Sketch test

A sketch test checks whether a document communicates. You give a colleague who has not seen it a deliverable, such as a journey map, a diagram or a set of requirements. They have a few minutes to read it and then draw or explain back what they understood. The gaps between what you meant and what they sketched are the problems.

What it is for

Designers are the worst judges of their own artefacts, because they know what everything is supposed to mean. A diagram that is obvious to its author can be unreadable to the developer who has to build from it. This is a quick way to find out before the document circulates and starts causing misunderstandings in meetings.

How it differs from usability testing

Usability testing puts a product in front of users and watches them try to accomplish something. A sketch test examines a working document with colleagues or stakeholders, and what it measures is comprehension. It is much lighter: no recruitment, no lab, fifteen minutes with someone from the next desk.

In practice

Say nothing while they read, and resist explaining. Ask them to talk aloud, as in a think-aloud protocol, and note where they pause, reread or ask a question. Two or three people are enough, since the same confusing element tends to trip everyone. Then fix the document, not the person, and run it again with someone new. Anyone who has already seen the earlier version cannot be a fresh reader.