I find the main advantage of sketching is that I typically have not invested too much time in creating a deliverable that may or may not be correct. Sketching enables me to take enough time to think through a workflow, interactions, or concepts without investing the time and effort to create a formal deliverable.
I can sketch on scrap paper, a Post-It, or the whiteboard. Because it is not finished and polished, I can share the sketch team members to solicit feedback and iterate through the design process. And the best part, if I’m completely off base in my design direction, it’s easier for me to change and try a new direction.
I’m sharing an example of a sketching fail. The goal of the assignment was to capture the existing behavior of the JSTOR platform as conceptual model. While the model ultimately didn’t work to convey the information we needed, it was a useful starting point to spark discussions in the team.