← Years 5–6 Creating Digital Solutions

Generating several interface design ideas

Small, quick drawings of different design ideas. Make several, compare them, then choose the best one to build.

Part of: 5-6 Digital Technologies Vic Curric - Creating Digital Solutions — Module 38, 7-8 Digital Technologies: Designing user interfaces and experiences — Module 13, 9-10 Digital Technologies: Designing user interfaces and experiences — Module 12, QCE Digital Solutions Unit 1 — User Experiences and Interfaces — Module 30

Understanding Generating several interface design ideas in Years 5–6 Creating Digital Solutions

What it does: Comparing ideas means putting the sketches next to each other and checking them against what the user needs. Choosing one is the last step. You pick the sketch that works best and then build it. Sketching several ideas first helps you find a better design than your very first idea. Thumbnail sketches are small and fast, so you can make lots of them without spending much time. The goal is to compare different ideas, not to make beautiful art. Choose using the user's needs, not just because an idea came first.

Common mistakes: The counter must go up by one for each thumbnail. SET ideas TO 1 keeps resetting it to 1. It should be CHANGE ideas BY 1. Comparing sketch A with itself tells you nothing. You compare different ideas, so it should be COMPARE sketch A and sketch B.

Class: _____________________  ·  Name: _____________________  ·  Date: _________

Free printable worksheet with full answer key — or add this module to a class and your students practise it interactively.

🖨 Print worksheet + answer key Add Generating several interface design ideas to a class →

This module's key terms are also in a printable crossword (Modules 31–40) and word search (Modules 21–40).

Take this worksheet further — free with Cloodit

Each concept is reinforced from every angle — learned, then applied, then tested.

Learning
Duo
Your team is designing a screen for a school library app. What should you do first?
Draw several quick thumbnail sketches of different ideasDraw one detailed design and start building it
Matches
Draw one sketch. Build it straight away.
↓
Only one idea was made, so there was nothing to compare. Make several quick thumbnail sketches first.
Applying
Meanings
Term
thumbnail sketches
Meaning
Small, quick drawings of different design ideas. Make several, compare them, then choose the best one to build.
Practice
1. Draw thumbnail sketch A
Testing
Gaps
3 TIMES
Check Answer
Spots
3 DRAW a quick thumbnail
4 SET ideas TO 1

Cloodit turns curriculum-aligned coding content into journeys students work through one biome at a time.

The 'Deer' badge — Forest Streak, one of Cloodit's 106 collectible badges
Students earn collectable badges

Over 100 of them, across seven natural biomes.

Study Buddy
Students build a real study resource

Turns their work into revision material ready for Flash Cards and Exam study.

Diamond Dash — one of Cloodit's live, competitive Sprint games
Students lock in with Sprints

Live, competitive practice for the start of the lesson or a teacher-led lesson finisher.

A Cloodit certificate of achievement, ready to personalise and print
Custom printable certificates

Honour your top performers, or encourage a student who's trying hard — ready to print in seconds.

Add to class →

Quick Questions

1. Your team is designing a screen for a school library app. What should you do first?
A. Draw several quick thumbnail sketches of different ideas ✓
B. Draw one detailed design and start building it
Sketching several ideas first helps you find a better design than your very first idea.
2. Which describes a thumbnail sketch?
A. A small, quick drawing of a design idea ✓
B. A big, perfect drawing with every detail coloured in
Thumbnail sketches are small and fast, so you can make lots of them without spending much time.
3. Why do designers make more than one sketch?
A. So they can show they are good at drawing
B. So they can compare ideas and pick the best one ✓
The goal is to compare different ideas, not to make beautiful art.
4. After you have drawn four thumbnail sketches, what comes next?
A. Throw them all away and start again
B. Compare them and choose one to build ✓
Comparing your sketches helps you choose the idea that best meets the user's need.
5. Which is a good way to compare your sketches?
A. Check which one is easiest for the user to understand ✓
B. Pick the one you drew first because it was first
Choose using the user's needs, not just because an idea came first.

Match the Pairs

thumbnail sketches → Small, quick drawings of different design ideas that you make before choosing one
Idea A, Idea B, Idea C → Several different design ideas drawn so they can be compared
Compare your sketches side by side and ask which one is easiest for the user → compare(Idea A, Idea B, Idea C)
After comparing, pick the best sketch to build into a full design → choose(best idea)
Draw one sketch. Build it straight away. → Only one idea was made, so there was nothing to compare. Make several quick thumbnail sketches first.
Draw 3 sketches. Spend an hour colouring Sketch 1. → Thumbnail sketches should be small and quick. Spending ages on one sketch wastes time before comparing and choosing.

Key Term

thumbnail sketches
Small, quick drawings of different design ideas. Make several, compare them, then choose the best one to build.

Fill in the Blanks

1. REPEAT 3 TIMES DRAW thumbnail sketch END REPEAT
Hint: Type the keyword that makes a step happen again, so you make several sketches.
2. COMPARE sketch1 WITH sketch2 NOTE strengths and weaknesses
Hint: Type the action word for looking at two ideas side by side.
3. CHOOSE best idea FROM ideas
Hint: Type the small word that shows which list of sketches you pick the best idea out of.
4. REPEAT 3 TIMES DRAW thumbnail sketch ideas ← ideas + 1
Hint: Type the operator that adds one to the count of sketches each time.
5. IF ideas > 1 THEN CHOOSE best idea END IF
Hint: Type the comparison symbol that checks you have more than one idea before choosing.

Spot the Error

Question 1
A SET ideas TO 0
B REPEAT 3 TIMES
C DRAW a quick thumbnail
D SET ideas TO 1
E CHOOSE the best idea
Line D — The counter must go up by one for each thumbnail. SET ideas TO 1 keeps resetting it to 1. It should be CHANGE ideas BY 1.
Question 2
A DRAW sketch A
B DRAW sketch B
C COMPARE sketch A and sketch A
D CHOOSE the better sketch
Line C — Comparing sketch A with itself tells you nothing. You compare different ideas, so it should be COMPARE sketch A and sketch B.
Question 3
A SET best TO idea A
B IF idea B is easier to use
C THEN SET best TO idea A
D BUILD best
Line C — If idea B is easier to use, it should become the best idea. The line should say SET best TO idea B, not idea A.
Question 4
A DRAW thumbnail 1
B DRAW thumbnail 2
C DRAW thumbnail 3
D COMPARE only thumbnail 1
E CHOOSE one to build
Line D — You need to compare all the ideas before choosing. Looking at only thumbnail 1 means the other ideas are ignored. It should be COMPARE all 3 thumbnails.
Question 5
A SET ideas TO 0
B REPEAT UNTIL ideas = 3
C DRAW a perfect final poster
D CHANGE ideas BY 1
E CHOOSE the best idea
Line C — Thumbnail sketches are small and quick, not perfect finished artwork. The line should be DRAW a quick thumbnail.

Student with a class code? Join your class →