Sometimes when you have an idea, especially for a new app, the best thing to do is to draw it out. This works well for me. It helps me get down on paper what I am trying to accomplish. It also helps me to logically think through the various screens and interactions. These sketches act as a way of grounding me and help me to stay on task otherwise I may start down a path and by the time I reach the end I forgot why I went this way in the first place.
Everyone has their own way of sketching ideas and their own format for keeping their thoughts together. Being a creative guy with a lot of compulsive issues I knew what I wanted was very specific. I started looking around. Initially I thought I would just get a small sketchbook and doodle iPhone dimensions on the page then fill those doodles with my design ideas.
That seemed like a good idea but quickly went south. I started spending more time sketching the phone outlines than I did focusing on what the screens should look like for the app I wanted to create. It almost became an adult coloring book which was not the most productive way to spend my time.
I then went to the opposite end of the spectrum and drew out wireframe outlines and also drew every kind of screen component I could think of. It then became almost a sticker book where I would paste screen elements on the outlines. That approach really took all the creativity out of it but the screens did look professional.
I settled on a happy medium. I drew the frame outlines for an iPhone with blank screens. At the top I left a place where I could name the screens to help with the flow. At the bottom were notes I could make to myself for functionality or other ideas or links to other pages or screens. This gives me the screen structure but leaves it open to my creative juices to draw what I want to see.
After creating a page and printing a few out I ended up having a whole desk full of screen sketches. The more noteworthy ones I would hang on the way or if I thought they were really cool I would tape them to the refrigerator door. I suddenly felt like a proud kindergartener showing off his favorite art process. The problem with this approach was that through the various iterations and multiple screens I soon got lost among the messy piles of drawing.
I therefore decided what I really needed was a notebook or sketchbook. I designed a cover and printed the pages back-to-front. I then took it to the local printing office and had copies made. They had a spiral binding machine, so I had the pages punched and bought a couple of plastic covers to protect the front and back. I now have a customized sketchbook to keep my thoughts together and to document the flows of app ideas I am working on. It may not be perfect, but it is working pretty well for me.
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