Navigating complex UX projects: The power of sketching sessions

Over the past year, I've engaged in various projects within the pharmaceutical sector, collaborating with highly skilled scientists on innovative projects.

As UX designers, immersing ourselves in the industries we're working on is crucial, and enables us to truly understand and empathise with our users, uncovering their unique needs, challenges, and contexts. Such insights allow us to create products that not only satisfy user requirements but also align with business goals. However, mastering this immersion in the pharmaceutical industry has been the most challenging experience of my career so far. 

My journey as a UX Designer in the pharmaceutical field has been both enlightening and transformative. The complexity of these projects, the depth of the scientists' expertise, and the intricate requirements have provided a rich learning experience. A significant challenge has been translating detailed and specific client requirements into actionable steps. But it has also been an opportunity to develop and refine strategies that improve collaboration and drive successful outcomes. Among these strategies, sketching sessions have proven to be particularly useful. 

In this article, I will share insights and strategies for quickly understanding project requirements to accelerate the iteration, testing, and refinement of designs. I'll also show how sketching sessions have been fundamental in this process, driving successful outcomes. 

Understanding complexity 

Complex projects are multifaceted, involving stakeholders from various departments, each with unique requirements, expectations, and understandings of the user journey. These users possess deep expertise in their fields, which can make distilling their insights into clear, actionable tasks challenging. The pharmaceutical and healthcare industry's intricate nature further complicates this process, requiring meticulous attention to detail and adherence to strict regulations. 

The power of sketching sessions 

One of the most effective strategies I've found for managing these complex requirements is conducting sketching sessions. Sketching serves as a powerful tool to bridge the gap between the client's expert knowledge and the UX team's need for clarity and direction. Here’s why sketching sessions have become indispensable in my UX design process: 

Facilitating conversations: Sketching sessions create a collaborative environment where ideas can flow freely. They provide a visual platform that prompts discussion and encourages stakeholders to articulate their needs and preferences. By starting with simple sketches, we can quickly iterate and refine concepts based on immediate feedback, ensuring alignment with everyone’s vision. 

Clarifying requirements: Clients often know what they want but struggle to convey their ideas in a way that can be easily translated into design elements. Sketches act as tangible representations of abstract ideas, making it easier to pinpoint specific requirements. Seeing a UI concept, even in its rudimentary form, helps stakeholders recognise what works and what doesn’t, leading to more precise and actionable feedback. 

Encouraging user-centric design: Involving users in sketching sessions provides invaluable insights into their preferences and pain points. Sketching allows us to explore various design options and gather real-time input from users, ensuring that the final product is tailored to their needs and enhances their experience. 

Streamlining the design process: Sketching sessions can significantly reduce the time spent on revisions and rework. By addressing potential issues and incorporating feedback early in the design process, we can avoid costly changes later on. This proactive approach saves time and ensures the project stays on track and within budget. 

Real-world applications  

A notable example of the effectiveness of sketching sessions involved a project to develop an internal tool for recording how scientists perform experiments. Initial meetings were filled with technical jargon and detailed requirements that were difficult to consolidate into a coherent design plan. By introducing sketching sessions, we broke down these complex requirements into visual components. Stakeholders could see and interact with the sketches, providing immediate feedback and suggesting improvements. This collaborative approach clarified the project’s direction and fostered a sense of ownership and engagement among stakeholders. 

Conclusion 

Working on complex UX projects has highlighted the importance of clear communication, collaboration, and user-centric design. Sketching sessions have emerged as a key strategy in managing complexity and effectively translating client needs into practical design solutions.  

By facilitating conversations, clarifying requirements, encouraging user input, and streamlining the design process, sketching has become an invaluable tool in my UX design toolkit. As I continue to navigate the challenges of complex projects, the lessons learned and strategies developed have contributed to creating impactful and user-friendly solutions.