Inkling
A sketchbook prototype for product designers with a half-formed idea.
- Role
- Product designer
- Category
- Creative tools
- Project type
- New concept
- Year
- 2026
Design brief
Help product designers turn a half-formed idea into a one-page brief so good ideas aren’t lost.
01 · Brief
Ideas arrive half-formed.
I wrote the brief for a designer on their phone, with a rough idea and no desk.
02 · Directions
Three directions, then three rounds on one.
Agents built three directions at once, and I asked for three rounds of variations on the sketchbook.
03 · Prototype
From a doodle to a brief.
Draw and name an idea, answer five prompts, and end on a one-page brief.
Three looks. One sketchbook.
Checked against
15
test questions from the sprint, after three test agents tried the core task.
The core task the agents tried.
What worked
- 01All three agents found New spark straight away.
- 02No agent took a wrong turn getting started.
- 03Stacked answers kept everyone sure where they were.
What I’d change
- 01Shorten the session, and show the brief sooner.
- 02Make prompts feel less like a form.
- 03Test drawing with real fingers, not a mouse.