Session: DTM-02-02 - Representations in Design

Paper Number: 89154

89154 - Tablets, Pens, and Pencils: The Influence of Tools on Sketching in Early Stage Design 

Sketching is often used as a tool during idea generation in the early stages of engineering design.  At the same time, the rapid increase in remote engineering and design work paves the way for an increased reliance on digital design tools and technologies throughout the design process. In this study, we investigate the influence of hand sketching on a tablet as compared to pencil or pen and paper on early stage sketching for concept generation. We ask three groups of participants (using pen, pencil, and a tablet) to sketch concepts in response to an open-ended design prompt. We hypothesize that participants using tablet and pencil will produce fewer drawings than those using pen due to their ability to erase and focus on perfecting drawings and we expect participants using the tablet to produce cleaner drawings with smoother strokes due to the tablet’s ability to auto-smooth lines. We find that sketch quality is highest for pencil drawings and lower for tablet and pen drawings. We also find that concept novelty is negatively correlated with how understandable the concept is. We find that experiences of drawing on paper and on the tablet differ in terms of missing the feeling of friction on the tablet and finding that too many features in a tool can be distracting during concept generation. Interestingly, participants from all groups mentioned that they were not good at sketching. Finally, we find several interesting results with respect to gender differences in sketching performance: namely, women and other gender minorities produced a higher quantity of sketches but did not have any difference in their sketch quality or style.

Presenting Author: Madhurima Das Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Presenting Author Biography: Madhurima Das is a graduate student in Mechanical Engineering at MIT and earned her SB in Mechanical Engineering at MIT. She is a former K-12 engineering and design educator and her interests include design theory and methodology, makerspaces, and using design and engineering to advance equity and justice.

Authors:

Madhurima Das Massachusetts Institute of Technology
May Huang Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Maria Yang Massachusetts Institute of Technology