University of North Dakota UND Scholarly Commons Theses and Dissertations Theses, Dissertations, and Senior Projects January 2016 Graphic Design Students’ Perceptions Of Using Apple iPads To Create Sketches And Promote Idea Generation Elizabeth Becker Follow this and additional works at: https://commons.und.edu/theses Recommended Citation Becker, Elizabeth, "Graphic Design Students’ Perceptions Of Using Apple iPads To Create Sketches And Promote Idea Generation" (2016). Theses and Dissertations. 1990. https://commons.und.edu/theses/1990 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Theses, Dissertations, and Senior Projects at UND Scholarly Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of UND Scholarly Commons. For more information, please contact [email protected]. GRAPHIC DESIGN STUDENTS’ PERCEPTIONS OF USING APPLE iPADS TO CREATE SKETCHES AND PROMOTE IDEA GENERATION by Elizabeth A. Becker Bachelor of Arts, University of North Dakota, 2003 Master of Science, University of North Dakota, 2006 A Dissertation Submitted to the Graduate Faculty of the University of North Dakota in partial fulfillment of the requirements for degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Teaching & Learning Higher Education Grand Forks, North Dakota December 2016 Copyright 2016 Elizabeth A. Becker ii PERMISSION Title Graphic Design students’ perceptions of using Apple iPads to create sketches and promote idea generation Department Teaching & Learning Degree Doctor of Philosophy In presenting this dissertation in partial fulfillment of the requirements for a graduate degree from the University of North Dakota, I agree that the library of this University shall make it freely available for inspection. I further agree that permission for extensive copying for scholarly purposes may be granted by the professor who supervised my dissertation work or, in her absence, by the Chairperson of the department or the dean of the School of Graduate Studies. It is understood that any copying or publication or other use of this dissertation or part thereof for financial gain shall not be allowed without my written permission. It is also understood that due recognition shall be given to me and to the University of North Dakota in any scholarly use which may be made of any material in my dissertation. Elizabeth A. Becker November 29, 2016 iv TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF TABLES ...................................................................................................... vi ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ........................................................................................vii ABSTRACT ................................................................................................................. ix CHAPTER I. INTRODUCTION ..........................................................................................1 II. LITERATURE REVIEW ...............................................................................7 III. METHODOLOGY .......................................................................................32 IV. RESULTS .....................................................................................................51 V. SUMMARY, LIMITATIONS, AND RECOMMENDATIONS ................104 APPENDICES ...........................................................................................................117 REFERENCES ..........................................................................................................151 v LIST OF TABLES Table Page 1. Participant Demographics 53 vi ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to thank several people for their continuous support during the entire dissertation process. Dr. Mary Baker was instrumental in my ability to finish this research. Throughout the entire process she provided me with guidance, encouragement, and feedback. She was not afraid to give me that gentle nudge if I was falling behind or getting off track. She never gave up on me and for that I am truly thankful. Next I would like to thank Dr. Marcus Weaver-Hightower, Dr. Lori Swinney, and Dr. Timothy O’Keefe for serving on my dissertation committee. Their suggestions and feedback were instrumental in the completion of my study. I appreciate their hard work and it was a pleasure working with all of them. I wish to thank Dr. Lynda Kenney for her work as my editor. I really appreciate her feedback and assistance in making sure my dissertation was quality work. I would also like to thank the students who participated in this study. I enjoyed working with all of them and it was a pleasure telling their stories. Hearing their opinions and experiences made this a more worthwhile and enlightening experience. Additionally, I wish to thank the course instructor for the two classes I visited. I greatly appreciate her willingness to allow me to visit her classrooms for the purpose of recruiting students and also for encouraging her students to participate by offering them extra credit for doing so. She also offered advice and validity to the study by peer- reviewing my findings. Her assistance was greatly appreciated. vii I need to thank colleagues at the Center for Instructional & Learning Technologies for their support and understanding while I was writing my dissertation and for the entire seven years I was completing my doctoral course work. I had to take time off from work in order to conduct the study and also write the dissertation. I appreciate everyone who helped out and covered for me while I was out of the office. I would also like to thank my family and friends. I know that during those last few months I was not the most exciting or fun person to be around. I am grateful that all of them understood how important this research was to me and that they did not get upset when I had to put my dissertation first. Their understanding and patience meant a lot to me. I want to say a special thanks to my friend Sharley Kurtz who often took care of my dogs while I attended evening classes. Finally, I would like to thank my parents for their love and support during this process. Throughout my entire life they have instilled in me the value of having an education and it is because of them that I was able to complete my doctoral degree. They have always had faith in me and they encouraged me to go after my dreams. All of you were instrumental in my doctoral experience. I know that I could not have done this without each and every one of you. I thank God every day for bringing all of you into my life. viii ABSTRACT Artists and designers typically utilize sketching during the early stages of the design process because it provides them with an opportunity to transfer ideas from their head onto paper, computer, or mobile device. Sketching is regarded by researchers in the field of design to be an essential part of the design process. The existing research in this field is focused on comparing paper and pencil sketches with sketches completed on computers. There is a void in the literature examining sketching completed on mobile devices like the Apple iPad. Therefore, this study aimed to fill that void. The purpose of this study was to explore the effectiveness of graphic design students’ use of iPads for sketching activities. The experiences and perceptions of 10 graphic design students who completed a sketching activity using iPads, were examined during the spring and fall semesters of 2016 at a university in the Upper-Midwest. Qualitative phenomenological research methods were used in the study. Data was gathered from interviews and from analysis of the participants’ iPad sketches. The general categories for the participants’ perspectives included background information, design workflow, attitudes on sketching, experience using the iPads, and quality of the iPad sketches. Three themes emerged from an analysis of the data. The first theme addressed the reasons why students preferred sketching with paper and pencil. The second theme explained the benefits students found when ix sketching on iPads. Finally, theme three expounded on alternative idea generation techniques that could be accomplished on iPads. x CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION For centuries artists and designers have utilized sketching for brainstorming and idea generation because it provides them with a means to transfer their initial ideas from their heads onto paper or a computer. Today, sketching is regarded by researchers and educators in the field of design as an essential part of the design process. Sketches can be completed anywhere and on anything from the back of an envelope or a napkin, to a computer with state-of-the-art software, and in recent years, on mobile technologies. According to the 2015 Pearson Student Mobile Device Survey, 51 percent of college students surveyed stated they use tablets at home, school and elsewhere. A similar study done in 2016 by the Educase Center for Analysis and Research (ECAR) reported that 56 percent of students own a tablet with 49 percent of those being Apple iPads. This, in particular, begs the question: What does this mean in relation to sketching and graphic design? The purpose of the study was to explore the effectiveness of graphic design students’ use of iPads for sketching activities. The investigation focused initially on students’ perceptions of sketching on the iPads for the purpose of generating ideas for graphic design projects. The study also looked at the quality of sketches produced and how those sketches compared to traditional paper and pencil sketches. In this