inhabitants before committing them to paper (Figure 6). A diverse mix of attendees ensured that the scope of the session was broad and the imagery illuminating. Sketching on location became a conversation opener, a master class, and a social event, lasting well into the break before the lure of hot Canadian bread pudding, custard, and cream split up our close-knit group.

We began in the main hall and on the front steps of our convention center, Montreal’s Palais des Congrès. Striking architecture and curious pigeons found a home on the attendees’ pads as we discussed the significance, potential benefits, and pitfalls of sketching in HCI. We moved through the venue, asking how we could increase the visibility and uptake of sketching within the HCI curricula, and how to engage with students who view even physical computing as a technical, coded skill set without room for creative expression.

In the public spaces surrounding the Palais, we brought shop fronts, cafes, and pedestrians into the embrace of the sketched image, while considering the future of sketching in HCI.

Engaging with our students was perhaps the most challenging aspect of sketching as a tool for HCI—and the most pertinent. Enabling and encouraging our younger community members will ensure a diverse skill set and an interest that can be sustained throughout lengthy academic careers.

celebrating the drawn images as they arrived amid the predetermined material. Those who did not use the platform were able to submit their images to the authors after the session, and these contributions were then added to the feed. This unusual methodology not only exemplified audience participation but also ensured that the forum could continue beyond the allocated room and time.

By removing the perceived barriers to sketching (lack of materials, encouragement, or confidence), we found ourselves in a room full of nascent artists and practitioners, beginning discussions that were to span the conference and beyond.

Later, during the scheduled Town
Hall meeting, we were driven to ask the
question: Will CHI consider a pictorial
or highly visual format in future
conferences? The positive murmurings
of the crowd suggested there is the
potential for uptake in this area,
further expanding the archival formats
available to researchers at CHI.

THE SKETCHING SIG— ADVENTURES AT THE PALAIS DES CONGRÈS

To engage those who already had an interest in sketching prior to the conference, we hosted a hands-on special interest group (SIG) at CHI [ 7], where our discussions took an active turn as we roamed the venue, getting to know the scenery and T

Figure 5. Ultra Haptics workshop sketchnote by Makayla Lewis at CHI 2018.

Figure 6. A sketch by Miriam Sturdee made in the Palais des Congrès during the CHI 2018 SIG.

F I G U R E 5 : © M A K A Y L A L E W I S . A L L R I G H T S R E S E R V E D .