This interview was conducted after Learner #2 interacted with the software. Learner #1 is here referred to as "2." The VizAbility interviewer is referred to as "V."

V: In your profession, is sketching/prototyping an important way of communicating your ideas?

2: Well, we write manuals. We do use graphics: mostly screen shots. They definitely make the instructions a lot easier to follow [for customers]. We have to be careful about which screen shots we choose.

V: Did you feel comfortable/ confident sketching before you interacted with VizAbility? In what ways do you think your feelings about sketching will change based on your interaction with the CD-ROM?

2: I feel pretty comfortable sketching. I think this could help me get better—maybe I need to spend more time with it. [The software] might help teach you to pay attention more and look for details.

V: How often do you use drawing to present concrete information to others?

2: Personally, I do a little drawing for fun.

V: Your profession sounds very technology-intensive. Would the drawing have been more useful to you if you had been given the opportunity to use an electronic palette?

2: I feel more comfortable with pen and paper than I do with the mouse. As far as drawing goes, pen and paper seem to be more accurate.

V: What did you think of the Drawing section of VizAbility in general?

2: The drawing negative space section was really neat. I think it would be a good technique to use for drawing more abstractly. In the process of drawing negative space you actually end up seeing other images rather than just drawing what you see. It helps you to become more creative.

V: In the Imagining section, you had some initial trouble with the instructions. What confused you about them?

2: I didn’t understand the symbols. Maybe if you provided some textual description . . . but that probably would have gone against what they were trying to promote with the CD.

V: Any closing comments about VizAbility?

2: Maybe because I saw some references to the Exploratorium, I think it would be a cool program to have older kids play with. I’d recommend it for middle school kids. One thing I had trouble with was that I felt like I spent more time trying to navigate through the GUI than actually learning visual thinking.