SketchBook on Windows 8
SketchBook is a professional yet simple and intuitive sketching application available on Windows, macOS, iOS, and Android. By the time Microsoft contacted us, SketchBook was already trusted by millions of artists worldwide.
In early 2012, we were invited to create a new app for Windows 8, in Microsoft’s fresh “Metro” design style (later renamed “Modern”).
Role
Designer
Stakeholders
Product Manager | Engineers | Micorsoft Team | PR
Background
Exploration
Exploration & Prototyping
Our first iteration simply replaced existing UI elements with flat color blocks, testing how SketchBook’s established desktop and mobile design patterns might translate to “Metro”.
Later, with access to a pre-preview version of Windows 8 and a few internal documents, we studied Microsoft’s own default apps to better understand expected layouts, gestures, and interactions.
From there, we created richer mockups and presented them to Microsoft. They were impressed—so much so that SketchBook was considered a “sample app” candidate for the launch.
Evolution
Defining the Core Identity
Should SketchBook on Windows 8 be a full desktop-level app, or a lighter, touch-optimized version like we had on iPad and Android tablets? Microsoft couldn’t give us a clear answer.
So we asked ourselves：“What makes SketchBook, SketchBook?”
The answer wasn’t in the visuals. It was in the soul:
Intuitive user experience
High-quality sketching strokes
Lightning-fast performance
Unique pen-optimized interactions, refined for years
A pen-first (not just touch-first) workflow
With only four weeks left, we focused on preserving these fundamentals. Instead of reinventing SketchBook, we evolved its key UI elements, prioritized essential features, and poured effort into details.
Our guiding principle: make it a pen-first experience—while still being touch-friendly and mouse-compatible.
Outcome
“Hey Microsoft, now hug me back”
On the launching event of the Consumer Preview of Windows 8, SketchBook was featured on the biggest touch screen on stage :)
