5 Reasons Designers Use Sketch
Sketch is one of those pieces of software that User Experience [UX] designers can be resistant towards using, because it’s simpler than the more complex Adobe suite. So why, would a tool that seems simple at first glance, be a designer’s dream?
Jay Gray, former UX Design student at Academy Xi and current Experience Designer at the ABC explains his top 5 reasons for using Sketch:
1. Iteration
Jay informs how Sketch gives UX designers the ability to shape what they’re working on by changing and iterating as they go, without ever needing to start over.
“When I started with Sketch, my first point was I need to setup a workflow in which I could be working on multiple designs at the same time. Sketch allows me to create lots of different options to solve a problem and put those options in-front of people.”
2. Interactivity
The ability to export designs into something that’s interactive is a major game changer for UX designers says Jay.
“The ability to be able to put that in-front of someone is comparative to a test. It allows you to validate what you’re working on.”
3. Plug-ins
Sketch extends its functionality with an extensive list of plugins including, Moodboard Builder, Sketch to Trello and Google Sheets Content Sync.
“There are many plug-ins you can add on to improve your workflow or to help with accessibility, exporting, creating design style guides etc,” says Jay.
4. Collaboration
UX designers collaborate with stakeholders and both internal and external customers, so it’s important to use a platform that facilitates team environments.
In using Sketch, Jay explains that he was able to work in one place and send updates across the team, gaining crucial feedback in real time. At the same time, teams can see, edit and interact with files.
“When we had the finished product, developers and stakeholders were able to see real life content in the design, meaning there was no imagination, it was a one-to-one,” says Jay.
“We could use it with prototyping, testing and just anything really. I could add any action to it and get feedback from a customer perspective and see how they were interacting with it.”
“By the time that process finished I was handing my visual design to developers and they were able to implement those designs straight into development.”
5. Workflow
Sketch allows designers to work with a team and adapt the way that team approaches the design process. For Jay, who has worked on projects with the ABC, it’s essential to continually change, innovate and improve the workflow setup.
“I might be working on a component and I am able to hand that off to product management or user testing. When you’ve got a good enough workflow setup this tool can do it all from developers through to product managers.”
“When I’m using it, I’m using it to convey something I already have in my head or something I have sketched out on paper, all the way through to a finished product, where I then hand it over to developers.”
