grumbling when talking to online User Experience people and they find out that I draw comics, their face lights up and they say you know there’s a great book. And their always amazed when I say
“Understanding Comics by Scott McCloud”, and when i say “I’m a little jaded because I got all the theory he talks about in Art School so I never saw what the big deal was” they get confused what is interesting after talking to them they love the book but I’m never sure how they use the book.
But now I’m looking at what User Experience is and how you develop a comic/learning experience for that and the challenge is how do you step back and integrate development techniques from software into comics, more or less I’m pondering why someone won’t write the manual for what I want to do and why do I have to figure it out myself.
Re-work the ideas in this article in relation to teaching/comics
4 replies on “User Experience and Comics”
I was actually trying to post a comment on the article on the Adobe site about teaching designers to code.
I too have had my teaching ego smashed by the Hulk when after taking my intro to OOP (taught with AS in Flex) my students get into the Java class and claim they’ve never heard of an object, class, method…
A coffee cup is what I use for data variables too. I bring in other liquid specific glasses for data typing. I use remote controls to talk about reference variables and egg cartons for arrays.
Feel free to contact me. We can exchange ideas on teaching OOP in Flex. I’ve been doing it for three semesters now.
Hi Michelle,
Glad to know I’m not the only one who’s ego gets crushed by the reality of students. it’s finally hit me that in the second semester they understand the first semester concepts easier. But miss all the second semester stuff.
Count me in =)
Everything was going smoothly until I started spouting about the wonders of classes and OOP…then it started getting ugly…well not that bad, but getting me to understand that this stuff takes time to sink in (or in my experience, when you actually need to use it for something real) =)
As an avid fan and collector of comic boooks, I must say, I was quite intrigued to discover that my best friend’s uncle was once a sketch artist. I would first like to introduce myself, I’m your newphew Phil’s good friend Evan Harrison.
Phil had brought up your work(s) in the past but had only mentioned the sole “Batman: Jazz” title, which I recently purchased on Amazon. About two weeks ago I brought Phillip with me into the local comic book store, and out of intrigue asked the owner if he remembered the above mentioned title. He did! and it also allowed Phil an oppurtunity to discuss with the owner other pieces of work you had worked on via good ol’ fashioned catalogue books.
At first I asked Phil if he could get ahold of you for me, and he simply directed me towards your site. I could not however find a direct link to reach you at, and for the moment my email account is down. I was wondering, out of curiosity that if you had the time if you would be willing to sketch me an autographed scene from your imagination on a possible scenario you never got to draw. I am a huge HUGE HUGE Batman fan, so anything of that nature would truely suffice. My preference would be a Joker/Batman scene, but again this would be at your own disgression. Also, if its not too much to ask… I have known the owners of my local comic book store my entire life… If you are willing would you also do a quick sketch of Superman to be put on display in their store. Sign it to either the “fantastic planet”, or to “Paul and Dona”. I would be much obiged if you could make this possible for me.
Also, I would like to come about a way thats easier to contact you to possibly help discuss with me the foundations of building a story arc for a comic. I am a minor in journalism, but find my true passion in creative writings.
Thank You.. I hope to hear back from you as well.
Evan Harrison