Participatory Methods
Read this site inEspañol

Participatory DesignParticipatory InteractionParticipatory Learning

Collaborative sketching

Collaborative sketching
Duration
From 20 to 60 minutes, depending on the complexity of the topic and the number of participants.
Participants
From 3 to 20 people, to ensure active interaction and effective collaborative work.
Areas of application
Educación y formaciónDesarrollo comunitarioGestión organizacional y empresarialPlanificación urbana y ruralSalud y bienestar socialArte, cultura y creatividadSostenibilidad y medio ambientePolíticas públicas y gobernanzaInnovación y diseñoInvestigación y evaluaciónResolución de conflictosTecnología y entornos digitalesParticipación ciudadana y social
Participation level
ColaboraciónGeneración de conocimientoIntercambio de perspectivas
Target audience
EducadoresFacilitadoresEstudiantesLíderes comunitariosONGs y colectivos socialesEquipos empresarialesFuncionarios públicosDiseñadores creativosInvestigadores
Collaborative sketching is a participatory activity where participants express ideas and concepts visually through quick and simple drawings. This approach fosters creativity, visual communication, and the collective construction of solutions or concepts, without requiring advanced artistic skills.

Preparation

  1. Define the objective: Identify the purpose of the exercise, such as generating ideas, solving problems, or designing a product.
  2. Prepare materials:
    • Paper or whiteboards.
    • Markers, colored pencils, or pens.
    • Optional: digital sketching tools, such as Jamboard or Miro, for online collaboration.
  3. Set up the workspace: Ensure participants have enough space to draw individually or in groups.

Step-by-step instructions

  1. Introduce the purpose
    • Explain that sketching is a tool to visually represent ideas, not an artistic drawing exercise.
    • Show examples of simple sketches (basic shapes, diagrams, icons) to inspire confidence in participants.
  2. Define the focus
    • Present the topic or problem to be addressed.
    • Example: "How can we improve the user experience in this application?"
  3. Individual sketching
    • Give each participant time to create quick sketches of their ideas or proposals.
    • Encourage focusing on visual clarity rather than artistic details.
  4. Sharing and discussion
    • Participants share their sketches with the group, explaining their ideas in under 2 minutes.
    • Encourage constructive feedback and questions to clarify concepts.
  5. Collective creation
    • Combine the best ideas or highlighted concepts from individual sketches into a single group design.
    • Participants collaborate to integrate ideas into a more complete collaborative sketch.
  6. Reflection and closing
    • Review the final result and discuss how the collaborative sketch can guide the next steps in the project.
    • Document individual and group sketches for future reference.

Purpose

The purpose of Collaborative sketching is to foster visual thinking, creativity, and the joint development of ideas in an inclusive and participatory environment, providing a simple and effective tool to explore complex concepts.

Required materials

  • Blank paper, large sheets, or whiteboards
  • Markers, pencils, and/or colored pens

Platforms

Practical recommendations

  • Encourage creativity: Remind participants that they don't need to be artists; they just need to express their ideas clearly.
  • Simplify the topic: Break complex problems into smaller components to make sketching easier.
  • Facilitate dialogue: Promote questions and feedback during the sharing of sketches.
  • Document the results: Take photos or save the sketches online for future reference.