While the technology, platforms, and services we create will change in the coming years, drawing will always play a role in developing new ideas. The systematic approach covered in this book will give you everything you need to continue drawing, sharing, and evolving your great ideas.

Throughout the course of time, you will have to make frequent updates to your visual library as people, processes, and technology continue to evolve and mature. Mostly any form or element you'll draw can be broken down into a few basic shapes. Think about which marks you can make on the paper to best represent these shapes. You can add techniques like shading to represent concepts like light, elevation, and texture to further describe these new elements in your visual library.

The underlying process will always be the same. From there, you can think about how to compose a story around your drawing and how to unveil it to your teammates. We covered several ways to create engaging stories through drawing.

The systematic approach to drawing can be applied to other areas and larger challenges beyond product design. Drawing can be used to help a patient understand an experimental cancer treatment. Teachers can use these techniques to help students better understand how major historical events unfolded. They can use it to help students comprehend difficult abstract problems presented in advanced mathematics and science courses.

Drawing can be used in the process of solving large-scale, complex problems like removing trash from the oceans, fighting climate change, and combating social inequality. While this might sound lofty, the possibilities really are endless here.

Reflecting on writing this book, I used over 500 sheets of paper and created over 300 drawings. Some of these drawings were practice drawings, and others were just bad ideas. If you're an environmentally conscious person, you may feel this is wasteful. With that in mind, let's not forget to recycle. If you have a yard, consider planting a tree. I did just that after writing this book, as depicted in Figure 10.1. I’d encourage you to do the same as you start creating more drawings.

There's something magical about a drawing. Sometimes drawings are the first time we're seeing form applied to a nascent idea. They can bring people together and start a meaningful conversation. They can inspire bigger ideas in a low-risk setting.

Now that I've hopefully made drawing more approachable for you, I hope you'll consider making it a lasting part of your process, and always remember that the drawing itself isn't what matters in the end; it's the outcome it leads to.