A Framework for Motivating Sketching Practice with Sketch-based Gameplay

Sketching is a valuable skill to learn but requires extensive motivation and practice to improve. We present a framework for motivating practice with sketch-based gameplay that is rooted in a grounded theory study of the motivations of various individuals with different skills levels. The individuals interviewed included a range from novice and intermediate industrial design students to established design professionals. Four categories emerged that explain the differences in motivation between individuals with different skill levels, including achievement, competition, communication, and creativity. We also present a case study of the implementation of two different gameplay approaches for encouraging line work practice in a high school art course and a university sketching course. The study revealed that both approaches were very engaging and motivating to students, with 72,842 lines practiced across the 150 students overall. We also gained insights about how the approaches differed in motivating students, and share principles we learned on motivating students with gameplay that may be useful to other researchers, educators, and technologists.