Beginning Arduino Programming

What is Sketching in Code?

The idea of sketching in code is a way of thinking about writing code as a simple intuitive process, just like drawing in a sketchbook. In this way, an Arduino program is called a sketch and is saved in a folder called a sketchbook. Sketching means we can get our hands dirty and quickly try out a new idea. It is a skill available to all of us, not just artists and designers, and neither is it limited to pens, paper, pencils, or napkins.

So often, an idea in one of my classes begins with the simple words, “Wouldn’t it be cool if …?” Quickly sketching out these ideas serves as a way to conceptualize this moment of inspiration. Writing code can be just like this; it is after all a creative process used to solve specific ...