Graphic recording on the iPad
Like many visual people, I like to carry a sketchbook and some colored pencils with me so I can take visual notes. Something has changed in the last 18 months: since then, I've been using a device that provides an unlimited "paper supply" and a huge assortment of colored pencils in millions of colors that never dry out: my iPad .
Potential applications quickly identified
About a week after getting my new iPad, I started using it for graphic recording. The first digital recordings were made at a conference on blogging and social media. Naturally, I immediately posted the results on Flickr and tweeted the link and the conference hashtag.
These were very popular – the presenters loved seeing a visual representation of their speeches, and the participants started watching me to figure out how I did it. The iPad is excellent as a tool for visual note-taking in a conference because it's easy to carry around and the results can be shared very easily. I believe the iPad is best suited for personal note-taking and shouldn't necessarily be used in settings where it's important for the group to see how the recording is developing. The iPad can be connected to a projector, allowing the screen to be shared with a larger number of participants. However, during the recording process, you constantly have to zoom in on the drawing to draw the smallest details and add small labels. Zooming back to full view is always necessary to check the layout and proportions.
If the group were to constantly see these notes via a projection, it would be more confusing than helpful. Meetings and conferences, where notes can be saved and then shared among the attendees, are clearly the ideal application for graphic recording with the iPad.
Suitable apps
There are various iPad apps that can be used for taking notes. Which one you use depends largely on personal preference, but there are some features that such an app should have, in my opinion. I like having a selection of individually adjustable brush tips so I can have a thin and a thick brush, two different airbrushes, erasers in two sizes, and some specialty brush tips (chisel tip markers, ink splatters, etc.) readily available. A freely adjustable color palette is also advantageous—this allows you to easily switch between colors while maintaining consistency. Of course, layers are important—I usually draw the lines on one layer, with two layers below for coloring large areas and details.
Finally, I consider a zoom function essential so I can control the finest details. I primarily use the following two apps: Sketchbook Pro by Autodesk and Brushes by Taptrix. Optional features that are nice to have include a large canvas size (many are only 1024 x 768 pixels, i.e., iPad screen size), multiple undo options, and, of course, a simple or automated way to save.
I am often asked what tips I can give if someone wants to start with “Graphic Recording” on the iPad.
Here are my top 3 tips:
- Choose your tools wisely. Find a drawing app you're comfortable with. Get to know it well. Drawing on an iPad is slower than on paper (whether you're using a stylus or not), and it's essential to master it so you don't get flustered when you want to switch tools or colors, add a new layer, or save your work.
- Find opportunities to practice in conferences and presentations while listening to the radio or watching video recordings of presentations.
- Find out how to work with layers. Use layers to experiment and practice new things. If something doesn't work, you can always delete a layer and create a new one without damaging the rest of the drawing.
Thinking about what might be possible in the future, I'd love to be able to use the iPad to graphically record web meetings. Here are two scenarios: One is participating in a web meeting with the iPad (which is already possible) and then using a drawing app to record the meeting while sharing the screen so others can see the results immediately. Unfortunately, the latter isn't currently possible. The second option would be to use the iPad to control a computer connected to a web meeting and share its screen. Currently, there are two apps that possess these capabilities (Air Display and Doceri), but neither is truly ready for real-time graphic recording. Nevertheless, I'm hopeful that new developments will make this possible in the near future.
A word about the author
Rachel Smith works as a Senior Consultant and Director of Digital Facilitation Services at Grove Consultants International in San Francisco. Grove provides services and tools that help organizations develop their vision and implement change. She works both face-to-face and virtually, using facilitation techniques to help clients see the big picture and move forward. She also offers graphic recording, both paper-based and digital, as a service for conferences and keynote speeches and coaches newcomers in the field of visual practice.
Rachel blogs at: http://digitalfacilitation.net