Software Design Sketching with Calico Nicolas Mangano and Mitch Dempsey Advisor: André van der Hoek Donald Bren School of Information and Computer Sciences University of California, Irvine

Abstract

Sketching is a common technique employed by software designers in the initial stages of design; however, designers today prefer the primitive yet effective white board approach over digital alternatives, which they feel are cumbersome to the creative process. Previous work on digital sketching tried to augment that whiteboard experience, but found that over-anxious interpretation can be disruptive to the creative experience. Taking user experience with this previous work in mind, the Calico project was approached with the mindset that a design exploration tool must allow the designer to sketch freely to enter a creative flow. The provided tools in Calico further support the creative design process as well. Calico uses familiar metaphors such as scraps of paper to drive user interaction, and a grid to navigate multiple drawing canvases. A palette allows quick reuse of these scraps across canvases. Calico is designed to maintain the optimum "flow" experienced in design sessions at the whiteboard, which is lacking in current development tools. Calico has been used to carry out design sessions in both funded studies and software companies, and is currently receiving updates based feedback from these experiences.

 

Bio

Nicolas Mangano is a Ph.D student at the University of California, Irvine with a bachelors in Computer Science and Psychology. He is interested in creating tools that support the creative software designer.