Collaborative Sketching

Choose this exercise

Purpose: Produce a shared visual synthesis of solutions by combining individual drawn ideas into a single group sketch.

Use it when: Use during concept exploration or process redesign when teams need to translate abstract proposals into concrete visual layouts without requiring artistic skills.

Skip it when: Skip when the topic requires quantitative risk analysis, exact technical syntax, or strict legal wording rather than visual layout and process flow.

Group arrangement: Independent sketching followed by small groups of 3 to 5 people (e.g., 5 divides into one group of 5, 13 divides into two groups of 4 and one of 5).

Timing: Source specifies 20 to 60 minutes. UWT standardizes on 45 minutes to balance individual drawing, small-group presentations, and synthesis.

Materials and tools

• 3 sheets of standard blank paper per participant
• 1 sheet of flipchart paper or poster board per small group
• Medium-point black felt pens (1 per participant)
• Assorted colored markers (1 pack per small group)
• Masking tape or painter tape (1 roll per room)
• Digital timer visible to the room

Before participants arrive

1. Set up work tables to seat groups of 3 to 5 people.
2. Place blank paper and black pens at each seat.
3. Place one large flipchart sheet and a pack of colored markers at each table.
4. Write the prompt on a central board visible to all participants.

Say this to open

Today we will use collaborative sketching to tackle our focus prompt. This is not an art contest. Stick figures, boxes, arrows, and written labels are ideal. Your aim is visual clarity. You will draw your ideas individually first, present them at your table, and then create a single composite sketch together. Every person at the table will add at least one element to that final shared poster.

How to run it

1. Introduce visual vocabulary and prompt 5 minutes

   Demonstrate simple visual conventions on the room board: boxes, circles, stick figures, directional arrows, and word labels. Read the chosen prompt aloud, for example: 'How might we redesign the client intake process to cut drop-off in half?' Allow 1 minute for clarifying questions.

2. Sketch individual concepts 10 minutes

   Participants work silently and individually. Each person sketches 1 to 2 visual concepts on blank sheets using black pens, adding text labels to explain mechanics. Call time when the 10-minute countdown ends.

3. Share sketches in small groups 10 minutes

   In groups of 3 to 5, each person takes up to 2 minutes to show their paper and describe their concept. Listeners hold questions until the speaker finishes, observing specific visual components, flows, or interface blocks they want to adapt.

4. Build the combined sketch 15 minutes

   Each group works on their central flipchart sheet to merge visual elements from individual drafts into one unified design. Enforce the rule that every group member must physically draw or write at least one component, icon, or label on the shared poster.

5. Debrief and gallery walk 5 minutes

   Groups tape their composite posters to the room walls. Participants walk the perimeter for 2 minutes to inspect the work. Gather the room and facilitate the debrief questions, inviting responses from 3 or 4 volunteers.

Debrief questions

• Which visual elements appeared across multiple individual sketches before you merged them?
• How did expressing ideas through shapes and labels change your understanding of the problem?
• What is one concrete element on your group poster that should move into practical testing?

Finished output: A composite poster-sized sketch from each group depicting an integrated concept, interface layout, or workflow.

Remote

Use a digital whiteboard (such as Miro or Mural). Set up a workspace for each breakout group with private draft areas and a central group canvas. In step 2, participants draft using virtual shapes, pen tools, and sticky notes. In steps 3 and 4, open breakout rooms for 25 minutes while participants present and pull elements onto the team canvas. Return to main room for debrief.

Hybrid

Form distinct remote and in-person tables of 3 to 5 people. Remote groups draw directly on a shared digital whiteboard. In-person groups use paper flipcharts. At step 5, in-person tables photograph their flipcharts with a smartphone and upload them to the shared digital whiteboard so remote and in-room participants review identical material simultaneously.

Access and participation choices

• Participants may use written labels, block diagrams, or bulleted UI wireframes instead of representational drawings.
• Anyone may decline verbal presentation during step 3 by placing their annotated sheet on the table for group members to read silently.

If the session gets stuck

Participants freeze and worry about lack of artistic skill.

Draw a box with an arrow pointing to a circle and label them 'Step 1' and 'Step 2' on the whiteboard. Reiterate that readable text labels and simple boxes are far more useful than polished drawings.

One assertive participant draws the entire combined sketch while others watch.

Remind the group of the rule stated in the opening script: every member must contribute directly. Hand markers to disengaged participants and direct the group to divide the sheet into specific workflow stages or interface zones.

Terms used here

• Composite sketch: A single drawing created by a group combining selected visual features and labels from individual proposals.