Notetaking is an important practice for transforming information into knowledge. Visual notetaking, also known as “sketchnoting," is an engaging strategy to improve memory and understanding. Sketch and Learn is a web-based adventure game that engages learners in playful sketching quests that help them build a visual library and a dedicated practice towards sketchnoting. Using game design thinking and behavior design principles, Sketch & Learn builds learner’s efficacy by providing small victories, immediate feedback and guided deliberate practice — ultimately helping learners to see themselves as creative problem solvers and sense-makers.
Project’s Learning Objectives:
A knowledge map of sketchnoting constructed from data collected from user research. To develop a sketchnoting practice, learners need declarative knowledge of the basics of sketching and associated metacognitive beliefs. Procedural knowledge can be categorized into encoding and decoding skills. Visual vocabulary is an important element of sketchnoting. Knowing the sketchnoting basics can facilitate the building of visual vocabulary and promote the development of visual construction.
My Role
Sketch & Learn is the capstone project of Kenneth Fernandez and I for our Stanford Learning, Design and Technology Master’s program. Together, we created 5 prototypes in total.
In a team of two, I was heavily involved in all aspects of the design process: literature review, user research, ideation, prototyping and user testing. More specifically, I:
conducted extensive literature reviews and competitor analysis on sketchnoting
spent great efforts in user research, including interviewing sketchnoters, students, educators, and experts in Universal Design for Learning.
created a knowledge map of sketchnoting using all data collected on sketchnoting
created the learning content for two prototypes
designed an online testing survey to assess learning gains, and engagement (narrative engagement adapted from Narrative Engagement Measure by Busselle & Bilandzic (2009) )
led user testing by recruiting testers, conducting in-person testing, and distributed the online testing survey on the Prolific platform
and analyzed testing data to generate insights.
Skills Applied: Product Design, Design Thinking, Qualitative Research, Quantitative Research, User Research, Prototyping, User Testing, Content Development, and Sketchnoting.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
The LDT teaching team: Dr. Karin Forssell, Soren Rosier, and Keith Bowen, for their ongoing support and guidance.
Reece Duca who funded the LDT projects, fueled the passions that allowed all the collective intelligence to happen and persist in the world and make an impact.
All the LDT students for their support and collective intelligence.
Our faculty advisors Dr. Hilda Borko and Dr. Roy Pea for their wisdom and support.
Dr. David Rose and Dr. Nicole Ofiesh for their guidance and advice on incorporating Universal
Design for Learning into our project.
Sketchnoters and educators Sherrill Knezel, Christina Wodtke, and Anna Iurchenko for their
invaluable guidance and feedback.
Prototyping partners Caitlin Go, Yuqi Yao, Grace Chiang, Thieny Nguyen, and Jina Lee for contributing ideas and hard work that helped shape our final product.
All our user testers who gave us invaluable feedback for improvement.
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