Workshop:
UX Comics: Storytelling & Empathy in action
Friday
Learn how to make UX comics from scratch.
One of the biggest challenges we face as user experience professionals is that of communication. Communication between ourselves, our team members, clients and end users. Our work is focussed on meeting and exceeding user needs, however this is often clouded by communication failures between ourselves and stakeholders. How many times have you known that a team has not read a report you’ve written? Or have not read the annotations you’ve carefully added to wireframes or prototypes?
UX comics get read. And they get shared amongst stakeholder teams. They get pinned to walls, emailed, saved and most importantly, they get talked about. Comics delight and surprise people and this makes them a very powerful tool.
UX Comics are a great way to communicate ideas, events and processes with clients, team members and end users - so they can be used throughout the user experience workflow. They are quick and simple to produce once you know how and this practical, hands-on workshop will give you the methods and tools you need to start making your own UX comics.
I will explain why comics are such a powerful communication method, and share examples of how I use comics in my work, and how other people are using comics.
You do not need to be a skilled artist to take part, all you need is a willingness to pick up a pencil and have a go. By the end of the session you will have produced your very first UX comic, as well as a set of characters and reference materials you can use to continue making comics in the future.
What will you learn?
- The art and science of making UX comics
- How to draw people and emotions confidently
- How to structure stories around research data.
- A brief history of comics
- See real-life UX comics and how they are used today
Bonny Colville-Hyde
User Experience Consultant
Rockpool Digital
Bristol, UK
UX Consultant who goes on adventures, dreams of Scandinavia, crafter & proud Girl Geek. I make UX comics too.
Bonny is a User Experience consultant at Rockpool Digital. She has worked with a wide range of clients including eBay, Expedia and The Samaritans. She works closely with client teams to help change their approach to digital, not just make cosmetic changes to their websites. By encouraging clients think of their service users differently, she believes digital services can be designed to better meet user needs. Bonny is known for making comics to help clients empathise with their audiences, and she regularly runs UX comic making workshops for peers.
Bonny loves visiting Scandinavian countries, dreams of living in the Pacific Northwest and has a slightly unhealthy obsession with Twin Peaks.
