Final answer:
Sketching when designing an interface is primarily for documenting the interface to be built, to explore design concepts, facilitate communication, and act as a guide for later stages of design.
Step-by-step explanation:
The purpose of sketching when designing an interface is not to showcase drawing abilities but to document the interface that is to be built. This foundational step in the design process serves several critical functions. First, it facilitates understanding design concepts and exploring their strengths and weaknesses. Quick sketches provide a visual representation that helps designers and stakeholders to communicate ideas more effectively and ensure that everyone has the same understanding of the proposed design.
Moreover, sketching aids in the selection of details and ideas, bringing together various elements based on research and enabling designers to make informed choices about what will be implemented. It also plays a role in the exploration of possibilities, allowing the designer to envision different scenarios which may include different modes such as linguistic, visual, audio, spatial, and gestural components. This holistic consideration is essential to create an interface that resonates with the intended audience.
Furthermore, the flexibility that sketching provides is invaluable during the realization phase of the design process. As the production of the interface unfolds, the ability to rapidly modify sketches can save time and resources as compared to making changes during later, more technologically intensive stages. Lastly, sketches act as an initial mockup or storyboard that guides the more detailed and technical phases of design, leading eventually to fully realized mechanical drawings, prototypes, or even scale models.