how things could be different Plus comics are quick to create once you’ve had a bit of practice!
When to use comics Research Analysis Concepts IA W ireframes Testing Prototyping Build Feel free to use them whenever you need to - there aren’t any rules.
Benefits Test ideas More effective communication tool than standard documentation Sharing within organisations Less about the interface, more about the tasks people do
why you don’t need to be an artist The simpler you keep characters, the easier it is for the reader to empathise with them. Too much detail is unnecessary.
Flowers for someone special Imagine you’ve got a new client called ‘Mister Flowers’. They sell flowers online, but they want new ideas about how to help their customers find and send the best flowers to their loved ones. Your challenge is to consider the two personas on the next page, and decide on which one you’d like to make a comic about. Use about six panels to tell your story about how Mister Flowers could help this customer. Consider the entire flower purchase process: where is the character? Who are they with? What’s the occasion? What device are they using? etc...
mini personas Charlie •Always forgets birthdays and special occasions •Very busy lifestyle juggling commuting and a packed social life What they want: •Improve their reputation with friends and family •Make their loved ones feel special •Get a gift sent on time! Key constraint Time Chris •Likes planning and researching gifts for friends and family •Has a limited budget, but likes to do as much as possible with it What they want: •To get the ‘perfect’ gift for their loved ones •Get everything sorted in advance •Maintain their reputation as a great gift giver! Key constraint Budget
Thank you Bonny Colville-Hyde @almostexact Feel free to contact me with any questions - or if you’d like me to send you come blank comic layouts to practice on. Have fun!
almostexact
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